The Bay Hotel

I seriously question the scoring and reviews across the web for this pit of a place. This was marketed as "luxury " and for £127 for a night, that's what I expected. You won't be made aware that the entire back of the place is a caravan site. Those folks and anyone else, can use the pool. It's a tiny pool. So it's heaving. It's also dirty and run down like the rest of the property. No separate space for kids/adults to swim. I could have made my peace with that, BUT everything else was dirty, dated and with a distinct institutional feel, think ... Old folks home. It's shabby and depressing, and our "executive luxury suite" was like a hostel. Filthy, not updated since the 80s. Dangerous wiring in lamps and TV. See pics. Tv didn't even work. Layers of dirt so heavy must be DECADES old. Needs a serious deep clean. Bed so old you can feel every lump and spring. Lumps gouged out the pleather (yes, pleather!?! ) headboard. Stains on old, brown institutional carpet. Bathroom so dirty we didn't even wash. Ancient, dirty sofa. Beware! This thing is used as extra bed if family are staying!! Breakfast inedible. Sausage pink inside. Staff try, but are tired and stressed. Which brings me to the "manager" Wow. Openly hostile to paying guests. Apparently has no responsibility to the guests because "the directors can do what they want. If you don't like it go elsewhere " don't worry...we will! Complained on check out. Was told they get vast volumes of complaints, and it will be ignored. I get the impression the owners think the view is enough to excuse poor hygiene and Ancient decor. It's not. I don't know how they can take money under this misleading advertising. Be aware, the beach is not accessible by crossing the road. There is a very long concrete block and railway in between. Arcade depressing and machines broken. Joyless, archaic, not even budget quality, Council feel, dump of a place. Please don't get taken for a mug like we did.

Just returned from another three day break at The Bay Hotel the staff as usual were friendly, helpful and very attentive, our room which was an executive family suite was very clean and a credit to the hotel,all meals at the Horizon Restaurant were very good and service excellent, we shall certainly return and hopefully very soon ,thankyou everyone .

we have just spent 2 nights at this hotel and for a 3 star (yes just a 3 star) i was very pleasantly surprised. the veiw is amazing!!! we arrived just before 3pm, the receptionist said they weren't quite ready so we had to wait about 10 mins. we then had a bit of a faffle about the pre authorisation/security deposit fee. I thought I had already paid it but was informed someone had made a mistake and paid almost the full balance for the room. why a security deposit is needed when it's just ur average couple staying 2 nights I don't know- this is the only thing that left a sour taste. anyway we got to our room and it was spotless, lovely and warm and had everything needed- iron, ironing board, hairdryer, kettle, tea/coffe/hot choc/milk sachets, biscuits, toiltries, fridge, everything was there. we went to the pool, I did expect it to be a bit warmer but we managed and a bit annoying having to get the guys attention to turn on the jet bubbles all the time but again, we managed. sauna and steam rooms where good. we took our towels to reception and got them changed for fresh clean ones. the pool is used my none hotel residents too and has swimming lessons on but it didn't impact on us. the lockers were all very dirty and so was the floor but it was very wet, windy and muddy outside. we had reserved a table at the horizons resturant, the staff were lovely and the food was delicious, very fair prices too. the bed was very comfortable and the room stayed warm all night. breakfast the following morning was great, help yourself to cereal and fruits/yoghurt and juices and order the hot breakfast from the menu and it comes how u like it with toast and jams etc. we explored the hotel for a bit saw the snooker room, arcade, kids soft play and gym. husband then used the gym, £3.50 for 30mins or £5 for an hour- it's not a huge gym but it kept him entertained for an hour. every member of staff we encountered were all very pleasant and welcoming. we came to Edinburgh for the Christmas markets and although not the hotels fault, more mine for not checking (but my choice of hotels with pool/gym/balcony was limited), it's an hour away from Edinburgh centre. I loved the look of the caravan site that is on the same grounds as the hotel and have said for a longer stay in nicer weather we wouldn't hesitate to book the hotel or a caravan in future.

I arrived at the hotel yesterday (already had a reservation paid for etc as it was a business trip) and I was greeted to a £100 "pre-authorisation fee". I mentioned that the room was bought and paid for and the receptionist insisted that I paid it. I paid it on my credit card and the next morning a different receptionist said "we have refunded the £100 back on your card and it may take 4-5 days!. So depending on when you stay and if you pay this £100 on your credit card, you might have to pay for it one month just to get it back the next. This is the first time that I have been asked to pay a ridiculous amount of money just to stay. What did surprise me that the receptionist did say that loads of people have complained about it. My hotel room was nice and clean, well laid out, I had a semi sea view. The restaurant food was very nice, breakfast was very nice too, I could not fault the food, service and the staff were all excellent.

We stayed at this hotel with our newborn, expecting a comfortable and welcoming experience, but unfortunately, it was awful. Our first encounter with the reception staff set the tone for the stay—they were unhelpful and dismissive when we enquired about check-in timing. We were aware check-in was from 3 pm, but with a newborn, we simply wanted an approximate time. The reception staff showed no willingness to assist and were downright rude. Within a couple of minutes of being in the room a random person walked in the adjoining room that was connected to ours, it wasn’t locked at all. Felt very unsafe. The attitude of the waiting staff in the bar and restaurant was also horrendous. They acted as though we were an inconvenience, showing no warmth or courtesy throughout our stay. To make matters worse, the lunch was awful. The quality of the food was shockingly low and far from what we expected (which wasn’t much at this point after such a bad experience from the get go). Don’t make the mistake we made of booking breakfast as it was inedible, particularly the meats. Our room wasn’t cleaned during our stay. When we raised concerns with the manager about the cleanliness, instead of addressing our feedback professionally, the manager responded rudely, dismissed our concerns, and stomped off. We felt completely disregarded, and our complaints went unresolved. We also noticed that throughout the hotel that the portable appliances had advisories to be tested and were out of date since 2019 (as you can see in the pictures). So be careful using any appliances like the kettle, iron etc as is dangerous. The wardrobe was also held together with duct tape - so maybe have some health insurance at the ready. Overall, our experience here was stressful and uncomfortable. The staff’s attitude and lack of care for guests were appalling, and I would strongly advise others to avoid this hotel at all costs!!

We were not guests at the hotel or caravan park, but came along for the day to use the swimming pool and eat, after hearing positive stories from friends, but we will not be back. The changing rooms are small and there is only one family changing cubicle, and one baby change table in the middle of the changing area but nowhere to put a bag or baby clothes/nappies etc. (the floor was soaking, so much water everywhere so can’t even put your bag on the floor). When we visited there were 3 babies in the pool so definitely not enough facilities to safely change them - I ended up having to lie my baby on a blanket on a bench in one of the single cubicles! The pool itself is nice, but small and the toddler splash area felt like a big bath at best! There were also private swimming lessons taking place and the pupils were doing lengths in the main pool in amongst all the swimmers splashing around, despite having their own area sectioned off. The changing area was at least warm so my young family weren’t freezing when coming out of the pool but that’s about the only positive point I can make. We left feeling so disappointed and frustrated we didn’t even stay for lunch!