Specialized Institute of Applied Technology Tours

Good hotel, friendly staff. We picked it given its approximate location to town.

Extremely disappointing and stressful experience. We travelled from London with our 3 young children aged 3, 5 and 6. Our Expedia booking was incorrectly generated showing only 2 adults, with all 3 children missing. We only discovered this on arrival. Reception initially told us it would cost around £1,200 extra to add the children. I reluctantly agreed, but was then suddenly told we had to pay around £2,500 extra because 5 people required 2 rooms. We had already paid around £2,100, so our 7-night stay ended up costing approximately £4,500. Our youngest is only 3 and sleeps in a cot, so a second room was of little practical use to our family. I explained that I couldn't immediately arrange such a large unexpected payment and asked to pay the next day. I also asked if my wife and exhausted children could go to the room while I arranged the money, but this was refused. I felt extremely vulnerable and had little practical choice but to find the money immediately. For around £4,500, the hotel was nowhere near the standard we expected. The food was very disappointing and tasted horrible, to the point that we regularly ate outside despite having already paid for the hotel. We also found hair in the food, experienced ants, unpleasant bathroom/toilet smells and cleanliness issues. What should have been an enjoyable family holiday became extremely expensive, stressful and upsetting. I have formally disputed the booking error and additional charges.