The Waterfront

Do not stay here.... Firstly I do not normally leave bad reviews, but there are times when it just has to be done, this, unfortunately is one of those times. Lets start with checking in. The reception area and foyer were a mess, boxes everywhere, untidy. Not a welcoming site. We got our key quickly enough and went to our room. It had not been serviced correctly after the last occupants as we had to head back downstairs to get toilet roll and tea! The furniture in the room is old and needs replacing, it felt very tired. The en-suite bathroom was something to behold, a more fitting description would be a cupboard with additions. It measured 2m by 80cm, cosy is not the word to describe it. It does say small on the hotels website, but this is tiny! The carpet on the stairs would appear to be new, and it looks like some decoration of the walls is taking place, i hope they have not paid to have this done as it is appalling. The breakfast is not too bad. The tables are bare so you have to get your own cutlery and condiments, is it too much trouble to have laid tables? Cooked food was OK, although the bacon was rock hard, we asked the following day how it was cooked, baked in the oven! so we asked for ours to be grilled, which they did and it was fine. At that first breakfast we were asked if we needed new towels,which we did not. However we left the 'please service room' sign on the door to get clean cups, teabags,milk and have the bed made up. It was not done. At breakfast the following morning we asked for the room to be serviced, towels and the works. Left the sign on the door again, when we got back from a long day out it had not been done. We went to reception and had to ask for towels, cups, tea and milk. The apology was a throw away 'sorry about that' and the staff sitting the bar did not seem to care less. The pictures of the hotel on its own website and on tripadvisor do not represent the hotel as it is now. They appear to be from 2018 at the latest, when i would suggest the ownership was different to what it is now. It may be undergoing updating, if it is it is greatly needed. But bite the bullet, close for a month and do it properly! The few staff we saw did not seem overly interested in what they were doing and certainly lacked enthusiasm. On checking out we were not even asked if everything was OK! My sincere advice is if this is the only room you get get in Portpatrick stay in another town.

Had a good stay at the Waterfront. Building is a bit dated and in need of refurb but the cleanliness and staff were great. Breakfast was quite good. The only downside is the shower that kept going off while showering and the creaky floorboards in the room. Would probably stay again if in the area.

We went for a family lunch, we did not stay in the hotel so can't comment on that. The quality of the food was very poor indeed. Two of us had the chicken burger. It was rock hard and came with a slice of tomato and some mayo in a limp roll. It was nowhere near the expected quality for the price charged. Your average chain burger take away offers a far better quality meal at about 1/3 of the price. Two of our group had the ' chicken rice soup.' it was luke warm and had to be sent back to be microwaved. It was clearly out of a tin and served in a shallow bowl. We left feeling very disappointed indeed and probably on reflection should have complained at the time. We won't be back.

Beware The website says all rooms are en suite. They are not. We were given a small room in the annexe with no ensuite facilities. Our room was very uncomfortable twin beds, nothing like the pictures shown! Our toilet was on the outside landing next to another room and our shower downstairs! The only upside was a staff member who tried to change our room, without success. We got a free drink instead. The bar area is tiny and staff mad busy with people. Breakfast though very nice, made to order from a good choice. Disappointed with our stay, wouldn't come again 😕

Loved area didnt like hotel room.Wind blowing in window, Shower inop,Heating on timer

Staff very helpful

Positives: Location, The fish & chips, and breakfast was very nice and the staff on site were friendly. We got 10% knocked off our bill due to being served moulded bread for dinner. Negatives: Generally a run down and grubby hotel. Room 6’s seating covers were dirty and not a place I put my clothes or sat. The windows were embarrassing filthy (could otherwise have had a lovely sea view) (zoom in on the picture). The bathroom a joke - built in a small cupboard - or so it seemed - and the drainage in the sink was terrible. The mattress was old and tilted and we ended up with sore backs as a result. Our toilet took roughly 30 minutes to fill up after using it. And it was a very loud process as well. We told the staff when we went down for dinner and came back up to a toilet that couldn’t fill up or flush at all! In the hallway someone had broken a glass of beer at nighttime and the broken glass (and smelly carpet) was still all over the stairs in the morning. But the absolute worst was, that when my friend from another room politely made them aware of things to consider fixing - and deliberately not doing so publicly like a review - she got a 9-10 point childish and defensive answer (from the manager we presume) instead of simply saying: “Thank you for making us aware of this.” This is NON ACCEPTABLE as paying customers! Furthermore, I have no interest, nor will I waste my time reading what response this review will get! My advice: Stay next door or anywhere else. There’s loads of places to choose from.

We stayed for a night before catching the ferry home from Cairnryan! We were allocated room 18 which is in a small cottage at the side of the hotel, so we had our own front door! The room was small, not a problem, but would benefit from a little attention to detail.. the shower door was off its rail, some areas of the bathroom could be cleaner, the fan and behind the heater! However the beds were comfortable, and the room was clean. I wonder if some of the issues are a result of staffing levels… when we arrived… the girl who checked us in, was also the barmaid and serving in the restaurant!! She seemed to be doing all the jobs, and all credit to her, she was pleasant and helpful throughout!! We had a meal in the restaurant, which was lovely, but took ages to get served… 1 girl doing most of the work! Breakfast however was an experience… a buffet style affair, not helped by some guests, piling there plates, and not leaving much for others, so we had to wait for more to be served…the chef seemed to be working alone, so maybe that was the issue. We had to figure out the coffee/tea machine ourselves!! The food itself was fine!! This hotel is in a beautiful location, on the seafront, which with a little attention to detail and adequate staffing levels could be a wee gem!

Luke warm glooppy tasteless mushroom soup out of a packet! Don't eat here. Won't be back. What more can I say.,,................,....,......................................................... .............................