We have stayed at Premier Inns in the past and felt fairly confident that we wouldn't be disappointed when booking Premier Inn Parkway in Guildford. Premier Inns offer standard accommodation, so you know pretty much what to expect. They guarantee their customers a 'Good Nights sleep or Money Back' and all come with a restaurant or pub adjoining, to serve residents with breakfast and evening meals.

I booked a two night break in August for my husband and myself with the intention of visiting the nearby RHS Garden at Wisley and doing a bit of shopping in Guildford - and also to have a bit of a break from the kids!

Premier Inn hotels should be booked through the Premier Inn website. To find the Parkway Premier Inn click on Guildford (Central) on the pull down list. On the website you will find details of hotel locations and facilities together with a facility to order breakfast and evening meals in advance. A credit card is needed to guarantee a booking and 24 hrs notice required should you wish to cancel. If no notice of cancellation is given, then a first nights payment will be taken from the credit card. I found the website to be easy to use, so proceeded to make a two night booking with a reservation for full English breakfast. I then printed off an email confirmation as proof of booking. If you add a mobile number to the booking form then you will also receive an SMS booking confirmation.

The Premier Inn Parkway is located straight off the A3 alongside the A25 - I was a little wary of the fact that it would be so close to a busy road but the website gave assurance that rooms had additional sound insulation and other reviews made no mention of traffic noise.

We arrived at about 2pm on a Sunday afternoon and easily found the hotel by following the directions given on the hotel website. The car park is huge and fully covered by CCTV. The hotel reception was empty, so we didn't have to wait to be booked in and the receptionist was very efficient. I asked for the quietest room possible and was offered a choice. I opted for a room at the back of the hotel on the middle floor - there are three floors in total. The reception area was fairly large with seating and information on local attractions and a file detailing the nearest restaurants to try. I thought this to be a little odd, as I would have thought they would be trying to direct people into their own 'Table Two' restaurant next door. There is also a luggage room should you arrive before the 2pm booking in time or wish to leave bags under lock and key after the 12 noon booking out time.

After I had paid by credit card for both nights stay and breakfasts, the receptionist gave us one key card which we used to access the door into the accommodation area to the side of the reception. The key card also gives you access to your room. I would have preferred two key cards - but we managed with just the one. We took the lift to the middle floor and easily found our room. The room itself was excellent, very large, nicely furnished and well equipped. The room and bathroom were very clean. There was a kingsize bed, ensuite bathroom with overhead shower, shower gel/shampoo, soap and towels provided. The toiletries are by dispenser, so no running off with some extra freebies! There was a flat screen tv with some freeview channels, broadband connection point, complimentary tea/coffee and kettle, iron and hair dryer. Plenty of hanging and drawer space, telephone and black-out linings on the windows. Also, a large freestanding fan in the corner - ominous sign!

Despite the closeness to the A3 traffic noise wasn't too bad and all seemed well.

Guildford town centre didn't seem too far away on the map so we decided to head off to the shops. It was a little further than we estimated and took us about 15/20 minutes walk down a busy road. There is a bus stop close by so that could have been an option if we needed it. Some very interesting shops in Guildford and an attractive high street with many old buildings, but be warned alot of them are very expensive. I managed to fork out for a pint of milk, a newspaper and a packet of biscuits in the M & S foodstore! Still some excellent window shopping or worth the trip if you feel like a spluge.

We opted to eat in the Table Two restaurant adjoining the hotel and found the food to be excellent and good value. The service was a little slow a times and the staff could have been a bit friendlier - although they were very busy on the Sunday evening. We didn't have any problem finding a table though so I wouldn't say it was necessary to book in advance unless you are with a large party of people. I had lamb shank and my husband had fish. With dessert too and drinks the bill for the two of us came to under £25.

Back to the room, - very hot at night hence the fan in the corner. I found the room too hot and couldn't get to sleep so I then had to open the windows. The traffic noise became an issue. I felt as though the bed might as well be parked right on the side of the adjacent A3! I now had the difficult choice of being too hot and not sleep or stick my head under the pillow to drown out the noise - and not sleep. I chose the latter.

There was an option to request an extra sheet to be used instead of the duvet and they also provided the fan. So I guess the hotel was aware of the problem. Perhaps the heat in the room is only a problem during the summer months - even so it wasn't a particularly hot august and rained the two days we were there. I could have requested my money back under their Good Nights Sleep or Your Money Back guarantee but chose not to as I enjoyed my stay regardless. I wonder if anybody has ever had any success with a claim and would be interested to know.

Anyway, following a not so good night's sleep we headed back to the restaurant for breakfast. There is a choice of breakfasts, a full English plus all you can eat continental buffet for £7.50 each or just the continental breakfast buffet for £5.25 each.
each. We chose the full breakfast with the intention of skipping lunch. The cooked breakfast was excellent and arrived quickly and I couldn't fault the buffet of the service. All very good and set us up well for the day. For families, two kids under 15yrs can breakfast free for each adult buying a full breakfast.

We left the hotel on the Tuesday morning before 12 noon. All that was left to do was return the key to reception as everything was already paid for. There wasn't a queue at reception and again the staff were courteous and efficient.

I would hesitate to recommend this hotel to others because of the traffic noise and heat in the rooms. There is mention on the website of airconditioning to be installed in some of their problem hotels - hopefully this will be one of them. Perhaps a single nights stay during the cooler months would be fine. The hotel rooms, facilities and restaurant are all excellent and offer very good value for money. Just beware the location!

Information
*************

Price - £57 per room Fri - Sun, £78 per room Mon - Thurs

Families - Family rooms for 2 adults, 2 children 15yrs and under plus one cot for under 2yrs, cots available free of charge, kids breakfast for free.

Disabled - adapted facilities to suit disabled, ground floor rooms and restaurant on the level.

24hr Reception

Directions - From M25 (J10) follow signs A3 Portsmouth. Turn off at Guildford centre/Leisure Centre A320/A25. Turn left and entrance to hotel on the left.

Close By: RHS Garden at Wisley, Hampton Court, Legoland Windsor

Website: www.premierinn.com

Days Out: Special offers available on the website for nearby attractions.

Address: Premier Inn Parkway, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 IUP
Tel: 08701 977 122