High Beach Guesthouse Worthing review (Room 4) – 3 Star (6.5/10). “Great value stay in Worthing prime location. Plenty of tea and breakfast offerings, compensated for slight details missed”.
The Good
“Great price”.
“Diverse breakfast offering”.
“Plenty of tea supplies”.
“Room with sea view”.
“Breakfast included in price”.
“Reliable and free WiFi throughout”.
“Relaxing chimes and garden area”.
“TV in room”.
“Comfy bed”.
The Bad
“Not 24-hour checkin”.
“Noisy road”.
“Some breakfast items overcooked”.
“Shared bathroom”.
“Lack of variety in tea selection”.
Location
There were plenty of things to see along the seafront within a short walk from the hotel including the pier, a theatre and a cafe. The town centre had a nice museum with art gallery upstairs, with some interestingly “bizarre” works. This was free to explore which was nice. ( Take note of this Newmarket 🙂 ).
The Guesthouse was within easy walk of the train station too. Stores were within a manageable stroll including Waitrose, Morrison’s and Lidl.
Lancing, one train stop up the road, had a cobblestone beach and a park. Nice without the rain I reckon …
The seafront is very bike-friendly.
Atmosphere
The interior of the guesthouse had a calming atmosphere besides a fairly busy road, and an excitable little dog. I was made to feel at home immediately on checkin, which was good. The owner made a real effort to settle me in and gave clear directions to my room.
I loved how you could see the sea from my bedroom window. This made the trip special. The chimes were relaxing, gently twanging a melody in the garden.
Breakfast
Breakfast options were provided on check-in with checkout time and WiFi password. It was fantastic to have breakfast included for just £40 !!
You’re allowed to select a time between 7 and 9 am, which is good since you shouldn’t suffer the “they’ve run out of what I like, and everything’s gone cold” effect of some lay-in enthusiasts.
Not me though … no. I am up with the lark (promise).
The full breakfast offering was (Tomatoes: tinned or fresh), (Eggs: fried, poached or scrambled), (Sausage), (Bacon), mushrooms, hash browns, baked beans, a selection of cereals : (porridge or packs of Frosties) etc. There was also orange juice provided, which was a nice touch.
Both white and brown breads were available in a bread basket, and each table was supplied with condiments such as salt and pepper.
Tea was supplied at breakfast, with plenty of sugar and milk. The food was at least 10 minutes after the opted time though, which could have been a little quicker. Brown and tomato sauce were supplied, which was also good. As for breakfast items: (2 bacon rashers, 2 poached eggs and a well cooked sausage were provided) with plenty of mushrooms as requested and a hash brown. All items I had requested on the breakfast item form were provided, which was great. The quantity was sufficient to fill me up.
The poached eggs were fluffy and light, and very nicely cooked. A tiny fleck of shell made it’s way onto 1, which wasn’t ideal, but no major issues. The sausage whilst crispy, was of good quality and tasted good. The bacon was a little firm and overcooked, and was perhaps my least favourite breakfast item. The mushrooms too were a little crispy, although again had good flavour. The bread offering of both white and brown was appreciated, along with plenty of butter and jam sachets.
The breakfast experience was very nice, since the owner was very polite and attentive throughout.
Cooking and cleaning
A hairdryer was provided in my top drawer which was the ideal location.
It was a shame the bathroom was shared, unlike the Bournemouth Roundhouse which was en-suite, but fortunately it was available when I needed a shower. I was a little underwhelmed still though, since the power was limited even on full (2 pronged hot setting) – unlike in the Roundhouse. It was confusing too, since temperature and power settings were combined on the top dial, with just temperature on a scale of 1-10 on the lower dial.
My advice would be to leave the temperature dial alone on 5, and the power on full red, otherwise things get very hot or cold with minor adjustment. They also take a while to return to normal. As a shower, it was far too sensitive during temperate adjustment, yet sluggish to respond, making the experience mostly pleasant, yet uncomfortable at times ( e.g. 10 second delay, then burning hot on adjustment of 1 interval on the dial).
I would also have appreciated a shelf to place my shampoo and shower gel sachets on, to save me bending over to pick them up as needed. The lack of bathroom bin was noticeable when trying to dispose of them, after leaving the shower.
All a bit unfortunate …
Chilling in your room
The room was very clean and airy, with the window left open to maintain ventilation. On first glance, the provision of towels, a tube of shower gel, shampoo, and small soap bar, seemed minimalist, yet sufficient.
Much like at the Afton of Eastbourne, a key rather than keycard was provided, which in my opinion is better since it cannot wear out.
The roadnoise with the window open was considerable, and the separate room and bathroom, was a little different to what I’m used to. That said, the decor was inoffensive, and the room suited my needs well, providing 4 plug sockets, and free WIFI. The provision of WIFI password on checkin was very helpful. 4 sockets was more than the Afton per guest aswell.
The WIFI connected easily using the password provided, with no issues. There was no login required, and the internet speed worked well for music and web surfing.
The TV provided was of sufficient size for my room, including HD channels. Picture quality was fine, however sound and channel adjustment on the TV, did take some getting used to. There was a mini joystick which could perform both volume and channel functions effectively with practise. After finding this on the back of the TV, then getting used to it, it worked fine. For those less adventurous, a remote was also provided.
At least the TV worked without intermittency, unlike at the Roundhouse.
A comfortable chair was supplied, which was padded with 2 mini cushions. Ideally you’d need the chair facing the mirror though, since when standing, my head was cut off by the top of the mirror, meaning (my hair and eyes), couldn’t be viewed. Whilst they’re nothing special, it does help to be able to modify your appearance, whilst knowing what it is.
Having said that, with a small adjustment, the seat allowed me to resolve the issue, without stooping.
The sink in the bedroom made sense, considering the absence of an en-suite bathroom, to enable private teeth cleaning. The taps were clean, and worked well, after a firm twist. Neither were loose. Another positive.
A small lined bin was supplied in a wicker basket. The capacity was sufficient, and the styling was consistent with other room furniture.
Kettle capacity of 0.85 litres was disappointing. Some hotels provide kettles of 1 litre or more, such as the Majestic hotel of Harrogate. Mug size however, was considerable which compensated for this. It was nice to see a tea biscuit provision, even in such a good value hotel. This tasted of ginger, which was good for a ginger biscuit.
The spoon wasn’t wooden or plastic, and a copious count of 16 sugar sachets were supplied, along with 4 PG tips teabags. 9 semi-skimmed milk tubes, and lots of caffeinated coffee, was also displayed. Whilst numbers were good, variety was a little constrained.
For example, only one type of sugar and teabag were provided. Decaf tea, or brown sugar options would’ve appealed. Overall though, with the addition of a glass for water, the tea tray was pretty good.
Only 3 small drawers were provided, which meant storage was limited. This was better at the Roundhouse. Unfortunately, the wardrobe didn’t improve things. This was particularly narrow, meaning limited space for clothing. 3 hangers was one of the lowest numbers I’ve seen. About 10 I feel, is the optimum for 2 guests. Since this was a single room, at least 5 would’ve been nice. The Afton supplied this which was great.
It was good that my room door locked automatically when shutting for security purposes. The bathroom door also locked successfully, unlike the Afton.
Price
At just £40 per night for a stay in a prime seaside location on the south coast, I hadn’t any problem paying full price. It felt such good value at that, I felt lucky to be able to stay. The breakfast included certainly went over and above what I had paid, and for that I am very grateful. WIFI inclusion was just a bonus.
Summary
A great value stay in a prime location of Worthing. Plenty of offerings for tea and breakfast, compensated for any slight details missed.
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Bournemouth (Roundhouse) review: http://www.reasea.org/2017/05/09/Roundhouse-Bournemouth-hotel-review-room-320-710/
Harrogate (The Majestic Hotel) review: http://www.reasea.org/2017/12/11/the-majestic-hotel-Harrogate-review-room-205-6-10-quite-unprofessional-staff-no-luxury-touches-good-setting-but-you-pay-for-it
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