The County Hotel, Carlisle

We had a really lovely weekend stay here. It’s a beautiful period-style hotel with a charming interior, and the reception staff were genuinely amazing: super helpful, welcoming, and accommodating. The fact that they’re dog-friendly was a huge plus for us. It’s a fairly big hotel with multiple floors, but the rooms are spacious, cosy, and warm. The heating worked perfectly, the bathroom was well-equipped (especially for a budget hotel), and everything was spotless. Honestly, hotels at this price point often cut corners on cleaning, but both the room and bathroom were impressively clean. Housekeeping also came every morning, which was great. We didn’t try the breakfast, but it’s available for £11 per person if you want it. A couple of minor downsides: the TV setup isn’t great, and there weren’t any remotes, so you have to change channels manually using the buttons on the side of the TV. The only real negative for us was the noise. This isn’t entirely the hotel’s fault, but better soundproof windows would make a big difference. If you’re on the street side, you’ll hear everything (late-night noise, drunk people arguing, kids singing at 3am etc.). Also worth mentioning: there’s no fridge in the rooms, but the staff kindly stored our medication and dog food in their fridge, which we really appreciated. Overall, we’d 100% stay again. It’s great value, comfortable, and the location is unbeatable (literally a 1-minute walk from the train station), so it’s perfect if you’re travelling onwards without needing taxis or buses.

Sadly, this hotel is in desperate need of a refresh. When we arrived, we were told that there was a bar but no staff to open it. Poor Dale was the only member of staff in the hotel that night. Dale was extremely helpful, however, and advised where we could eat. He also got some glasses for us so that we could sit in the bar with our own drinks. The hotel was well heated, the beds really comfortable and the room was clean. Breakfast was fine too. For the price we paid, I think we had a good deal.

The only good thing is FOC street parking nearby over the night. This hotel very dated and flooring is bad, can even hear the sound from upstairs when ppl is walking. Street noise is quite loud. Window spoilt, can’t close make the room abit cold. End up we just did a short stay (check out in very early morning) Lift is under maintenance, have to hand carry big luggage by staircase. Lighting is bad