Front desk and breakfast staff were very polite, expedient, and helpful. A special shout out to Marilena, one of the breakfast hostesses. Specifically, she took the time to remember my face and always had my special gluten free breakfast items ready without me having to ask for them beyond the first day. This is well beyond what I expected for a value hotel for the level of service.

As for the rooms, pretty standard fare for UK/Europe. Was on the small side, but adequately clean. One downside, all of the pillows in the hotel are the same. The North American Holiday Inns offer both soft and firm pillows as standard in the room. The front desk did try to find the fluffiest one of the one type they had, but some variety would be welcome.

I do like Holiday Inn Express hotels. I always get a good welcome and nothing seems too much bother for staff. We were not happy with our original room (bathroom door would not shut plus the room smelt) so the receptionist moved us immediately to a room which did not have those faults and apologised profusely for this situation.

The breakfast was tasty and plentiful and the whole feel of the hotel was warm and friendly.

Handy for all of the excursions we had booked and would definitely stay here again if it was the right location.