Three of us stayed at the Avonside guest house for just one night (July 15th). We were originally booked into the Bristol YHA hostel on Narrow Quay near the harbour but a week before, the Hostel contacted me to tell me that they couldn’t accommodate us as they had allegedly had a “flood” on the floor that our room was on. So the hostel found us alternative accommodation and that’s how we ended up at the Avonside which as it turned out wasn’t a bad result. At the hostel the three of us had to share a six bed dormitory (all male) plus shared facilities but at the Avonside we had our own three bedded room with private toilet and shower plus there was an additional bathroom on the landing which was handy. We also got the room for exactly the same rate at £17.95 for the night including continental breakfast. The only slight down side is that the guest house is a bit further away from the town centre and the harbourside although if the weather is nice it’s about a 10-15 minute walk alongside the river Avon where you cross over the pedestrian footbridge into town. Bristol Temple Meads station is about a 25-30 minute walk away or you could catch the U1 bus or a taxi which costs about £5. The staff here are very friendly, I spoke to the landlady, Alison a few days before arrival to make sure they had our booking and she was very helpful. She also told me that they often get guests that have been “bumped off” to her guest house from the YHA which beggars the question about the so called “flood”. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to meet her as she went on holiday with her children. However, the guest house is family run and the rest of the staff are indeed helpful. Our room was on the second floor and at the rear of the property so was very quiet but as another TA member posted, rooms at the front would be quite noisy as they face the main road. As mentioned before, we had a three bedded room of which one was a double bed. The room was spacious and came with a TV, tea and coffee making facilities a small fridge if you request it plus enough storage space for your gear. The shower/toilet was a pre-formed unit built into the corner of the room and although small, served its purpose but as mentioned before there was another full size bathroom and toilet on the landing next to our room. Do note though that no toiletries were supplied and the towels were a bit on the hard side. Now I come to the bit about the “breadcrumbs”. When we finally turned in for the night my friend had the double bed but it wasn’t long before he was twisting and turning because he felt “something” irritating him in the bed. On turning the lights on he discovered that there were breadcrumbs and bits of crust in the sheets!! So after cleaning the sheets off we all finally got to sleep. In the morning we mentioned this to the staff and were puzzled to why this had happened as all the bed linen had been changed that morning before we arrived. They were very apologetic. Breakfast consisted of bread, a choice of cereals, fruit juices plus tea and coffee. The breakfast arrangement was very much help yourself, there was no table service. When you had finished you placed all your dirty cutlery in a big bowl. Although breakfast was supposed to have finished at 8.30 they were very flexible on times. The guest house itself was like the rest of the buildings in Coronation Road which were quite old. However, the rooms are gradually being refurbished. The Avonside is probably the closest guest house to the town and certainly one of the closest to the footbridge across the river. My friends and I were in town for the Ajax v Bristol City football match and City’s football ground – Ashton Gate is about a 10-15 minute walk at the other end of Coronation Road, so if you are a visiting football supporter from the other end of the country and fancy staying overnight the Avonside is perfect for both the town’s bars, restaurants and shops plus Bristol’s historic attractions and also the football ground. In summing up, by a twist of fate we ended up with a great deal and despite the “breadcrumbs”, when we are back in Bristol I would certainly consider staying at the Avonside again. On a footnote – the taxi driver who took us from the station pointed out another guest house on Coronation Road called the ALPHA, he said thank heavens you are not staying there, it is probably the worst B&B on the planet and sure enough when I returned home I checked it out on TA. I urge you all to read the reviews, it will make your eyes water!! I hope my review has been of some help, feel free to contact me if you want any advice. John
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
