Well, this is our first TripAdvisor review...my girlfriend and I stayed at The Percy Arms with a Groupon deal on 11th February 2012. We arrived to a friendly greeting and a bit of banter with the receptionist staff. My first question of 'are you showing the Newcastle match?' was met with a wry smile - I clearly wasn't the first to ask this on the day! But thankfully, the match was being shown in the bar (and it's a resounding score of zero for Newcastle based on their 'performance').
We were directed to our room (number 26), and I have to admit that it was very basic, however it was clean. Yes, as other reviews have previously stated, there were threadbare carpets on the way to the room and the room itself had peeling wall-paper and stains from a previous leak. But you create your own ambiance and it was never our intention to spend much time upstairs as the bar and then a meal beckoned.
The bar itself was nice, quite modern and had an open fire going. It took a while before the barman materialised (and this seemed to be the general pattern until later in the evening when it was busier and more staff were around). however the complimentary large glasses of wine were indeed large and quite drinkable. Somewhat annoyingly, the local bar-fly numpty took it upon himself to change the tv channel without asking anyone if they were watching anything else and this did irritate several people trying to watch the football updates. This perhaps could have been avoided if the bar was better staffed at the time, considering there were perhaps ten or twelve people in there already. That said, once the Newcastle match started, both tv's were fired up and it was easy to watch the lack of Toon action from any angle.
Moving on to the meal...we booked a table for 8pm and the small restaurant was quite busy. We ordered starters that were both very nice, then Ang ordered a chicken dish while I opted for the Northumbrian lamb shank. A diner next to me overheard my order and stated that he'd just eaten it and the lamb simply 'fell off the bone', which turned out to be true. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals, if a little on the pricey side (however the Groupon 10% discount was already added without question at the time of checking out).
Now, back to the bar area...things were starting to get busier, with a somewhat interesting mix of fellow Groupon users, squaddies, couple of punks and a 40th birthday celebration party. The evening music catered for all and sundry (and being a closet punk, I was very happy with this somewhat eclectic mix). There were perhaps 50 people in the bar area by the end of an evening that culminated in karaoke - never being shy to get up and strut my stuff in a marginally faddy-ho semi-drunken singing style, i was over the moon with this! All in all, it was a really good laugh in a friendly, non-threatening environment (and three people behind the bar to help out). One of the ladies had recognised me from checking in time and insisted on knowing when i would get up to sing - it's just little personal things like this that I really appreciate (although i'm not entirely sure if my singing was appreciated after this!)
A few people have previously commented that breakfast has been poor and sparse. Not in our experience. We arrived somewhat dishevelled around 9am and there were more sausages than you could shake a dachshund at. Along with loads of bacon, beans, tomato, black pudding and what I think was scrambled egg (I don't do egg, so I never look out for it). One thing that i did notice, however, was that the fresh orange never ran out, it was always replenished before this point. Having been hungover at many a hotel over the years, this is always crucial! Tea, coffee and toast were also presented at our table promptly.
So, down to the nitty gritty...if you are going to The Percy Arms with the expectation of having a fantastic room and a quiet drink in the bar afterwards, then forget it...but if you are going with the intention of letting your hair down, having a nice meal and a good laugh, then this is the place to go.
In summary, would we go back at the usual £120 a night tariff? No. Would we go back on a Groupon deal for £39? Book us in anytime. It was a cracking night. But then again, we don't have plums in our mouths...
Oh, and as a final aside...if you are a bloke, don't go for a poo in the downstairs bar toilet until someone re-glosses the clear window pane. There is a perfect view from the yard outside and you might have Ang perving yer bum!
Room Tip: I've noticed that people have previously commented on there being a 'noisy' road outside...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
