I've stayed at around 20 different Best Westerns now, and I think I've finally learnt my lesson. The Best Western name guarantees absolutely nothing, other than a big chunk of royalty payments for the franchise, and nice headed notepaper for the property.
Some BWs are great, some average, some poor. The Stutelea is in the 3rd category. Old, tired, worn and overpriced, even at £80 for a family room. What we got here was a 2-room suite (one twin, one double), each with a tiny old TV (working), tea & coffee making facilities (functional), a Corby trouser press (didn't check) and bedside lights (nope, not working).
I'll single out the bathroom for a special mention. Built into the eaves, the toilet is positioned into the angle, so that men have to sit down even if they wouldn't normally need to. There is a bath with a hand-held shower, which oddly reminds me of a great little invention seen recently getting laughed off by the Dragons on BBC2 - the gadget that its inventor insisted people should buy and haul around to every hotel they stay at, allowing hand-held showers to be attached to the wall. Would have come in handy here. The bath suite must have been at least 20 years old, making it about 30 years younger than the majority of the hotel's carpets.
On the plus side in the room, the bed was nice, solid and comfy, so you should at least get a decent night's sleep.
Breakfast, at £7, is overpriced for what you get, especially when you consider the strong competition within a 5-minute walk of the Stutelea. No fresh, crispy croissants here, only the long-life type, and sausages that you could get 20 of for a quid at Lidl.
Further redeeming features include the service, which I actually found to be friendly and genuine, if not exactly Swiss-schooled, the bars with its bartenders seemingly very happy to stick around until beyond 1am if that's what the guests need, and the beautiful gardens round the back - someone's really done themselves proud there.
So, overall, it wasn't all that bad. But I do fear for the future of Stutelea, with new competition under construction in the form of the Vincent on Lord St, and the 4* being built next to the Floral Hall on the prom, they'll either have to freshen up quick, or ditch Best Western and re-brand themselves to what they really are in essence - a large, friendly, family-run B&B with some handy extras.
- Stutelea Hotel Leisure
- Best Western Southport
- Southport Best Western
