St Maur

St Maur is a large Victorian property with an unique garden of majestic palm trees and a delightful terrace for relaxation. The rooms downstairs are well-proportioned. The breakfast room looks onto the garden. There's a lovely reading room which even has a well-equipped honesty bar! The staff are really friendly and helpful. David has been at the property for 37 years and planted the palm trees himself - a true sign of dedication! Breakfast is amazing with a carefully-prepared fruit salad plus full English cooked options. Location-wise, it's a bit of walk into town and the steep hills might not be appropriate for elderly/disabled residents but one can park in town fairly easily. Official car parks do charge 24/7 however.

The bedrooms are ok and have tea-making facilities and a fridge. Ours (Room 14) had a balcony but no real privacy. Had I known I'd have gladly paid extra for one of the larger rooms facing the front garden which look really nice! Wifi is marginal in the upper rooms but fine downstairs. Do be prepared for Ventnor..it's a historic place with some delightful attractions (the Botanical garden is near St Maur) and remarkably good restaurants (The Bistro is recommended) but the town has a dowdy feel. Also, surprisingly for a tourist destination, mobile phone signals are often non-existent. Likewise, if you bring a car, make sure you know where petrol stations are - don't assume the large towns, including Ventnor, have a garage - they often don't!

We stayed in room 5, which was very light and spacious and had a lovely big bathroom. The beds were made up daily and rooms and bathrooms freshened each day. There were lots of different teas, coffee and hot chocolate in the room along with daily biscuits, which was great. The breakfasts were good, most notably the wonderful array of fresh and tinned fruits - really yummy! There was plentiful fresh coffee and lots of different fruit teas. Staff were very friendly and helpful.

The bread/toast was a little disappointing as it was just sliced bread from a packet rather than fresh loaves. There was no fresh decaffeinated coffee for breakfast, only instant. The seal on the shower door needed taking off and cleaning - a bit green!

Quiet location, beautiful front garden, lovely view off hillside and sea from our cosy bedroom. Fabulous breakfast with lovely staff.

Communal areas are old and dated.

Accommodation in a walkable distance from town centre. Close to park and the Botanic Gardens. Unbeatable views from the room. Breakfast included in price.

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