Whilst I too would like to keep the Blue Rooms a secret I would hate to deny anyone the pleasure that we had staying there...WHAT more can I add to the views of the last reviewer. It certainly has the WOW factor, is in an excellent location in central York, the facilities in the rooms/suites are second to none and the service excellent, to say nothing of the champagne, breakfast in the fridge, the fruit, chocolates, comfort and free parking.

Dinner in the Blue Bicycle was excellent too!

We will be back and soon I hope!

Just spent another wonderful week-end at The Blue Rooms.

To celebrate our sons 33rd birthday, the 3 of us spent a memorable week-end in room 3, from booking in to checking out the service was impecable, The location is so great we just grazed and watered at various haunts.
To anyone reading the previous review, please do not be swayed, although we would love to keep it as our special place you need to visit for yourselves to experience this little oasis.
This morning as we ate our wonderful full english, yes we cooked it ourselves, not rocket science, we fed the ducks from the bedroom and saw a 2 foot pike swim by.
Just re-booked for New Year again, we LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

For the reasons set out below, I disputed the bill with the Blue Rooms due to sub-standard facilities. I offered 300 not 350 pounds, which the Blue Rooms declined. Within 24 hours, they had reported the matter to the local police, from whom I received a telephone call. What kind of "hotel" does this when you are willing to pay up but dispute the bill because of poor facilities? Incredibly disappointing - stay anywhere but here.

Upon arrival, we were made to wait in the restaurant while the person who was supposed to be dealing with our bookings was busy making an order. Standing in a restaurant with luggage during a busy period on a Saturday lunch time does not make for a good first impression.

I was pleased to see that were were given a complimentary bottle of champagne - until I realised that it was Marks and Spencer champagne (and incidentally, part of M&S' two for the price of one deal of late...) - cheap.

On booking we were asked to order outrbreakfast - I chose one continental for me and a full English for my partner. What the staff forgot to do, however, on the website or in person, was tell us that we would have to cook the full English breakfast ourselves.

The facilities in the bathroom were also far from five star. The water pressure was very poor indeed which made having a shower rather difficult. Also, if you and your partner are each thinking of having a five minute shower - forget it. The second person will be showering in cold water. On our last night I called the two "emergency numbers" listed in the "hotel" guide for situations such as this - to find out if there was a switch to press to get more hot water. None of the emergency contacts, however, responded to me call. They also did not call me back. I later found out that one of the emergency contacts was in Turkey!!

Finally - check out. We were advised that someone would be in the restaurant when we were due to leave. This was not true and my partner ended up having to squeeze the keys through the restuarant's letter box.

Later on in the day I received a voicemail from the Blue Rooms asking for payment. When I outlined all the problems listed above, I got shouted at and told that the balance remained outstanding. They would not even consider a discount for the inconvenience that they had caused us. Within 24 hours they had reported the matter to the police. I find this incredibly aggressive. There was no attempt to negotiate with me or to address my complaints. So, we tried paying the bill. The landline to the restaurant and rooms appeared not to be working (apparently and electricity failure!). So, we called the emergency contact number I had tried calling the night before - noone answered. Eventually we got to talk to someone and paid the bill in full. After complaining a lot about the poor facilities and substandard service, I was told that they had granted a 10 percent discount on one night's stay. In my view this is totally insufficient given the service. Only after a lengthy e-mail exchange was I refunded 25 percent of one night's stay which, in my view, is still insufficient.

Its a shame that at 175 pounds a night The Blue Rooms can't offer the five stars they base themselves on. Next time I think we will stay at the Royal York Hotel - guaranteed 24/4 assistance and a reputed polite "can do" service. I can't imagine them referring customers who complain or dispute the bill to the police.

Save your money, time and sanity and stay well clear in my view.

The Blue Rooms were recommended to me as 'the best rooms in York' and exceeded the high expectations we formed. We stayed in the Maisonette which would be absolutely perfect for a family and suited us - two couples sharing - just fine. These rooms will certainly top my list for future stays in York, in fact we enjoyed the accomodation so much that it may well be the primary driver for a return to York in the very near future!