We stayed in the Rye Lodge for one night, during a July weekend. There were very few one-night rental options during a summer weekend, so we chose the Rye Lodge because they accommodated our needs.

In the end, I feel fortunate we stayed at the RL. The location can't be beat- it's at one end of the touristy part of town, which is exactly where a tourist should be. The tourist area is small, so no need to be any more central. The Lodge overlooks (across the road) a valley, so it doesn't feel hemmed in.

The RL is a 6 minute uphill walk from the Rye train station. (The Rye train station deserves some sort of prize; I have never before seen, and probably will never see again, a station that has throw pillows on its benches.)

The front desk clerk is delightfully like Mr. French (from the 60s American TV show, Family Affair). Despite being somewhat grubby, middle-budget guests, we received very charming and attentive service. When the toilet bowl in our room almost overflowed, and I sought out a plunger, the RL staff person said, with incredible sincerity, "It would be a pleasure" for her to unplug our jammed loo.

The common areas of the Lodge are lovely and elegant. Away from the first floor, where most of the rooms are, it's more of a nice-enough dormitory feel, with long hallways of doors.

Our room faced the back parking lot, and with the summer sun, it was uncomfortably warm. There were two windows, but one was sealed shut, so we were left with an open area of 14" x 24", and that just wasn't enough to give us needed ventilation.

The room we had was nicely decorated in pink and white, elegantly pretty and sweetly old-fashioned. Very clean. I was surprised that there weren't any luggage racks; I didn't ask for any, but given the level of service at RL, if there were any to be had, I'm sure it would've been someone's pleasure to bring us one (surely much more so than unjamming our loo- at least I hope that would be the case.)

A very modern, upscale, very small en-suite bathroom came with plush, large towels and glass drinking glasses (I am not fond of plastic-wrapped drinking glasses, no matter how hygienic and unbreakable they are). The bathroom is tiny. I could barely fit into the shower, and whatever floor space there is in the bathroom is just about the same place one would put one's feet if one found oneself sitting in the bathroom/WC. The sink, by necessity, is the size of a bowl, and thus the faucets are so stubby, that one cannot wash ones hands without also bumping into the porcelain of the bowl. I would have much preferred to use a large shared bathroom, than such a tiny en-suite WC, but I think the trend is that most travelers prefer a private bath, no matter how small, and hotels oblige.

There's a small, warm indoor swimming pool; pools are not all that frequent in the UK.