Its the Number One B&B in Blackpool! (Number One B&B (Blackpool))

Member Name: dbarcl10

Product:	Number One B&B (Blackpool)
Date:	13/11/08 (414 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great service, well designed rooms, away from the hustle and bustle

Disadvantages: None!

My partner and I aren't the type of people that normally stay at B&B's, preferring 5 star hotels even though our bank balance prefers 3 star. However when looking at places to stay in Blackpool for a weekend, we stumbled across the website for Number One, and thought we would give it a try.

BOOKING

The B&B has only three rooms so booking in advance is highly recommended. Internet booking is not available for this B&B; however you can check availability and reserve a room by either phoning the B&B or by email.

LOCATION

The B&B is located in Blackpool's South Shore area.

The B&B is perfectly suited for someone looking for a relaxing break, being only a few minutes walk from the Pleasure Beach, yet far enough from the hustle and bustle to enjoy some quiet, relaxing time.

ARRIVAL

From the outside, the building is a very well preserved art deco property, which we later found out was originally built for the aunt of the founder of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach. There is a small parking area, which despite the small size, we always managed to get parked. However there is also plenty of free parking available on the street.

The property is mostly surrounded by mature hedging, meaning that the front garden and patio area is both private and secluded from the noise of the main road. The garden also features a small fountain and a golf putting area.

Entering the property, we were welcomed by a friendly Claire, one of the owners of the property. She made us feel very welcome, and after completing a few forms, she showed us to our room, where we were shown how to work the lighting (touch sensitive controls) and the sound system (music from the CD system can be played in the bathroom) and offered a freshly brewed cup of tea or coffee.

THE ROOM

We were very impressed by our room, so much so that we ended up staying an extra night. The room was a good size, very clean and well decorated. There was a 42" LCD TV on the wall, with a Playstation 2 and DVD player. A selection of DVDs, CDs and Playstation games were available for use in the upstairs hallway.

The king size bed was very comfortable, with goose feather pillows, guaranteeing a good night's sleep. The Egyptian cotton bed linen was very luxurious and the Siberian goose down pillows were also very luxurious if a little too soft for my liking.

In the en-suite bedroom was a further LCD TV, built into the wall above the roll top bath. This was linked to the TV in the main room so you could have a DVD playing in the bedroom and watch it whilst you have a relaxing soak in the roll top bath.

As normal, the room had tea making facilities, although far better than most 5 star hotels. We had a small kettle, a sparkling clean tea pot, and a good selection of tea, coffee, hot chocolate and biscuits.

If you're feeling peckish, the Number One has a small fridge on the landing just outside the rooms filled with a selection of sweets and drinks, all reasonably priced. Number One operates an 'honesty policy' here, so you can either mark down any items you've taken and these will be added to your final bill, or leave the money on the fridge.

BREAKFAST

A choice of breakfast options is available. You can go downstairs to the dining room for a selection of cereals, pastries etc or have the full English breakfast, cooked to order.

However we choose the breakfast hamper, which is served in your room. This included cereal, toast, full English, pastries, a pot of tea or cafetiere of coffee, yogurts, fruit and orange juice, all served in a wicker basket and came complete with white tablecloth and napkins. The hamper also comes with a half bottle of champagne - a great way to start the day! - not that I'm condoning starting the day with alcohol of course.

CLEANLINESS

It was obvious from the rooms that the owners Claire and Mark had paid great attention to refurbishing the period property to a very high standard, and I am very pleased to say that the same level of attention has been paid to cleanliness. I have to say that there wasn't a single mark anywhere in the room we stayed in, not on the walls, carpet, bathroom or the bedding.

AWARDS

The Number One B&B was awarded Best B&B in 2007.

DISADVANTAGES

None of any importance.

The only gripe I must mention is that this B&B has only 3 rooms, so booking in advance, especially during the peak periods, is highly recommended.

PRICES

Ok, so you may be thinking that the Number One B&B sounds great, but pricey. The B&B starts at £60 per person per night (£70 for single occupancy) which is expensive for a B&B, but the level of facilities and service really does make this great value.

SUMMARY

We first stayed at this B&B in March 2007 and enjoyed it so much that we stayed an additional night (luckily they had one vacancy that night). A few months later we returned and stayed in a different room, but the level of cleanliness and service had been maintained.

The Number One B&B is less a B&B and more of a small, 5 star boutique hotel, with the level of service and in-room facilities expected of a boutique hotel.

It is also worth noting that the owners Claire and Mark have recently opened a new hotel in Blackpool, called Number One South Beach. This hotel has 14 rooms and a suite, all individually decorated along with a restaurant and bar. I've not stayed at this hotel so cannot offer an opinion, however as it comes from the same owners, I'm sure it will be of a very high standard.

Highly recommended.

Number One
St Lukes Road
South Shore
Blackpool
FY4 2EL

Tel 01253 343901

www.numberoneblackpool.com - for St Lukes B&B

www.numberonesouthbeach.com - for South Beach hotel

Summary: The best B&B in Blackpool!