The Plymouth Copthorne - wish I'd brought my flares!! (Hotels in Plymouth in general)

Member Name: sarajackson

Product:	Hotels in Plymouth in general
Date:	05/09/02 (264 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Close to shops, none, none

Disadvantages: Decor in rooms awful, Poor restaurant options, Hotel badly needs refurbishment

Our stay at the Copthorne Plymouth marked the low point of our holiday touring the South of England, and was probably the worst hotel I have ever stayed at.

The hotel is located on Armada Way, rather out of the way of most attractions and a fair walk from the Hoe. It is quite close to the shops, but Plymouth does give you the impression of being past its best, and the Copthorne reflects this in the extreme.

We found the hotel, and when we checked in we were struck straight away that it wasn't what we had expected. It is marketed as a 4 star hotel, but from the small reception area with no redeeming features, it did not give us the impression of this. We found our room, and my heart sank. It was not only tiny, but the furnishings looked like they had not been changed for 30 years. I sat miserable for a few minutes, wondering what to do, before I called to complain. I also wanted to ask why we were not able to use the minibar which had been removed. The reception clerk said they only had minibars in the upgraded rooms, and when I said I was not happy with the room in general, after some negotiations the Manager came to our room to take us to a Superior Room.

Although my memory of our original room is rather blurred, as we spent so little time there, I took photographs of our 'Upgraded' room for posterity. We were somewhat relieved to see it was an improvement, but still would be considered a poor substitute for a Travelodge!!

One word springs to mind - Seventies. If we had been told this hotel had a Seventies theme, we may not have been shocked. As it was masquerading as a Luxury property, the rooms and general decorations would have been laughable if we hadn't been so disappointed. Our room though large, was a strange L shape, with a tiny wardrobe and chest of drawers with white formica doors and brown handles at the far end. I swear these came from MFI (a cheap flat pack furniture company) in about 1975. I reme
mber having something similar when I was a child!! We also had a minibar unit in a fake mottled teak effect and also a dining table in a teak colour and pink dralon covered dining chairs - I have no idea why. An armchair in peach coloured dralon added to the effect. Our bed was contained within a fitted light mock wood effect bed head with lamps attached, the like of which I have not seen for years. The carpet was a cheap looking turquoise patterned affair, the bed covers were in an unpleasant shiny pink fabric and the curtains round the huge windows on this monstrous building were in a nauseating pink pattern with nearly matching valance.

No dressing table existed, but there was a shelf below a mirror by the side of the bed. The bathroom was terrible, with old fashioned yellowy cream fixtures and a corner bath, which I am sure the hotel thought very luxurious about 25 years ago!!

We had intended to dine at the hotel on one evening of our stay, but again the descriptions of the bar and restaurant were blatantly misleading. The 'cocktail bar' where we hoped to sip a martini, was like a bar from a seaside boarding house, the like of which I hoped I would never have to see again. The tiny marble effect bar and a mirrored column stood at one end, with shiny plastic covered sofas and chairs dotted around on the dark geometric patterned carpet that would have been more at home at Heathrow Terminal 3. As they seemed to have run out of these classy furniture items (!!) a few tables and chairs had been brought in - I recognised them as the same that graced our bedroom.

The dining room, which we saw in its full glory the following morning, consisted of a filthy beige carpet, light tables and chairs, that looked a bit like cane furniture on first impressions. A pub attached to a Lodge hotel would have had more class. The service at breakfast was terrible, we had to queue outside waiting for a table, then half the cutlery was missing. The c
hoice of items was poor and the toast machine was a veritable fire hazard!!
I can't stress enough how bad this hotel was. If it was a three star property you would think it was pretty disappointing. There are various Lodge properties in or near Plymouth, and if you find yourself having to stay here (which I wouldn't recommend) then save yourself £40 a night and book a Travelodge instead.

There are no good things to say about the Copthorne. It is way past needing renovations and is in a time warp, both in relation to the service and in particular the rooms and restaurants

Summary: