Guest Reviews of Van Dyk Hotel

"Excellant"

Staff very friendly and helpful , we had worries about things prior to staying but these were all addressed successfully by the management

Too hot

"We had a very enjoyable weekend and would probably stay again when visiting relatives"

Staff friendly. the breakfasts were very good. Bedroom was clean and the bed comfortable

Toilet was not very clean and the bathroom as a whole was a bit shabby.

"I would stay in the hotel again once refurbished. NO BUILDERS. I think the hotel should close down while the works are carried out."

The restaraunt was very good, service and food.

At 1am in the morning there was this awfull noise in our room, like a vibration which carried on for aprox 3-4mins waking us up. It then happened again 5mins later, after that it did not happen again. In the morning when we went down to breakfast, the staff behind the counter did not beleave us and said they did not hear anything. The contractor was also standing there and said every thing was switched of. Before all this happened while booking. We booked the family room on line, we then had a call telling us that they had no rooms available, after a discussion they juggled the rooms and said we could still have a family room. A few days before the stay we had another call from the hotel telling us that the only room they had was a double which meant our ten year old had to sleep with us which would have been ok if the bed had been a kingsize or a queensize but it was a small double bed. Not very happy really!

"Overall satisfactory."

"overall good"

quiet, friendly staff, clean rooms, good food

excessive wait for dinner even with a reservation

"Not happy but was too tire to complaint; too late after a long day. "

Large parking lot, nice surrounding except traffic noise as hotel is adjacent to highway. Breakfast was good.

I book and paid for a double room but was told no double room available and given a twin room. The shower was broken in the room twin room so we have to shower in the next room!! Room was not well cleaned, many tiles in the shower were broken, bed was soft and lumpy and TV was small and with poor quality picture.

"Only there for one night, friendly but attention to detail lacking. "

Staff friendly and decent value

Hotel dated and not the cleanest of places. Needs refurbishment. Some staff although being friendly, didn't seem to know basic procedures and details.

"Booked in around 7pm and having toured the area to find another place returned and booked out before 10pm and I got the impression from the receptionists reaction that I wasn't the first to have done so. It says it all."

Didn't stay long enough to find any. Dining Room looked like it might have been okay but didn't want to risk it given the state of the room.

No soap or hangars. Receptionist finally found a small piece of soap but hangars were not available. Dripping tap, broken down chipboard behind basin, room not very clean, no door on cupboard, very old decor with rawlplugs sticking out of wall, very poor sound protection in walls or ceiling. Generally thoroughly neglected.

"adequate for my purposes"

Excellent staff, quiet location, tv, coffee etc, corby trouser press, fine breakfast

Dodgy shower, uncomfortable mattress, lights out

friendly and very welcoming

night porter refused us another drink saying the bar was closed although the staff earlier had said to see the night porter if another drink was required

"Excellent, would recommend it"

Value for money,clean and tidy, staff were friendly and helpful, food was also good

Drinks at the bar were a bit expensive,

Poor Quality of both food and service,Room was poorly maintained.

"Perfect overnight break in a long car journey. Would also be very sutable for a longer stay"

Staff attitude, helpfulness and friendliness Size of, and facilities in room Value for money Feeling of oppulence leather Chesterfield, wood panelling, table setting of dining room places Garden Late check in

Ready for a coat of paint but this is excusable given the price

"Adequate, considering cost ie late booking cheaper than the nearby Travelodge!"

Pleasant and willing staff - just not many of them!

Poor levels of staffing - same person providing service for breakfast and covering reception for check-out! Showerhead over bath too low. Note for anyone with mobility problems: From what I saw on the first floor, there are changes of level between the corridor and some of the rooms, and the within the rooms to access the bathrooms, meaning there are small steps everywhere. Single room tiny and dark, and trouser press not working.

"I THINK THE HOTEL HAS A LOT OF THINGS GOING FOR IT. LOCATION, GOOD FOOD AND GOOD ATTENTIVE STAFF. THE HOTEL HOWEVER DOES NEED MODERNISING!"

location of the venue and good food

rooms are old and tired loooking especially the bathrooms

"I would only stay there again if I had no other options."

A very large room

The decor was shabby, there was no internet access and the television did not have a remote control.

"Hotel with character, looks beautiful in the sunshine"

Value for money, comfortable beds

Very dark furnishings

"The hotel is easy to find and has plenty of parking available. All the staff are very courteous and a pleasure to deal with especially reception."

Friendliness and efficiency of staff

All the clutter- 3 armchairs and table lamp dumped right up outside my room door.I could barely squeeze past.The adjacent room was being renovated it appeared.I think this was a fire risk hazard had there been an emergency.

"Despite the problems with my room I have stayed here before and would probably stay again. Everything else about the hotel cannot be faulted and as I only wanted somewhere to rest my head at a good price I shouldn't expect too much as far as the standard of the bedroom is concerned."

The 'downstairs' area was excellent, Bar area, restaurant etc. All the food was also excellent, as were the staff.

The room had no bulbs resulting in me having to stumble from the door to the bed in darkness. The standard lamp had no shade. The bathroom light was a bar bulb no lampshade which is extremely dangerous in a bathroom. There was also no remote control for the Television.

Choice of Dining experience and good food

Bedrooms need refurbishing

Nice hotel, well situated. Friendly and helpful staff.

Room decor and fittings somewhat dated and in need of attention.

the breakfast

wallpaper hanging off the bedroom ceiling

"The room and hotel was overall very clean and tidy with everything you need and i would definately stay here again."

Thought the room was value for money.

The floor boards in the room were very noisey, could also hear the guest in the next room with the same problem. Shower head fixed on wall was too low, anyone around 6ft tall would have to bend down.

"The food is excellent. I believe it is locally sourced and the breakfast is very good. The choice of menu in the restaurant at the weekend is restricted which was disappointing."

Heating in rooms good

a separate shower would be nice.

"Obviously a lot of work had been carried out downstairs, but the state of the rooms was poor. I was charged for a large glass of wine I didn't have, and a receptionist rang the barman to check, in front of me and several guests, which I found very embarrassing."

Staff mostly very helpful and friendly

State of the rooms: I moved rooms as the first had a broken lamp, radiator not working, curtains that didn't pull. The new room had crumbling walls, peeling wallpaper, no lampshade, creaking floorboards and no soundproofing. The person in the room above fell asleep with the TV on loud,and at 1.30 am there was no-one on duty to tell. The fire escape door was padlocked.

"wld.recomend subject to an improvement in cleaning regime-this was probably due to lack of adeqate inspection & instruction by hotel management,as the general attitude of all staff dealt with was first class"

staff attitude,breakfast,bed comfort

room needed dusting st high level,toilet seat badly discloured,extractor fan etc needs high level cleaning

"Staff were very friendly and helpful. Food was excellent. Locally sourced products well cooked and presented."

Room large enough, well lit and havng two chairs which is not always the case in hotels.

Room needing refurbishment which I believe is planned.

"Bed comfortable, clean, food good, staff excellent, fabric/decor needs updating."

Very friendly staff - relaxed atmosphere

decor very dated - needs a makeover!

The Service at Breakfast and the Breakfast itself were excellent. Evening meals served in the bar were very good

The 'creaking' floorboards both in the room I occupied and the room above.

very helpful pleasant staff

rooms could do with general overhaul.

The outside of the hotel looked good and the breakfast was very good

The condition of the rooms

"This hotel was OK as a place to sleep overnight but I wouldn't want to spend much longer than that. It was a cheapish deal so I can't complain too much."

Communal areas very good, comfortable and relaxing, staff courteous and breakfast included in the deal was very good.

Rooms were tired, felt grubby - our friends had dirty towels in bathrooms. We thought they need a really good clean. No alarm clock or hairdrier in our room, some of the lights were broken. Our room was also cold.

"It was a pity that the room let the initial, overall perception of the hotel down. Perhaps some attention should be paid to guests accomodation rather than the 'posh'rather overpriced restaurant and bar facilities. I would now rather stay in a Travelodge or something similar where, although basic, cleanliness is guaranteed."

Very convenient for the M1 motorway. The hotel area i.e. lounge, dining room etc., was very pleasant; also the staff were very friendly & helpful.

The room was extremely shabby i.e. paint peeling off walls & smelt of cigarette smoke although it was a totally non-smoking hotel. One of the beds had not been made up on arrival but this was rectified albeit very late in the afternoon. Also the room was not very clean - a dirt sock was in the bathroom!

"The stay was very enjoyable except for being very cold in my room. The restaurant was excellent and food good. The wedding arrangements also. But the outstanding feature was the staff. They were excellent in every way. They did the serving, housekeeping, kitchen, everything, and all done so cheerfully and helpfully. I have never met better staff in any hotel during my working years. They are a credit to you. BUT , DO GET THE HEATING FIXED."

The ground floor was excellent, well furnished and maintained. A charming building

The rooms were just about adequate, rather cramped and dull and the bathrooms beginning to look tired. But the most damning fact was that the heating was not working and the rooms were far too cold day and night. I had to have three extra blankets and although I was then warm in bed the room remained very cold which worked through everywhere. The staff very quickly changed my room when asked but the next room was just the same, as they all seemd to be.

"Very good, the picture on the web site did not do this hotel justice, I was expecting something cheap and average, but it was better than that. Breakfast was included and the choice was good."

Excellent, better than expected.