Calke Abbey

While the bathrooms and kitchen look quite new and fresh the apartment was a bit dirty and smelly. Many of the walls and furniture were significantly marked, there was rubbish in one of the bins and a pile of what I can only assume was used towels and sheets in the laundry. We had to keep the windows open for our stay to air the place and wash all our clothes after becasue of the lingering smell. The ensuite was a bit smelly, but we could only shower there as there is no seal around the shower screen in the main bath and it floods. The kitchen has basic provisions for cooking although the oven did not work.

A delightfully quirky hotel with some wonderful touches - such as the filtered water on each floor. Very friendly and helpful staff. However, check-in experience was quite overwhelming - loud background music and general hubbub made receiving a lot of information unclear. Although notified about the deposit (£50) beforehand, I feel the service charge could have been made clearer - a quicker method of returning the deposit to those staying would also be appreciated (rather than waiting a week for the bank to accept that the transaction won't be claimed). The room itself was clean and I liked the "treehouse" aesthetic. Lots of comfy cushions and pillows, and a well-provisioned bathroom. The coffee bags, rather than instant coffee, were also much appreciated! Only nitpicky things to point out: A slightly confusing lightswitch situation, where I plunged myself into darkness, or kept turning on lights that I didn't want to. Some signposting of where to find the pulley to operate the blinds would also have been helpful. Despite being on the fifth floor, I found the noise at night to be noticeable - lots of shouting and beeping of horns. This is to be expected, to some extent, at a city centre hotel - but the windows could have been better insulated! Overall, however, this was a lovely stay.

Perfect for my visit to Manchester, property easy to access and friendly, helpful caretaker enabled fault-free check in and parking. The accommodation had every amenity needed, including a fully equipped kitchen - only item missing was a hairdryer!