Background

When Mrs B and I decided that we would take Baby B on her first seaside holiday we knew that Blackpool was tacky so knew that it wasn't exactly sparkling and the place it used to be but we thought we would go along anyway and try and have a little family break with our 3 month old baby. It all seemed like a really good idea but seeing as we were not the most rich of new parents we thought we'd do it on as much as a budget as possible and after trawling through the internet we came across Liberty's and decided that it sounded ideal. The fact that it included dinner in with the deal was really what swung it for us, we didn't fancy walking around for hours in an evening trying to find somewhere to eat with a young baby in tow.

First opinion

When we first saw the hotel we immediately thought what have we done?! It looked rather like a strip joint from the outside with his illuminous flashing lights and very dark windows! We found the car park awkward to park in- the spaces were designed for coaches so you fitted two cars in one space which meant if you arrived first you were blocked in! We managed to get parked and then jus worried that we would never be able to get the car out again once someone else had parked in front of us! Not the ideal start!

Getting INTO the hotel was a problem. There was no ramp or level access so it meant we had to lift the pram up some steps and then squeeze through the small doorway to get in- all whilst negotiating the picnic tables set up around the door! Ideal? I think not!

The reception area was very dark and lead directly into the entertainment area which was also dark and very hotchpotch with the dance floor being down steps, the area that lead to the toilets being up some stairs, the seating area being up some stairs and the lift access even being UP STAIRS!

Layout

The layout of this hotel is just very odd. It obviously wasn't built when certain fire regulations were in place as the doorway which leads to the lift is so very narrow we could only just get through with a suitcase and as for the pram... well poor Baby B had to be lifted out and we had to collapse the pram down completely! The lift itself is accessed by going up three steps- surely this defiets the object of a lift?!

Everything seems to lead off the dance floor which again is odd. If you want to go to the toilet you haveto walk across the dance floor, if you want the bar you have to walk across the dance floor, if you want to go out of the hotel you have to go across the dance floor... most odd!

The room

Just looking at the room you could tell it hadn't been decorated in a long while. The bed was extremely uncomfortable. You could feel every single spring jutting up underneath you and every time you so much as moved an inch it would creak dramatically. We were provided with a travel cot for Baby B although this, when we arranged it, appeared to put the hotel out despite them offering it in the first place they asked 'are you SURE you need it?' rather a strange question to ask!

The bathroom was clean which is always essential but the floor was bright orange which was dazzling! It definitely needed updating!

You had your usual kettle and tea bags etc by the super small telly but only one teabag each was a little stingy! It certainly was for us anyway with Mrs B breast feeding and going through about 50 cups a day!

It was a large room though, definitely enough space for us and there were a table and chairs too which was a bonus that you don't always get in other hotels.

Staff

The staff appeared to be thinking they had to battle for 'comedian of the year'. Every member of staff was painfully cheesy with their one-liners even when simply ordering food in the restaurant the waiter tried to crack a joke after everything we ordered. This may have been amusing if you were drunk or if he just did it the once but in the end it just grew irritating and we were not impressed!

Restaurant

The restaurant was very large so plenty of room. The menu choice was very limited but they did try to include a variety of dishes as best they could. The waiter AKA Mr Funny, would come and take our order and no sooner had he gone then the food would be out. This would have been great if we were hungry but instead it just made us feel a bit uncomfortable and we knew then that the food had been prepared earlier, plated up and sitting around waiting for us to order it. This was not how we wanted to eat, we had been hoping for freshly prepared food.

The food tasted okay, it was nothing special at all. I was able to eat everyhing but I didn't particularly enjoy it. I would never reccommend this place down to food!

The time of the restaurant being open was very short too- just 45 minutes so if you missed this slot- as I imagine a lot of people would do if they are out for the day with their families etc- then you have to starve as there's no bar food or room service type things. I think that this is a huge let down but I assume it's because all the food is just sitting around waiting and it can't wait much longer!

Entertainment

This was shockingly bad! I wasn't expecting the likes of Peter Kay, I knew that, but the comedian they had both nights was extremely rude and not at all funny. He leered at every woman who walked past him and he made offensive comments about Mrs B who was quietly and discreetly breast feeding in the far corner of the bar. The 'dancers' were something you'd expect to see in a strip joint and I was just glad that Baby B was too young to notice! They had a singer on at the end which seemed to make it a little less painful as he could actually hold a tune and was nothing too offensive about him which was a nice change!

Cleanliness

I can't really fault the hotel on not being clean as it was. I just can't find much to say about it really... it appeared to be dirty as it was very dark and opressive with the bar area being so dark and the decor being very old. It definitely needed some brightening up with some fresh paint and carpets throughout.

Family friendly

Not at all! Yes they offer you a travel cot but even then you are madeto feel as though you are doing them a huge disservice! The lay out of the hotel is all over the place with far too many steps that it isn't practical with a pushchair and certainly isn't with a wheelchair. There were no highchairs at the restaurant although Baby B was too young for one so perhaps we would have been offered one if she was older, I'm not sure! The entertainment certainly wasn't suitable for children's ears or eyes for that matter! So definitely not a place to go with a family!

Blackpool

Blackpool itself wasn't much better than the hotel. It was very run down. There were many hotels and bars closed up and even the odd one burnt down! The weather was very bleak which didn't help!

There are lots of places to go with a family in blackpool though including the zoo which is at Stanley Park, the Tower which has the circus and a soft play area, the aquarium, the piers which have rides and amusements on and the usual seaside type places like a little wax works attraction. There are certainly places to go but from what we experienced they all looked very sorry for themselves and worse for wear. I thikn the Pleasure Beach and all it's rides was even looking rather sad.

Opinion

This hotel needs a good old re-think from the lay out of the carpark to the run down nature of the bathroom. The staff need to act a bit more professional instead of trying to be your best buddy and making shocking jokes constantly.

This is not a place that we will be visiting again. I did enjoy being with my family which made it worthwhile but it was not really an enjioyable experience as I don't appreciate spending money to stay in a place which doesn't seem very geared up towards satisfying the guests.

The cost was £150 for two nights which included breaskfast and dinner. This was reasonable compared to other hotels but I think it would have been better to have just stayed in teh travel lodge and then gone out in the evenings to find food. At least with a travel lodge the lift would be accessible!

i don't recommend this place to you, it's not in the best of locations either as it's right at the far end a good 20 minute walk or so from the pleasurebeach and pretty noisy too.