No leeway required!
Written: Apr 16 '06 (Updated Apr 16 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great friendly place with fantastic breakfasts
Cons: I prefer to stay in Whitby old town, but the walk is no problem.
The Bottom Line: Anyone looking for a reasonably priced good quality room in Whitby need look no further...
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| cr01's Full Review: The Leeway Guest House, Whitby, North Yorkshire |
A real home from home for us has to be the town of Whitby on the English North East coast. The blend of gothic and the bustle of the harbour repeatedly lure us back.
In the summer months, we often set up camp near the dramatic cliff tops near Whitby Abbey, but given the unusually cold English spring weather, I didn’t fancy emerging from our trusty tent to confront a snowdrift. Instead, we hunted down a more comfortable and cosy billet.
The Leeway
While we are more used to staying on the old town side of the harbour, we decided a change was as good as a rest and went for one of the numerous guesthouses on the Victorian West Cliff side of town.
The Leeway is in a good position just behind the Royal Crescent. While the walk into the old town isn’t far, it is a bracing yomp down one of the steep and cobbled ginnels (narrow passageway) to the harbour, a trot across the bridge, and a stiff climb up the other side. There are some local pubs and restaurants close to the Leeway too. While we didn’t visit on this occasion, we always found the local pub, The Granby, (about 100 feet from the front door), to be friendly, and they serve reasonable bar snacks of the hearty variety. We also wandered past a lovely looking Tapas bar, but the Thai restaurant on the main street is rather hit and miss.
I consoled myself that the extra exercise would help burn off the excessive calories of the haddock and chips we always eat at the Magpie Restaurant, the best fish and chip restaurant in the land, located on Whitby harbour.
The Leeway is pretty standard for the West Cliff area; a sprawling brick built Victorian terrace. The guesthouse has eight rooms, including a family room and a single. As there were three in our party, we booked a double and a single and were pleased to discover that the single was simply half the cost of the double.
Our room cost £65 for the double ($110), but this included an extra £5 for a single night supplement, and £5 for a luxury room. The owners (Gary and Karen) asked us to pay for our room in advance, but they also welcomed us with a hot drink and some friendly conversation, which helped thaw out the last of the sleet in our hair. The owners are certainly willing to offer tips and advice about the local attractions. Car parking is free but can be a little difficult to find on one of the streets outside the hotel. The Leeway is completely non-smoking; yay!
As the town is so hilly, and many of the streets cobbled, Whitby isn’t very disability friendly. Likewise, the Leeway has a grand but potentially tricky series of steps up to the front door, and inside there is no space for a lift, although one of the guest rooms is on ground floor level.
Our room
As well as being much cosier than our tent, our room for the night was also much larger and much better appointed.
Our room was about 20’ X 15’, but unusually, the hotel didn’t try to fill every available space with furniture, giving the room a very spacious feel. That said, I think we would have appreciated a second directors chair as an option for seating. Anyone bringing a laptop, would probably have had to use it quite literally as a laptop.
I appreciated the bold and unfussy décor of the room, but if you are like me and remember the detail of the IRA prisoners 1980’s dirty protest, you may not appreciate the “chocolate” brown wall. Instead, I focussed on the retro 1970’s silver swirls on the other walls. The shiny gold, brown and beige bedspread reminded me of those insulating blankets that rescued hill walkers are draped in. Given the cold weather outside, it was a comforting thought. To match the room, the newly laid carpet was a golden brown colour.
Other furniture in the room included a double bed, and side cabinets, a portable TV/DVD combo (with a thoughtful and free DVD library available for guests downstairs; films being mainly of the “family” type). There was also a lovely guilt mirror and some room matching block prints on the wall.
The bed was a double, and comfortable. I certainly had no trouble in sleeping.
Although it was very cold outside, I appreciated that the sash window could open. The room was nice and warm, but I always like a little fresh air. The view from the window faced out over the front of the hotel and onto the street. Unfortunately, the Leeway is little too far back from the cliff edge and so we couldn’t spot the sea. Instead, we contented ourselves trying to figure out the strange pentangle shapes that adorn the Masonic lodge opposite. Even with the window open, there was only a little human noise in this quiet location. I love waking up to the sound of the seagulls.
During our welcome chat, we had discovered that Gary and Karen had taken over the guesthouse just eight weeks previous, and already it seems that their attentiveness and eye for detail had made a real impact and imparted a homely feel. Included in our rooms was a spare shaving kit, a spare (unused lol) toothbrush and toothpaste, dressing gowns, a couple of bottles of mineral water, and a lot of local information leaflets. They also had left us a detailed questionnaire about our stay to complete.
Other nice touches included wine glasses as well as water glasses, a bottle opener, as well as the usual tea and coffee making facilities, wardrobe, radio alarm clock and a few individually packaged biscuits. They even took time out to explain the fire procedure in addition to the information posted on the door, a rare safety touch.
Bathroom
Our en-suite bathroom was a little small, but certainly acceptable. Again, it looked like it had been recently refurbished, although the more meticulous visitor might notice the slight discolouration of the grouting in the shower area. The shower was fine, with a good temperature range and reasonable water flow.
Eats
Karen and Gary’s attention to detail made for another winner with the breakfast. As well as the traditional English cooked option of fried egg, sausage, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, baked beans and black pudding (pig blood), an inviting spread of fresh fruit, fruit juice, yogurts & cereals were laid out. Gary also brought plenty of hot toast to the table.
I thought the cooked breakfast was excellent and certainly non-greasy. Those not wanting the full English breakfast also had the option to select a lighter bite, or a vegetarian or vegan option. The addition of a selection of the morning’s newspapers was also a nice thoughtful touch.
Conclusions
Given that we have visited Whitby literally dozens of times, we have stayed in all kinds of accommodation throughout the town. I can well recommend the Leeway as a reasonable option; the cost of a stay at the Leeway is pretty standard for Whitby, but the service and facilities offered is a cut above.
The Leeway certainly provides good value accommodation in a reasonable part of Whitby and based on my experience, I’m sure the new owners will soon run a busy and successful guesthouse.
I would certainly be happy to choose the Leeway for my future (non camping) visits.
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-cr01 asserts his right to be associated as the author of this review 2006 -
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cr01
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Member: Chris
Location: Yorkshire, England
Reviews written: 443
Trusted by: 373 members
About Me:
In snowy Yorkshire. Dusting down the Sledge.
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