My partner and I wanted to get away for a weekend before our baby is due in December. After a long 4 hour drive we arrived at Aylwyne House, a tired looking large house located on the main road in to Norwich City Centre.
We were greeted at that moment by the owner who came round the corner just as we had rung the bell. We were show in and asked to pay the £140 for both nights straightaway and fill out a form regarding our stay. We were advised more or less straightaway that there would be no breakfast as "that seems to be what people want these days" and was that ok? We couldnt very well say no it wasnt ok so we had no choice but to be ok with that. We were disappointed given that Aylwyne House is advertised as a B&B, however, given that we were supposed to be 10 mins walk from the centre we figured we would be able to get a cheap breakfast in town so it wasnt a huge issue. We were given the key to our room and that was the last time we saw the owner despite being told sheets and towels would be changed the next morning (which they weren't).
We went to our room which was very tired and shabby. There was a manky old desk, a TV, very small wardrobe with a mirror on it, tea and coffee making facilities, a double bed and a single bed as well as an en suite.
My partner and I are not snobs so the tired and shabby decor was not an issue and the bedding and towels were clean - the only saving grace of our stay.
We relaxed in our room for a while to watch a little TV (which didnt work properly either - not tuned in properly and only 5 channels no freeview which is usually standard in B&B's these days) before getting showered and heading out for dinner. It took around 20 mins to get right in to the centre, definitley not a 10 minute walk and given I'm 5 months pregnant this was hard work trailing back and forth - not the 'B&B' owners problem however it should be mentioned that they are further out from the actual centre of shops and restaurants than 10 mins walk.
Our first night was awful. The traffic from the main road was very noisy, the bed was lumpy with a large dip in it so we took it in turns to sleep in the single bed so we'd have a chance to get comfortable. There were two foreign gentlemen staying in the next room who were very loud and noisy and had their TV blaring out til gone 1am. Then they were up at 6am banging around and talking loudly. The walls are so paper thin you can hear every single word from the next room.
Despite our exhaustion we tried to stay positive and headed out for breakfast to Wetherspoons in town. We decided to stay in the centre for as long as possible so we didnt have to trail all the way back and then back out again for dinner later on. We had hoped our second night would be better but unfortunately it was not and I was nearly crying with exhaustion through the night, again the foreign guests in the next room were very noisy and inconsiderate resulting in me banging on the wall seperating us in desperation and screaming at them to shut the hell up. We were awoken again at 6am by them and decided the sooner we get home the better so we set off at 7.30am and couldnt wait to get away.
For the price of £70 a night we expected a whole lot better than what we felt was just a hostel advertised as a B&B. We didnt hear from or see the owner, our tea and coffee wasn't replenished, no breakfasts, no clean sheets or bedding or our bins emptied. Very, very disappointing and had we known the Premier Inn in the city centre had rooms available for exactly the same price we would have booked to stay there instead. We feel pretty ripped off and upset that our only weekend away before our baby comes was tarnished by such a rubbish stay.
If you own or manage Aylwyne House, register now for free tools to enhance your listing, attract new reviews, and respond to reviewers.
- Manage your listing
