The Plough

Stayed here one night and we won't be rushing back. Was met by a rather abrupt young lady who virtually barked the details at us. Entering the room it looked nice, 2 small windows facing the carpark.. so blinds were closed. The room wasn't very clean, lamp bulbs covered in dust, same as the headboard. Old wooden non matching toilet seat with a chip out of it, basin cracked and broken the same with the floor tiles. Radiator stone cold, but heated towel rail was hot so slept with the bathroom door open. Water stains on the ceiling.. Loose teabags ... obviously out of an open box. Strangely there is a Nespresso machine.. but no pods! Bedding was clean but bed way too soft for me. It's a shame because it has the potential to be very good but it let itself down.. wouldn't stay again.

Disappointing stay - no breakfast on offer and no explanation why from the member of staff I spoke to at check in. The Plough has a restaurant so why can’t they provide guests with breakfast? The room was £125 per night for room only which was too expensive for what they provide - the room looks tired and the shower water pressure was almost non existent. I would agree with previous reviewers that the fire exit arrangement for guests accessing after 10pm is far from satisfactory and the staircases to it are an accident waiting to happen. The whole place has the feel of being owned by people that have either given up or just want to do the basics - I won’t return.

Started badly with bed made into a double even though we called in advance to confirm it was a twin. They couldn't change it as they had no single duvets or sheets available. The duvet was also a very thick winter duvet even though it was May. The room was also incredibly hot and noisy wih the traffic from the street and thin walls. The room was very overpriced for what is offered and there isn't even breakfast available.The barmaid tried her best though. Avoid.

Despite the fact that it had changed hands in the previous few days, I was more than happy with my stay: the room was spotless, warm on a cold night, and the excellent Reese managed to organise a FEB for me, despite my having been told the previous evening that the kitchen would be closed. Would definitely stay there again. Only downside was that due to the changeover the restaurant was closed, but Alnwick is not short of eateries.

We were very disappointed with this hotel. It looked wonderful but failed to live up to expectations. The staff were surly, verging on rude. On arrival, we were told we were on the top floor and there were no lifts. I struggled to carry my case up and only when we arrived at the top floor did she offer any help. We were told the wrong time for breakfast and when the staff member couldn’t work the payment device, she said you’ll have to pay later. At breakfast on first day, we didn’t even get a good morning from the waitress For the price we paid, I would expect breakfast to be included, but that was extra. There was no Wi-Fi provided - we had to log into the cloud, Sharing lots of personal information which no doubt will result in unwanted spam. To be fair, the location is perfect for the town and castle and the rooms clean and comfortable, although it was not serviced on the first day and you had to remember to clean your teeth before flushing the loo or you didn’t get any water from the tap. If you returned after 11pm you had to use the rickety steep fire escape staircase outside. This was very dangerous and I cut my foot on one of the steps. I will not be back and recommend no one else books into the Plough either.

Parking is at the rear of the property, Check in is at the bar in the downstairs pub. The barmaid escorted us to our room, she was a bit vague with the info regarding breakfast etc but we got the jist of it. First impressions are a nice clean, well decorated room and hotel, nothing fancy but nice enough. The room has everything you could need, TV, En-suite shower, fan, kettle and a nespresso machine. If staying out later than the pub closes you access the property at the rear using a fob system to get in, as there are no staff present through the night. Breakfast is in the first floor restaurant area and has to be paid for in the morning. 2 breakfasts, 2 brews and an orange juice cost us £25 on top of the £140 we paid for the room on a Sunday night, the breakfast wasn’t that great and is the only reason I didn’t give a 5star review. £165 total for a room and breakfast is a little too much for a Sunday night in standard hotel. We only booked this as we had been let down by our original booking at the last minute and there were no other rooms in the town. I probably wouldn’t of booked at that price if I had other option’s available to me.