The Sefton

“Lovely Heritage hotel in need of a refurb & upgrade but still nice.”

This is a lovely heritage hotel on Douglas promenade not far from the ferry terminal . Limited parking is available in the underground park are £4 a day first come first served. Parking seems to be an issue all over the island you need a disc - disc free from tourist office but time in most place... more

This is a lovely heritage hotel on Douglas promenade not far from the ferry terminal . Limited parking is available in the underground park are £4 a day first come first served. Parking seems to be an issue all over the island you need a disc - disc free from tourist office but time in most places limited. The hotel is arranged round a pretty atrium courtyard enclosed so it gets hot No air con but a fan provided We had a lovely balcony ( as did our inconsiderate neighbours who sat on theirs talking one night till 2am! ) Consequently noise can be an issue. Sleep was impossible - if you close your balcony doors the room is too hot . There is a night manager to complain to . Lovely breakfast included and cooked by the hotel kitchen not the on site franchised eateries. staff helpful - large bed clean - tea and coffee. The Sefton is however due for a makeover - carpets and soft furnishings really at end of sell by! The other negative for us is the two resultants - Sir Normans Bar and the BONZAI Asian fusion both accessed from inside the hotel but are run as independent businesses. Therefore there is no hotel foyer bar/lounge to relax and socialise in before your evening meal or to chat to fellow guests. Sir Normans bar was dark and dingy as was the food served to us in there deep fat fryer/micro!! It was awful - other diners were equally unimpressed. We didn’t try the BONZAi. . Waggu steak was £65 - posh cow or not we’d want half the cow for that money! Decent evening eateries in the vicinity seemed in short supply so we were stuck with the Terrace chippy diner two streets back not ideal but edible. This arrangement means the hotel lacked an evening social ambience for us and pushed everyone to drinking in solitary on their balcony after a trip to the off licence - hence aggravating the issue of noise in the atrium which carries with the echo. Overall we enjoyed our stay couldnt fault the staff and we loved the building just the lack of a decent on site restaurant/bar/social area was not conducive to giving us that ‘holiday vibe’ No need for my lovely evening holiday outfits which didn’t come out of the suitcase ! jeans and a jumper was as far as I got! We are older and I am disabled so we prefer to dine/stay in our hotel just the choice of on site eateries was dismal. Hotel has a small leisure pool in the basement clean and water warm but not large or deep enough for serious swimming. The atrium area is really pretty but underused which is a shame.

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“Ok but not all Good”

We were disappointed on arrival to see scaffold still up on front of hotel on 6th May 2024 when we were informed it would be gone by 3rd May 2024. We booked sea view rooms and could see the workmen on the lower floor . Our room had already been painted but the Windows were fixed and could not be... more

We were disappointed on arrival to see scaffold still up on front of hotel on 6th May 2024 when we were informed it would be gone by 3rd May 2024. We booked sea view rooms and could see the workmen on the lower floor . Our room had already been painted but the Windows were fixed and could not be opened with the sun making it too hot to sit and enjoy the view. We had to ask for someone three times in four days to mend our TV and when we left it still wasn't fixed properly. The swimming pool is a very nice temperature but the showers were stone cold and was advertised to open at 8am but never was. When we booked it was noted that it was my husband's 80th Birthday, but this was not recognised at all during our stay which was a bit disappointing .......... Apart from the above the hotel was clean and housekeeping was good reception staff were helpful and friendly......

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