Driftwood

In my opinion this place is not a hotel. It is simply a B&B. It is unstaffed for much of the day. There are no meals other than breakfast and no bar. The website doesn’t make this clear. There was nobody on reception when I arrived at 6pm. The room wasn’t serviced and the shampoo etc was sufficient only for one person for one night. Although the location is stunning, I felt cheated having expected a boutique hotel. It was not made clear to me before I parted with my money that this place was just a B&B.

We have just returned from staying here so I’ll try to be as constructive as possible as I’m aware that this hotel has been given predominantly 5 star reviews for years but there has been a recent change of ownership which has included the closing of the hotel restaurant. This now means that you need a car to get to local restaurants to eat as the nearest place to eat is 30 mins walk away in Portscatho. There is no bar in the hotel or anywhere to get a nice coffee which is a real shame so the hotel is effectively run as a bed and breakfast. There is a cooked breakfast only 4 days a week and a cold buffet breakfast the other days so if you happen to book your stay on the days of the cold breakfast you might be disappointed. The cooked breakfast was nicely presented and there was a good variety of menu options, the cold breakfast was the usual cereals, cheeses and meats etc. There is no fridge in the room which was disappointing especially as there is no bar to purchase drinks so we were told we could use the communal fridge (in what used to be the bar) to store our drinks. Having to do this took me back to my younger days staying in a youth hostel rather than staying in a high end hotel which incidentally even with a reduction in booking due to the changes is still over £200 a night. We checked in around 4pm to find no staff at the desk but a piece of paper with our name and a key left. All a bit strange I thought and there was nothing to formalise that we had actually arrived and if this was in keeping with fire regulations. Staff (when we saw them) were very friendly though. The selling point of this hotel is the stunning ocean views and proximity to the beach and the gardens are well maintained. The room was very clean but a bit dated, the bathroom sink had a crack in it and some of the furnishings look tired. The bed tilted at both ends so it felt as if we were falling out of it. The garden furniture and decking area needs cleaned up as the chairs were covered in moss and the decking needs repainted. I’ll be honest that having read the previous reviews I expected better. If you’re staying here, then plan ahead for your dining options and pre book restaurants locally. If relaxing with a glass of wine from the bar is your thing then book somewhere else. We booked before the changes occurred and we were given the option to cancel but continued with our booking at a reduced price but sadly were still disappointed with the facilities.

The hotel and its environs are so relaxing that my husband was already talking about coming back. Chef was amazingly willing and able to adapt to my dislike of many vegetables and the food was so delicious that one lingered over every mouthful. And then we find out that the owners are retiring and have sold the property effective 1 July. And that the new owners expect to run it as a B&B ONLY, despite there being nowhere within easy walking distance for an evening meal! Why would one buy a successful and superb foodie hotel and kill the entire business by doing this? I predict they will go bankrupt within a year! Such a shame; but good luck to the wonderful staff and chef who will no doubt do well wherever they choose to work. Thank you.