Somehow have an average of E on my Folkestone review, thanks to everyone who rated it. I will one d...
Somehow have an average of E on my Folkestone review, thanks to everyone who rated it. I will one day get round to re-writing the somewhat helpful reviews I did when I first joined Ciao.. Wish I had more time.
This is a rather strange hotel in that it was designed to look like a ship or ferry, The hotel was best viewed on incoming ferries from Bolougne. Which is sad as ferries no longer make the trip. It is a fairly large hotel with somewhere in the region of 450 rooms.
Parking:
Parking can be a real problem at the hotel Burstin, especially if you book in late. They have a small underground car park which is extremely messy, some of the parking spaces are taken up by piles of rubble and there are randomly strewn bits of pipework and metalwork. There is also parking to the side and rear of the hotel. This is well kept, but the amount of spaces is limited.
Checking In:
Being such a large hotel from the very start this can lead to problems, If you arrive at the same time as a coach, you may find yourself in a long cue to get a key to your room. Like most hotels seem to be doing these days you pay your bill on entry rather than on exit. Even if credit cards details are given in the booking you will have to pay at the desk on arrival. (not for coach parties as the prices are usually included in the trip.) The reception area is large and well laid out. The entrance hall is large clean and airy.
The Rooms.
Having never stayed in the best rooms I cannot comment on these, however I have stayed several times in the sea view rooms which cost slightly more than the average rooms, these are clean and have a nice view over Folkestone harbour. All rooms are either twin or double It costs the same to rent a twin room for one or 2, so it is worth just saying it's for 2 people if you are staying alone, you never know who you may meet or who might want to come and enjoy a free dinner.
Most rooms have baths rather than showers which is unusual, but there
is never a shortage of hot water. The bathroom is on-suite and there is a plentiful supply of towels. You get the usual complimentary shower gel and soap. the bathrooms are tiled floor to ceiling, the fans are a little loud and often take some time to turn off after the lights.
The rest of the room is a decent size, well decorated, if a little tatty. The TVs for some reason never have remote controls. They only ever put 2 coffee sachets and 2 tea sachets and enough milk and sugar for those per night, this to me seems rather stingy but I don't drink hot drinks to often. The rare times I've needed to ask for more, I've never had a problem in getting them. The rooms are NOT air conditioned.
Meals:
There are several restaurants in the hotel. There is a large canteen style restaurant that most people will eat in. Breakfast and dinner come with the price of the room. They offer varied meals in the evenings, the menu changes daily, but is repeated weekly. They are very much like school dinners the food is cooked when one of the items runs out, so often one of the items on the menu will not actually be available at all times.
Dinner is served for 3 hours 6pm till 9pm, the food is a little bland, but well cooked and served in a clean and airy atmosphere. If you take the late option for dinner and arrive after 8:30 you may find they don't have much left and what is left has often been sitting around for a little while, It's self service but there are plenty of staff around should you need anything, they are helpful and always have a smile on their face.
Breakfast is full English and very well prepared, it is a bit like a little chef breakfast as they have to cater for so many people, but it is tasty and there is always a good supply of fresh hot food. There are fresh fruit juices, cereals and other hot foods like boiled eggs etc. For some reason there are never any mushrooms with the full English. Again it is self service and you may go back as many times as you wish, there are no queues in general, but they have a catering toasting machine that cooks toast extremely quickly, however there can still be a slight queue to get your toast. Tea is nice, coffee is a little bland.
There is also another restaurant, meals here come with the more expensive rooms, you may also upgrade at any time, for (at the time) £5 per meal. this is like any decent restaurant with very attentive staff and restaurant quality food, if you are eating with friends this restaurant is as good as any in the local area.
Bars:
This hotel caters for a lot of coach parties, there is a lot of senior citizens and thus a lot of things like bingo and cabaret. It is well worth taking part if you have a medium or long stay as they can be quite fun and are free. (bingo is about £1 a game and has prizes in the region of £200 for a full house).
The cabaret is fun if a little tacky. There is also another bar where they have a small band or singer on in the evenings, It isn't really my style, but it is a fun atmosphere. The bars are open to the public, but they must leave the hotel by 11pm, There are often a lot of people on family holidays, and this can lead to kids running around the hotel till all hours, this can be slightly annoying if you fancy a quiet drink. the bar tends to close around 1am for residents.
Other Facilities:
There is a small arcade area off one of the bars, there is also several areas with large screentelevisions where they show normal T.V. programs and live sports during sporting events. They are comfortable areas with large comfortable chairs and you may take drinks from the bar here.
There is a decent size gym, which I rarely see residents using, but it has a large array of equipment and is well worth a visit. There is also sun-beds and a sauna on-site.
There is a small pool, it is clean and warm, however if you fancy a swim in a straight line you may have problems with the amount of kids, not really worth it for adults to exercise, but a great place to take the kids, especially if they are bored as they can get to know other kids in the hotel.
There are plenty of toilets around the hotel, these are clean and well kept. It is just a 3 minute walk from the nearest beach and within 5 minutes of bars, restaurants, night-clubs, and probably about 15 Min's walk from the town centre.
It has all the usual business facilities. conference rooms etc.
Staff:
Staff are friendly, curteous and very helpful, Nothing is ever to much trouble for them. They provide a great service and are one of the strongest reasons why I have returned several times to this hotel whilst visiting friends and family in the area.
Local Area:
Sadly Fokestone is in some what of a decline, There are no longer ferry or sea-cat services to Folkestone. The Chanel tunnel is slightly out of town and goes straight onto the motorway, tourists rarely come from abroad anymore.
There used to be a small amusement park and lots of arcades on the sea-front, but the owner of these was refused planning permission from the local council so he's just closed them all down and demolished them, now there are large areas of empty land doing nothing.
The old high-street is deserted with 90% of the shops having closed down, this was an old part of the town, formerly with a lot of culture. One of the few surviving shops on the old high street is the old rock shop, this is the only place I've ever seen where you can still see the traditional English sea side rock being made by hand, the smell is simply delicious.
On the plus side, Folkestone has cleaned up a lot in the last few years, it always has been a very pretty town, but it is much cleaner than it used to be, A lot of this is due to having banned drinking on the streets around the beach and harbour area. They have also tidied up the coastal walk. The cliffs heading towards Dover are well worth a visit and The Leas Cliff is simply beautiful. There is a Victorian water powered lift going up onto the Leas Cliff about a 10 minute walk away from the hotel.
Also the main town centre is having a new large indoor mall / shopping centre built.
Folkestone has both sandy and pebble beaches. the water is clean and I think most of the beaches now have blue flags. There is a lot to see and do around Folkestone, but sadly not many people know of this. It is a town well worth visiting and a stay at the Burstin is a great budget option.
If you like shell fish, a visit to Folkestone is a must.
Pricing:
With rooms from just £45 for 2 people (only £22.50 pp-pn) including breakfast, dinner and cabarets etc, this is an extremely cheap hotel.
The prices of the bars can be a little expensive, a pint of beer is over £3 and a large glass of wine was around £4. Although not extortionate, they are a little pricey compared to any of the local bars where the average pint would be around £2.20.
Overall:
If you are taking a break on a budget, Folkestone would be a great place for this and the Hotel Burstin would provide a great atmosphere and base for your stay. It would also be worth checking out the premium rooms in the Burstin if you don't have a small budget, but personally I would stay at the other Grand Hotel in Folkestone if money wasn't an issue. The Grand Burstin Hotel is the best budget option in Folkestone, because it balances services and things to do, well with it's prices.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Superbly located by the seaside this hotel overlooks Folkestones picturesque harbour ... more
Choose Grand Burstin Hotel for your gateway to the continent with easy access to the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel combined with unparelled evening entertainment co...
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Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Superbly located by the seaside, this hotel overlooks Folkestone's picturesque harbour. ... more
Choose Grand Burstin Hotel for your gateway to the continent, with unparalleled evening entertainment, conference facilities and function rooms.The hotel is conveni...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
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