Haywain
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Or upstairs - when I stayed at the King's Cross Hub my room was on floor -2!
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Accommodation suggestions and reviews
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Willie Bee
Member
We've stayed a few times at the Goodge Street Hub, just off Tottenham Court Road and have stayed in their 'bigger rooms' These certainly offer more space and were OK for a few days.
Getting unlimited coffee / tea etc from the ground floor wasn't really a problem.
On each occasion, our train up to Newcastle was leaving early in the evening, so we just left the hotel early on the last day and left our bags behind. We would return, say 90 minutes before our train was due to leave from KGX, then after a nice cappuccino, or two, we could easily catch the 73 / 390 bus to the station with ample time left.
We had considered the Kings Cross Hub, but thought that area wasn't too good
Getting unlimited coffee / tea etc from the ground floor wasn't really a problem.
On each occasion, our train up to Newcastle was leaving early in the evening, so we just left the hotel early on the last day and left our bags behind. We would return, say 90 minutes before our train was due to leave from KGX, then after a nice cappuccino, or two, we could easily catch the 73 / 390 bus to the station with ample time left.
We had considered the Kings Cross Hub, but thought that area wasn't too good
D6130
Established Member
It's much improved nowadays.
Blindtraveler
Established Member
Large chunks of Scotland are now horrendous for accommodation prices for most, if not all of the year. Now, a case of serious overmarketing on the whole tourist thing and far too large focus on events of one kind or another. I somehow suspect that there's quite a few empty rooms in many of these portfolios, as quite honestly who'd pay some of these prices. Unless of course you're a Chinese, Japanese or American tourist who hasn't bothered to do the sums
Halwynd
Member
My last stay in Scotland was at the Royal Highland Hotel at Inverness station. It was about ten years ago and I think I paid around £70-£75 a night for three nights during May.
I've just checked what the price would be for three nights the same week in May this year and was shocked - £754!!
Blindtraveler
Established Member
Even with inflation that proves my point somewhat, doesn't it
A few places from recent travels
Wheatsheaf Inn, Atherstone
Convenient if planning to take the parliamentary service to Polesworth. Otherwise pretty missable - no proper curtains, karaoke until 11pm, poor pillows. Not good value for £75/night
AC Hotel Glasgow
2 mins walk to Queen Street. A super nice very modern hotel, especially fabulous staff and public areas you would expect in a 5* place. Can be had for £90-£100. Personally won't look past this place on any future visits to Glasgow.
Marriott Manchester Piccadlly
This is a newly refurbed property. Nice views over Platform 13-14 from one side, but pricing is wildly variable and can be insanely expensive
Carnoustie Golf Hotel & Space
It's very convenient for Golf Street station if doing the early am service, and off season can be very cheap (sub £60/night). Otherwise it puts the hostile into hospitality. All meals have to be pre-booked, can't have room service in the bar even outside the very limited kitchen hours, drab looking rooms and generally a sense of living of the location. Would not ever go back,
Wheatsheaf Inn, Atherstone
Convenient if planning to take the parliamentary service to Polesworth. Otherwise pretty missable - no proper curtains, karaoke until 11pm, poor pillows. Not good value for £75/night
AC Hotel Glasgow
2 mins walk to Queen Street. A super nice very modern hotel, especially fabulous staff and public areas you would expect in a 5* place. Can be had for £90-£100. Personally won't look past this place on any future visits to Glasgow.
Marriott Manchester Piccadlly
This is a newly refurbed property. Nice views over Platform 13-14 from one side, but pricing is wildly variable and can be insanely expensive
Carnoustie Golf Hotel & Space
It's very convenient for Golf Street station if doing the early am service, and off season can be very cheap (sub £60/night). Otherwise it puts the hostile into hospitality. All meals have to be pre-booked, can't have room service in the bar even outside the very limited kitchen hours, drab looking rooms and generally a sense of living of the location. Would not ever go back,
Haywain
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Prices have increased for a number of reasons over recent years - energy costs up rdamatically, business rates up, staffing costs and shortages. On top of that I suspect that there's less competition in the market with some hotels block booked by the government.
Willie Bee
Member
As per my post (Ref.1565) there are some bargains to be had
A Saturday and Sunday in P.I. Inverness, Jan 2025 for a total of £78 was pretty good .. if not fantastic, my wife and I thought
A Saturday and Sunday in P.I. Inverness, Jan 2025 for a total of £78 was pretty good .. if not fantastic, my wife and I thought
SuspectUsual
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Have you tried Grasshoppers next to Central station?
LA50041
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Holiday Inn Express - Stockport
Needed a hotel last week a bit last minute so booked this with 2 days notice.
Price paid £74 with free breakfast including continental/cooked.
Needed somewhere close to the station as I was recovering from a broken foot and this hotel is conveniently literally just outside Stockport station and some of the rooms overlook the station.
Bar area on the ground floor serving food and tea/coffee making facilities in room
Needed a hotel last week a bit last minute so booked this with 2 days notice.
Price paid £74 with free breakfast including continental/cooked.
Needed somewhere close to the station as I was recovering from a broken foot and this hotel is conveniently literally just outside Stockport station and some of the rooms overlook the station.
Bar area on the ground floor serving food and tea/coffee making facilities in room
pitdiver
Member
Slightly off topic but when I worked for a large company with offices spread around the country I would try and get friendly with an available member of staff. Try to get to know them and use their facilities. I always found this acceptable. I could count on accommodation in Oxford, Liverpool, Kidderminster, Slough, Winchester and others. In fact I married one of my contacts.
Halwynd
Member
I suspect your suspicions are correct.
JKP
Member
There has also been a fall in the number of people who do bed and breakfast mainly due to air bnb but also other reasons as above. There were two bnb across the road from me. Both have been sold on as family houses in the past couple of years.
dave87016
Established Member
Anyone able to share their experiences at Travelodge Aberdeen Central ? And /or recommend any decent pubs close by ? I’m enroute to Aberdeen now so any help greatly appreciated
D6130
Established Member
I stayed there for a night last September....prior to doing the Aberdeen-Penzance Cross-country marathon. It was fine, although my room overlooked the air conditioning vents from an adjacent restaurant and was a little noisy with the window open....so I shut it. There was a very pleasant young German lady from Dresden on reception, both when I arrived in the evening and when I departed at 08 00 the following morning.
With regard to pubs, would I be correct in assuming that you are a real ale drinker? If so, I can recommend Aitchie's, diagonally across the road from the station entrance. A typical compact Scottish city centre bar with uniformed barmen (no ladies in my experience) and Orkney Dark Island to die for. No other real ales, but it's very well-kept. Other places to visit within a 5-10 minute walk of the hotel:
The Grill, 213 Union Street - fabulous art-deco interior and several guest beers
The Prince of Wales, 7 St Nicholas Lane - olde worlde atmosphere and guest ales.
The Globe Inn, 13-15 North Silver Street - all guest beers are from Scottish breweries and they do excellent food all day.
There are also several branches of Wetherspoons' if they float your boat.
Good luck and cheers!
dave87016
Established Member
Thanks very much for your reply much appreciated , sadly I’m not a real ale drinker , strongbow original is my favourite tipple but I do like to visit pubs in towns I never been , I’ve only been Aberdeen once before that was a HST bash didn’t have time to sample any pubs , but I’m in Aberdeen till Saturday morning this time
D6130
Established Member
Ah well....I can recommend those pubs regardless of what your favourite tipple is!
Willie Bee
Member
Would you recommend Aberdeen for a short stay ?
Since retirement, my wife and I have had several short city breaks all over the UK, including Inverness in January. Although we passed through Aberdeen on the train, we have never stayed there, hence the question.
We might make it a 2 + 2 day, with a visit to Perth or Stirling .. We've already been to Dundee, Edinburgh (x3) and Glasgow (x3)
ChrisC
Established Member
I visited Aberdeen for the first time at the beginning of May last year. I actually did a long 9 night stay but I was using Aberdeen as a base to explore the area using a 7 day Stagecoach Bluebird bus ticket. I stayed at the Ibis which wasn‘t bad for a budget hotel and quite reasonably priced too. It’s just a few minutes walk from the rail and bus stations and I had a room on a high floor on the back of the hotel with fantastic views of the harbour.
What did think I of Aberdeen?
Very impressive granite buildings especially along Union Street which was literally 2 minutes walk from my hotel. Sadly despite being able to look up at the beautiful buildings I found much of the city centre a bit rough and run down with so many empty closed down shops. The new shopping centre near the station was quite nice. The historic old town near the University was a very interesting historic area with cobbled streets and historic buildings including the cathedral and Sefton Park with walks by the River Don including the old bridge all worth visiting. The sea front isn‘t bad especially the old streets of fisherman’s cottages by the mouth of the River Dee. I even saw dolphins from the beach near those cottages.
There are interesting things to see and nice historic parts but I was very disappointed in the run down state of some areas.The oil boom is certainly over. A great base for trips out by bus especially up Royal Deeside and to the fishing villages on the coast north and south of Aberdeen.
Halwynd
Member
Try Stonehaven a little further south on 31st December. Do a search on 'Stonehaven Fireballs' - but accommodation might be a little more expensive than usual.
Highly recommended.
trainophile
Established Member
I’d give Perth a miss, very run down and uninspiring nowadays. If you must go to Perth avoid the hotel across the car park from the station. I stayed there once and my room was dirty, bottle tops on the floor and even the toilet hadn’t been cleaned… or flushed .
Stirling is worth a visit though, if only for the castle, which is worth paying for the tour.
dave87016
Established Member
I went Aberdeen for the HST journey . and I like to visit different pubs ( one drink in each ) I’ve done pubs in Stirling , Dundee , Glasgow & Edinburgh if you like real ales or just variety of pubs then I recommend Aberdeen I got Travelodge for £85 for a two night stay
Willie Bee
Member
To writers of posts 1640,1641,1642 and 1643 .. many thanks
dave87016
Established Member
I would definately recommend Aberdeen Central Travelodge , less than 5mins walk from station , room was spotless , they even provided a fan in the room which pleased me ( premier inn have missed a trick there ) especially as there rooms tend to be hot and my window opened a bit which was a bonus as I like a cool/cold room regardless of the weather , staff were brilliant and friendly , breakfast was good by far the best Travelodge I have stayed at
Willie Bee
Member
That's good to know .. I was about to book a Premier Inn stay.
We've never been in a Travelodge .. so maybe worth giving it a go
trainophile
Established Member
They are quite similar to Premier Inns but without the hairdryers! Good luck finding dates when the prices aren't too eye-watering.
ChrisC
Established Member
If you find the Travelodge and Premier Inn in Aberdeen very expensive on the dates you require, the Ibis is well worth considering if their prices are lower. It was clean with a comfortable bed, friendly staff and good breakfast. It was the most reasonably priced hotel near the station when I stayed there last year. The Maritime Museum directly opposite the Ibis is well worth a visit too.
Kite159
Veteran Member
Travelodge, Cardiff Central
Located a stone's throw from central station (next to the Wetherspoons), so handy location for a late arrival or early start. Standard Travelodge which I suspect the experience will depend which side of the building you get. I was surprised to get it for £32 for a Monday night booking it on the Saturday afternoon, which for Cardiff city centre was a steal in my eyes.
I had a room overlooking an office block at the rear, so it was very peaceful. I suspect if you got a room overlooking the road it wouldn't be as peaceful with a mix of traffic and drunken students coming out of various nearby nightclubs.
Located a stone's throw from central station (next to the Wetherspoons), so handy location for a late arrival or early start. Standard Travelodge which I suspect the experience will depend which side of the building you get. I was surprised to get it for £32 for a Monday night booking it on the Saturday afternoon, which for Cardiff city centre was a steal in my eyes.
I had a room overlooking an office block at the rear, so it was very peaceful. I suspect if you got a room overlooking the road it wouldn't be as peaceful with a mix of traffic and drunken students coming out of various nearby nightclubs.
Haywain
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Midland Hotel, Morecambe
As a railway enthusiast and someone who like art deco architecture, it was quite a treat to have a couple of nights at this lovely hotel. As it was a birthday treat from Mrs H, I don't know what the price was but she seemed happy with it. We had a room on the landward side of the building on the second floor, which was comfortable and of reasonable size but did have a slightly unusual arrangement of hiding the toilet behind a folding wall (difficult to explain properly). My wife didn't hesitate to take up the offer of free drinks instead of the room cleaning between the two nights, but the room was cleaned anyway so that was a bonus! We used the restaurant at the hotel on both nights and the experience was very good, without horrific prices. It seemed very popular, with probably more guests than the hotel would accommodate. Breakfast was also included and was very good. The hotel is located just across the road from the old (Midland/LMS) station, now a pub called The Station with the building also housing an entertainment venue called The Platform. It's a 5-10 minute walk from the current station, in pretty much a straight line down the "Flock of Words" path. Morecambe itself wasn't terribly exciting but I would happily return to the hotel.
As a railway enthusiast and someone who like art deco architecture, it was quite a treat to have a couple of nights at this lovely hotel. As it was a birthday treat from Mrs H, I don't know what the price was but she seemed happy with it. We had a room on the landward side of the building on the second floor, which was comfortable and of reasonable size but did have a slightly unusual arrangement of hiding the toilet behind a folding wall (difficult to explain properly). My wife didn't hesitate to take up the offer of free drinks instead of the room cleaning between the two nights, but the room was cleaned anyway so that was a bonus! We used the restaurant at the hotel on both nights and the experience was very good, without horrific prices. It seemed very popular, with probably more guests than the hotel would accommodate. Breakfast was also included and was very good. The hotel is located just across the road from the old (Midland/LMS) station, now a pub called The Station with the building also housing an entertainment venue called The Platform. It's a 5-10 minute walk from the current station, in pretty much a straight line down the "Flock of Words" path. Morecambe itself wasn't terribly exciting but I would happily return to the hotel.