Breaks With The Bard

Our growing band of readers continue to enjoy this feature, with the previous appraisal of the CUMBERLAND HOTEL in BOURNEMOUTH promoting many favourable comments.

In this issue we pay a visit to the St GEORGE'S HOTEL in LLANDUDNO .

       Read on and enjoy.........  

                    St GEORGE'S - BUT WAS THERE A DRAGON?

    St George’s Hotel is reputed to be one of the finest hotel in the Welsh resort of Llandudno. After a recent visit with ‘She Who Must Be Holidayed’, did we find that the hotel lived up to its enviable though rather expensive reputation? Well the exterior is certainly imposing and its position on the wide sweeping promenade could not be bettered.
Stepping inside the hotel, via the red carpet, led us into a rather swish carpeted corridor from which leads off a number of lounges, bars, reception desk and the famous Terrace Lounge and dining rooms. After a faultless check in we encountered our first setback. There are six guest parking spaces at the front of the hotel, including two disabled bays. Acquiring one of those is akin to winning the lottery; but not to worry we were informed, there is a large private car park to the rear of the hotel – and sure enough there was. After parking, we looked for a rear entrance to the hotel, only to be informed that none existed for guests, leaving us no option but to walk the 400 metres or so to the front entrance. Bad enough for the young and fit but not so clever for the elderly and disabled, especially in inclement weather which does occasionally occur in Llandudno. The young porter who then assisted us with our luggage did however manage to enter by a rear entrance after firmly instructing us that this entrance was for staff members only. This one issue alone would discourage us from making a return visit to St George’s. I believe that this issue could easily be rectified by creating a guest entrance from the rear car park into the hotel.
Our room was large, clean and airy with a delightful sea view and a good-sized balcony of which we made good use during our stay. The bathroom was well equipped with both bath and shower but surprisingly no extractor; the lack of which was apparent after using either bath or shower. After unpacking, we made our way to the Terrace Lounge for a spot of lunch and a panoramic view of Llandudno’s famous wide promenade.
After viewing the dinner menu, we realized that a stroll down the prom’ was imperative to ensure that our appetites were such that we could do justice to the 3-courses that we thought we had paid for with our pricy half-board terms – and that brought about our second niggle of the day. We were aware that a certain allowance would be made for our selected dishes and assumed that this allowance would cover the cost of the individually priced courses – Sad to report, it didn’t. Even by selecting the cheapest items on the menu, the allowance did not cover the total cost of a 3-course meal and a top-up was required on every evening of our stay. We realize that this appears to be a trend in many hotels these days, but our previous experiences have always resulted in the allowances being such that the cost of the meal was covered by the allowance.
The niggle was offset to some degree by the well-appointed series of intimate dining rooms, including tables that overlooked the twinkling lights of the promenade. This, complemented by the prompt and efficient attention of the waiting service, almost made us forget about the unplanned supplements we were paying – almost!.
And now for the menu itself. There’s no doubting that all the dishes reflected fine dining and that in itself is no criticism, although we found it somewhat unusual that there was no soup options among the starters. However, after a lengthy stay, one sometimes craves dishes that are a little simpler. After our 3rd evening, we enquired if such dishes were available, only to be informed that this was not the case. We believe that St George’s is missing a trick here and that a soup alternative and the addition of a couple of less complex dishes, including perhaps some Welsh regional cuisine would be well received by most guests.
By the 5th night the need for some simple food was paramount and we enquired if we could dine in the Terrace Lounge, where some of the dishes we craved were on offer. Much to our surprise we were informed that this change of venue was not required as any dish on the Terrace menu was available in the main dining rooms. This of course was in complete contrast to what we had been told earlier. The waiter concerned was duly admonished but declared that he was not aware of this situation. St George’s, you must ensure that all your staff are made aware of this alternative arrangement.
Now it may appear that our stay at St George’s Hotel was not enjoyable. This was not the case. Everything else was exactly what you would expect from a 4**** hotel and even the weather was kind to us. However, we at the BBB firmly believe that shortcomings should not be glossed over and forgotten. If this was the case, the establishment would be denied the opportunity to put things right. So, to the management of the hotel, we request you to investigate our little niggles and take the necessary corrective action. If this is done then there is a distinct possibility that our recent stay at the hotel will not be our last.
  

                                    Ready for breakfast with a sea view

For a selection of more photos featuring the hotel then why not visit the picture gallery on page 3b.

For more information about the hotel then why not visit their website

          https://stgeorgeswales.co.uk/

And don't forget that if you do decide to holiday there, please tell them that you read about it in the world famous

             BAMBER BRIDGE BULLETIN

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Power of the Press

We are happy to report that the 'niggles' as shown in our hotel review above have been addressed (well some of them). Tony Burns, a director of the hotel group, has sent a letter (See below) to the BBB indicating that action will be taken on many of the points raised by our resident Bard after his recent stay. It is pleasing to see that when genuine issues are raised it can promote concern to a degree when someone with the necessary 'clout', takes the opportunity to make things right. Time will tell if the corrective actions proposed bring about the improvements required - And who knows, we may even persuade our Bard to return at some future date to check for himself.

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