Thistle Hotel Poole

In two minds whether to comment on this hotel as we booked with [---------------]for one night and only paid £50 B&B (£25 per person) but...as the price for same night shown in reception was £120 with breakfast an extra £12.25 I feel I must warn others thnking of staying here and paying a lot more than we did. The hotel is in a good location, at the quiet end of the quay overlooking the harbour. The reception area is dark and the wood door leading to our ground floor room corridor was heavilly scratched. There are too many home-made style notices stuck on the walls. The internet is a whopping £4 for 20 mins. The worst thing was the ladies toilets by Reception - very basic fittings, bins overflowing, no loo paper - and this was only mid afternoon. The room was OK but decor dated and only a double not kingsize bed. One of the two handles on the window was snapped off and frame broken - not good security for a ground floor room. The breakfast was disappointing considering this is supposed to be a 4* hotel (needs re-assessing) but if paying £12.25 it was appalling value. Cooked items looked as if they'd been kept warm for hours, although fried eggs were cooked to order. Other items were sparsly displayed - one sad criossant at the bottom of a basket, a few yogurts all same flavour and a couple of slices of melon with curled up cheese on a plate. All in all, OK for the price we paid but, as a previous reviewer says, Travelodge is far superior, we've stayed in a few and all have been spotlessly clean, large beds, crisp linen etc.

Stayed for four nights and it was a very unpleasant experience. Should have looked at reviews before we booked. Had to wait 3 hours to be allocated a dreadful room that looked over the car park. The window in the room did not close properly. Maintenance did not fix it. Avoid room 105. The reception staff were dreadful apart for one girl. Hotel in dire need of a makeover. Paid £104 per night, which I thought was extremely expensive for facilities. Breakfast was usually overcooked. Fruit out of tins. No fresh bread or rolls. It was our first and last visit to Poole.

Reading the other reviews, I think we must have just come back from a different hotel. We were greeted by very friendly and efficient reception staff. We paid extra for a sea view room, £90 per night including breakfast, the view was fantastic and would definitely recommend paying the extra. The room itself was spotlessly clean and had all the usual facilities; the bed was a king-size and was really comfortable with crisp sheets. The bathroom was also spotlessly clean with large fluffy towels and adequate toiletries. Breakfast was excellent with plenty of choice, the staff were efficient yet unobtrusive and there was an excellent view of the harbour from the window. Yes, we paid £5 per night for parking but isn’t it better to have this as an optional extra rather than being automatically added to the bill whether you want it or not. Yes – we would definitely come back to this hotel again.

It's years since I visited Poole, and I wont bother goinmg back anytime soon. I got 2 nights B&B for my wife and me through thistleauctions, so it was cheap - but generally disappointing. Never a good sign when the receptionist gives you vouchers for the evening meal - dont bother! The hotel was grubby, tired and very very smokey, but nice view over the bay.

I couldn't wait to get out of this hotel after a one night business trip. It is gloomy, shabby and about 30 years overdue for a refurb. My room was dirty with stained bedding and a mouldy bathroom. The reception staff were unfriendly and unwelcoming. They also ignored THREE requests to replace the battery in my TV remote control - I gave up in the end. I witnessed one poor lady trying to ask Reception if the hotel served Sunday lunch. The staff were so rude the lady walked out clearly distressed. The worst part of my experience was the cost, this is one of the most expensive hotels in Poole without any justification whatsoever. Avoid at all costs.

I stayed at Poole with my wife for a first wedding anniversary over the weekend of 7/8 jan 06. It was a very poor experience. The first room ww were offered was dirty and shabby, clean linen had footmarks on it and windows were smeared with handmarks. The window also was damaged and would not shut properly. The second room was not much better - wallpaper peeling, stained carpets, towel rails that did not work. No Sky tv even though it was advertised on the Thistle website - and no question of a reduction! Sky had apparently been cut off from the hotel! Restaurant furnishings were shabby - I was expected to sit on torn chair fabrics. With only about 12 rooms occupied, the kitchen still managed to run out of dishes even 1 hour into dining. The male toilets were disgraceful - hadn't seen a decent clean for weeks; urinals were unsecure to walls, holes in walls, limescale all over porcelain urinals and loos. This hotel is a 2 star joke! - it should be refurbed or closed. The manager needs a reality check on what service and quality is about. I have stayed at better travelodges and paid substantially less. I offer my reviews so other poor folk don't have the appaling experiences we had. It sits on its only asset - a wonderful location, but that's not enough...Avoid!

Good location very quiet at night The room was comfortable but the bath waste was blocked. Breakfast ok Dinner expenive £6 for a miniscule portion of melon as a starter. I objected to £5 per night car park charge and they removed it from bill.

Stunning views fron front second floor rooms (£20 per night supplement - rear rooms overlook car park). On marina/harbour, close to town centre. However, the inside needs refurbishment - looking tired. More 3*plus than 4*. Breakfast OK, dinner nothing special. Car park £5 per night. Do not pay the rack rate of £170 per room per night but reasonable value with a deal at £70/£80 including breakfast plus supplements.

We normally stay in selected 4* or 5* hotels and booked the Poole Thistle because all our normal hotels in the area were full. We were hesitant because we had read reports of a "tired" hotel. We would not rate it as a full 4* standard compared to others in the area (we had one of the best rooms overlooking the marina) but we found it clean and confortable, the staff very friendly and helpful. It *is* looking its age (poorly closing windows, tile-work) but is still good value given its excellent location. We did not eat in the restaurant - we were tired and it seemed more than a little expensive - and an early start meant we did not try breakfast. Our in-room evening meal was simple but perfectly acceptable. We thought charging guests for use of the car park was a bit cheeky, especially as it was a public-access car park with no night security!