The Grand Hotel is Very Grand (Grand Hotel)

Member Name: rosiesmum

Product:	Grand Hotel
Date:	10/04/09 (174 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very comfortable and excellent restaurant

Disadvantages: Quite a steep walk from the prom if escalator is not in use

I had a very hectic Christmas last year cooking for the family and generally doing far too much eating and drinking, so when it came to New Years Eve I was worn out, and to be quite honest just could not face another knees up to see the New Year in.

My husband came up with the idea of going for a pint at tea time then back home for a night in front of the television. I agreed with that idea and then he piped up that we would have to go to bed early because we were getting up at six in the morning to drive to Scarborough and staying over night in the grand Hotel.

Scarborough is about three and a half hours drive from where we live so we took a steady pace travelling over the moors keeping away from the motorway. It was great no stress and gorgeous scenery.

There was quite a lot of snow on the moors but the roads were clear and all the trees looked as if they had been sprinkled with icing sugar it was just like a typical Christmas card scene.

We stopped for breakfast along the way and finally arrived in Scarborough at about lunch time feeling totally refreshed after the mad week that we had had.

We managed to find a parking space outside the hotel and check in was very quick and easy, we paid £75 for the one night and this included evening meal and breakfast the next morning. The only thing that we were not expecting was a £4.50 charge for parking but never mind it was not worth worrying about.

The main reception area was very regal looking with a huge stair case going up to the second floor I have never seen a staircase like it, and the leather sofas placed throughout the reception gave the whole hotel a welcoming feel.

There are three lifts to access the floors and these moved very slowly compared to other lifts that I have been in but again it did not cause us a problem we were there to unwind after all.

Our room was on the fourth floor and to our delight it was a sea view with a large bed, sofa, television and tea and coffee making facilities.
The bathroom was large with a Jacuzzi bath in and a nice touch I thought was the bottles of lotions and potions provided they certainly hadn't scrimped with these.

Now I come to the comical part of this tale.....I just had to try this Jacuzzi bath so I filled it up with piping hot water and poured a liberal amount of bubble bath in, as I said the management had not been stingy with the stuff. I got into the bath and then turned it on, wow was it powerful especially on full blast, I tried the low setting but that was a wee bit tame for me.......Yes I bet you have guessed by now....There was bubbles every where I couldn't see a thing and had to fight my way out of the foam to find a towel.

After cleaning up the bathroom and putting up with my husbands rips of laughter we decided to take a walk on the promenade, we were not expecting much to be open with it being New Years Day but there were people every where I was surprised. We bought a bag of chips to eat as you do when you go to the sea side and just wandered it was great.

Before we returned to the hotel we decided to have a dabble in one of the amusement arcades and I won £65 on a fruit machine after three goes so we scooped up the money much to the disgust of the lady on the next machine, and we took a walk back to the hotel.

This hotel is actually on a cliff top and walking down to the promenade earlier I didn't realise how much lower the prom was to the hotel. Never mind I remembered that there was an escalator to take you back up to the hotel so we walked right to the end of the pier and alas it was not working that day with it being a bank holiday.

It was a painful climb up a load of steps and I was starting to feel really cold, finally at the top we staggered into the hotel and straight to the bar for a brandy, it certainly made me feel better and the second one definatley hit the right spot.

The evening meal was served from 5.30 to eight o'clock so we decided to go down at half seven. The restaurant was a huge room and I liked the way the tables were placed there was plenty of room; I just hate a restaurant that packs people in like cattle.

The buffet style meal was great, there was plenty of choice from fish to three sorts of meat, and all the vegetables were fresh. Everything was piping hot and I can honestly say we both thought it was excellent right down to the efficiency of the staff. This hotel has definitely got its catering right.

Our room was very comfortable and after a good relaxing sleep we decided to try the delights of the restaurant again for our breakfast.
Again it was spot on we were brought our pot of coffee within seconds of sitting down and we enjoyed a full English with toast and marmalade. I did have a good look at what was on offer, cold meats, cheese etc , fresh fruit, cereals and yoghurts there was something to suit everybody's taste and it was all displayed nicely.

After we checked out and got in the car we both said at the same time 'Now that's a hotel that I would stay in again.'
So if you are ever in Scarborough do give this place a try it is excellent value for money.

Summary: A hotel that I would definately stay in again