My partner and I were looking so forward to staying at The St Brides hotel after the Christmas period, to celebrate our engagement. We had never stayed before and we will never stay again!
We have stayed In many hotels around the UK over the years, including the Celtic manor and Parkgate hotel (all part of the Celtic collection). The St Brides has always had such a good reputation but it totally lets down the Celtic Manor label/brand.
We arrived at the hotel around 2pm, to check in. Very dull and quiet atmosphere. We sat and had a drink in the bar overlooking the beautiful views of Saundersfoot. This is the only good point!
We hoped we could use the spa or sauna after check in but it’s only available to use once per stay as they have lot’s of spa day bookings which appear to take priority over residents at the hotel. This is not acceptable, just felt like they want to take your money but not give the best experience.
We then went to our room (cosy double). Couldn’t “swing a cat” in this room. We opened up our curtains with the hope of some sort of outlook after spending a lot of money to stay and was faced with a very small balcony and a 6ft wooden fence as a view. Absolutely devastated. Felt totally robbed. I’ve had better views from a travelodge over looking a motorway. Totally unexpected. Such high expectations, crushed from the onset.
We then had a dinner reservation at the restaurant in the evening. We got dressed up with the hope of a lovely night ahead with great food and drinks. My other half went to the bar and ordered a gin and lemonade and an alcohol free beer and was hit with a £20 bill. Wow! I’m not by any means tight with money, but this is ridiculous. Almost £17 for a gin and lemonade.
A set meal was a package that we had paid for this evening. To Start was a choice of Scallops, pigeon, octopus or goats cheese. I had the goats cheese at a push and it was a waste of time and my other half had the pigeon which was freezing cold and he was heaving when he put it in his mouth.
We then had the “Fillet steak” for mains (£8 supplement charge). The Fillet steak was £38 on its own. No sides and no sauce, this all had to be ordered and paid for separately. The “fillet” came and was absolutely tiny. My other half a I eat at up market steak restaurants regular and we don’t need anyone to explain what a fillet cut should be like. This was ridiculous, 3 mouthfuls and it was gone.
In the morning I had to put a 7:15 alarm on to get up for breakfast as the only time we could use the spa was 9:00 in the morning as there were no other slots available for the morning as spa day guests take priority. We never, ever take a night away from our children to enjoy the R&R and celebrate a special occasion and we had to be up very early just like being at home with our children.
I spoke to the manager on 2 occasions, and once when vacating and he was full of excuses and had an answer for everything rather than just putting his hands up and admitting that there are some major things that need sorting if the hotel is willing to charge the prices that they are. Times are hard, money is tight and you are charging top dollar for poor service. Never again will I stay in this hotel and I will be writing to the Celtic manor Team as we feel so let down by the whole experience.