Castle House Hotel

The best thing about this hotel was the location - couldn’t fault it. Unfortunately, there were lots of aspects of the hotel that we felt just weren’t ok for somewhere charging these prices. The main issue was the staff, from the moment we arrived, it was clear that most were disinterested in their job. We were disappointed to find that the breakfast was continental only (not something made clear on ***********). We asked for toast, they asked what kind we’d like and we said white. When it didn’t come we asked again and they said there was no white. Which is fine, but the same happened the following morning too. The hairdryer didn’t work in our room. My partner went to reception for them to plug it in (it worked), and hand it back to him saying it was fine. We tried again in our room, it didn’t work in any of the sockets. He went back and overheard the manager saying ‘what’s he complaining for - it works!’ We were then advised to not ‘wave it around’ or ‘use a brush to style with.’ The only way we could get it to work was if he held the plug into the wall while I used it.. and then it became incredibly hot after 30 seconds. I don’t understand the stand-off attitude and why we couldn’t be given a different hairdryer - it clearly was faulty and they knew it. The room we were in was large but with only one small window (and the smallest tv I’ve ever seen!) I echo what another reviewer says - in the night it was SO hot I couldn’t breathe. Awful ventilation. We also had a drippy tap and the bathroom door only shut when slammed. When we left, the staff were sat having breakfast and didn’t even come over to the reception to take the keys or ask how our stay had been. Overall I feel that this hotel was once probably lovely, however maybe the owners have stepped back a bit and the people they've left to run it just don’t really care. It’s also very interesting how the hotel has no presence on this page - not even to acknowledge reviews, let alone reply. Says a lot!

Short walk to city centre and on-site parking. But, located next to a busy roundabout. Poorly maintained building, dirty and damaged equipment in room. Moved by staff, but second room not much better. Breakfast very basic, even by continental standards.

I would call this an over priced bed and breakfast not a hotel. Plus = free parking and easy walking into city. We were in a large family room which was light but the hotel is on a busy roundabout so noisy with the window open. Shower had plenty of hot water. Now the negatives! Entering the building the reception desk is so high it's difficult to tell if anyone is behind it. Only a poor continental breakfast. Breakfast room is small and one table is almost in the doorway so constantly leaning from one side or the other enabling other people to pass. Little evidence of staff and noticed one family had to clear their table as no member of staff available. No fresh fruit only tinned, only full fat yoghurts. Cereal came in small boxes and limited choice. Had to ask for toast and think they use the cheapest bread they can find. Paintwork needs redoing as very chipped and an odd assortment of pictures. Not a happy experience

On the plus side the beds were comfy in the family room and the hotel itself is in a good location. However we did find faults with the room, the bathroom was not clean and the dripping tap kept us awake at night. The hairdryer provided did not have a long enough lead to reach the mirror so quite hard to dry our hair. The wardrobe hinges were squeaky. Looking back at other reviews of this hotel issues that had been raised the previous month about this specific room had not been addressed. At the hotel bar there was no ice on both nights that we stayed and no slices of lemon/lime in bar. On the second day there was no brown bread available for breakfast. All in all we were disappointed with this hotel. The staff were helpful but the hotel is tired and needs some TLC.

excellent service all round. the staff were helpful and polite, always available to answer any questions. Room very nice and clean. the only thing lacking was a mini fridge. Nice garden and surroundings. location great for city centre . hotel car park was a bonus in Canterbury.

I, my husband and two children stayed here for one night towards the end of April for a weekend trip to Canterbury. We had the ground-floor family room immediately to the right of the entrance in the additional block - it was a fairly big room but a little tired. The window looked out onto the front car-park of the hotel which I was concerned would be a problem for privacy/visibility purposes; it turned out not to be too much of an issue but I would suggest a blind would be better than the lace curtain it's currently furnished with. The bathroom was quite small and could have done with an update, the tap was difficult to turn off and ended up dripping constantly through the night which was an obstacle to our sleep. We had to get up in the night and try to tighten it - we did mention this to Reception the next day so hopefully the issue is sorted for future guests. One positive was that our room was close to an additional bathroom off the corridor on the ground floor so we were able to use that for our children and didn't get caught up in a family queue. The bar area to the left of Reception in the main building was also very pleasant with lovely picture furnishings referencing literature and comfy sofas, a good pit-stop for planning your day in the city. The breakfast was adequate but for the price of the accommodations I would have expected a hot, full English. We were disappointed & I'm not really sure why this can't be provided for guests? although certainly the morning shift seemed short-staffed: the tables were not cleared from the previous occupants' in prompt time and couldn't order a pot of tea easily. Whilst the accommodation and breakfast were lacking somewhat, we did feel that the history of the hotel and the heritage of the immediate area were really intriguing and elevated the experience of staying there. The hotel is located next to the Worthgate, part of the old Roman walls surrounding the city and right opposite the main entrance are the old ruins of the Canterbury castle (unfortunately entrance is prohibited and the ruins are in disrepair, such a shame). The original building is a mixture of architectural styles and ages and can be clearly seen from the date plaques in the very pretty walled garden which is well worth visiting during your stay at the hotel. It was like an enchanted garden and our children loved exploring and climbing the stairs to the little terrace surrounding the bay window (please note they were under supervision!) The hotel is also a short walk to the beautiful John Danes Gardens and the Mound (a former Roman cemetery), a huge bonus as this is a gorgeous part of the city and very relaxing to stroll through. If you like history and places with a heritage character, you may very well prefer this hotel to another option in Canterbury.

Our second visit to the Castle House Hotel, and it was just as good as the first time. Lovely, helpful staff, very clean throughout, good sized bedroom with huge en-suite. Good selection for breakfast. All in all a really good choice when visiting Canterbury.

Great Hotel, an 8-10 minutes walk from Canterbury Cathedral and centre of Canterbury. We had a lovely large room in the main building with a comfortable double bed. The shower could have benefited with a bit more power so more water came out but the water was nice and hot. Breakfast is continental but very good with plenty of cereal, yogurts, nuts, fresh fruit bread, croissants and cakes. There is tea and coffee in the rooms, a small bar next to reception and a free car park, which was excellent as we parked the car when we arrived and didn't move it until we were leaving 2 days later. The staff are very sweet and very helpful. Would use this Hotel again as it was also very reasonable priced.