The Mermaid Inn

We liked the location of the hotel; the lounges were useful in accommodating the spill-over from the busy bar and all of the staff were very friendly and hospitable.

Bearing in mind I paid £240 for my room, which was described as a superior twin on booking.com, I was disappointed with the bathroom and the television in the bedroom. Let me be more specific: there was no shower in the bathroom; no heated towel-rail (so we could dry our towels overnight and reuse as dry in the morning), and the mirror was situated low down, forcing us to crouch to use it. As for the TV, well, instead of being situated on or near the wall facing the head of the bed it was placed at the side of the bed alongside the headboard. We had to swop the pillows to the bottom of the bed in order to watch TV and that is, in the end, how we ended up sleeping. The hotel does not offer cable or satellite, but only has a limited selected of what I think were Freeview channels. Fortunately, we were able to watch Netflix and Amazon on our tablets. I also couldn’t understand why the room was described as superior twin when the sleeping arrangements comprised a small double bed and a single. My partner I were bemused because it resembled more of a family room rather than one with matching twin beds. Finally, and it’s a small criticism, but it does make all the difference. There was no attempt by the hotel to personalise our stay. No welcoming letter in the room or an offer of a complimentary drink at the bar. I’ve stayed at several hotels in Rye over the past few years and I definitely noticed this missing personal touch.