Overview

Small sea front hotel on the Esplanade with lift. The hotel has a restaurant and bar attached.

Transport & Parking

Sidmouth doesn't have a train station but is do-able on public transport. There are step free buses from Exeter (9 or 9A) and the journey time is about 30 - 45 minutes.

Access

The hotel is an old Victorian building, while it is not step free and unsuitable for wheelchair users, it would be suitable for some people with limited mobility who can manage a couple of steps. The hotel is on the sea front and this area is totally flat. It's about a 2 - 3 minute level walk from the Sidmouth Triangle, where the local buses stop. There are two entrances both of which have two steps and two sets of doors. However wherever there are a couple of steps there are brass grab rails attached to the walls. As someone who uses a crutch I found the Payne’s Bar and Restaurant entrance on the Esplanade easier to use as the first door was kept open when the restaurant was open. Once in the hotel there are another couple of steps in the lobby, again with brass grab rails. The reception and restaurant and bar are all on the ground floor. There is a staircase or a small lift with a pull/push door and a metal gate. Sometimes when I called the lift the button didn’t light up but that was because it was in use and if I waited a moment and then called the lift again it would light up and come quickly.My room had a ensuit bathroom with shower cubicle. There was a step to get into the shower but it had a grab rail. In addition when I called to book and I told them about my disability they arranged for there to be a couple of non slip bath mats in the shower. I had a large balcony and there was a couple of steps to climb over to get to it. Overall the hotel has tried hard to be accommodating given the limitations of the age of the building.

Toilets

The toilet in my room and the public ground floor toilets didn't have a grab rails. The toilets were clean.

Staff

I called the hotel to check their accessibility before I booked and they were very helpful talking to me about what facilities they had. On arriving the receptionist immediately offered to take my case up to my room. At the first morning at breakfast the waiters asked if I wanted help with getting the self service breakfast items. Staff throughout my stay were very helpful and friendly. I felt if I had needed more assistance while I was there they would have tried their best to accommodate it.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I really enjoyed my stay. The food at breakfast was excellent. There was a choice of full English breakfast, cereal, yogurt, pastries and fruit. My balcony on the first floor was large more like a mini terrace and it was very relaxing to sit outside, reading and watching the world go by. It was a good location for a relaxing holiday.

Photos