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Reviews of The Shirley - Guest house

4 out of 5
The Shirley - Guest house
66 Braddons Hill Road East, Torquay, England

Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 79 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 20 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 102 reviews" "

9.8/10

Cleanliness

9.8/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

9.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Stephen

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hosts, Nick & Chen, were amiable but not intrusive. The room was nicely appointed & the breakfast was superb. Torquay is a typical British seaside town, nice but somewhat faded, but the surrounding countryside (inc Dartmoor) is stunning
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

D

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The Shirley, Torquay
Enjoyed stay at The Shirley. Hotel had lots of character and Nick and Chen both very accomodating hosts. Would stay again!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Tom

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jean

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Exceptional Torquay B&B in Torquay
Nick & Chen the owners of The Shirley Guest House were very welcoming and helpful and service at breakfast second to none. Nick's scrambled eggs are the best eggs Ive ever had on all my holidays in this country and abroad. The walk into Torquay is 10 mins and plenty of restaurants just 5 mins walk around the corner and recommend the Chinese restuarant for a lovely meal.
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2020

10/10 Excellent

David

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

paul, ebbw vale

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Brilliant hotel and location
fantastic hotel, brilliant location, really friendly owners that make you feel very welcome, room we stayed in was a little dated but immaculate and extremly clean, breakfast was superb, definitely recommend
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Elliot

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Highly recommended
Fantastic stay with great service 👌
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

Helen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

8/10 Good

Norman, Pontypool South Wales

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Nice B & B in Torquay near good restaurants.
Good value B&B. Owners Nic and Chen are lovely people and could not be more accommodating. The room was adequate for a couple. The shower only on-suite was OK. Unfortunately we had to tIe up the very loose shower head to have a shower. I also disliked the glass shelf above the wash basin as it was nigh on impossible to lower your face to wash or rinse after cleaning teeth. We didn't complain though as this sort of thing is regularly encountered in our experience of hotels and you just get on with it if you can. The hotel swimming pool is unusable, though still advertised as a hotel facility. The owner Nic, plans to fill it in. The breakfast was very good with plenty of choice. The owners catered for most needs very well. Nothing was too much trouble. The hotel was near the bottom of a hill, a short but steep walk up from Torquay harbour. Once reached though you had to climb the hotel's steps, leaving you breathless. Good car parking was off road in the hotel grounds. There were good restaurants nearby.
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Steve & Carol, North Yorkshire

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Top of the hill five minutes walk from town
The Shelley is a lovely Victorian building full of character. The drive to the small carpark is steep but manageable even with a large estate. The room was clean and tidy with an attention to detail equivalent to a larger upmarket chain with complimentary bottled water, tea, coffee, shoe shine kit, shower cap and the usual shower gel, shampoo and body lotion etc. Much better than a hotel chain was the friendly and personal greeting after our long journey from Nick, who offered us tea on arrival, an explanation of the hotel facilities, including pool and honesty bar, plus local amenities. Although we opted for the traditional English breakfast there is plenty of choice on the breakfast menu. Our order was taken by Nick and served by Chen, both of whom showed genuine interest in our stay in Torquay. Three options of toast with home made marmalade finished breakfast of nicely. Overall, a great experience worthy of a longer stay. There are great restaurants nearby to suit a variety of tastes, with Bianco's, Jingles and Legends at Steps are worth a try.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

10/10 Excellent

Gary

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A hotel to visit
Lovely Hosts.Very kind.nothing to much trouble yet discreet,Delightful main room,
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017

10/10 Excellent

Colin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The Shirley is in an excellent location just off Babbacombe Rd for many of the restaurants in Torquay, & is an easy walk into town. The building itself is impressive & the rooms are spacious & clean. Our bed was excellent if you like it vey firm. The quality of service is excellent as are the breakfasts, with a large selection available to cover most tastes. Would definitely stay again.
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2017

8/10 Good

Gareth

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2017

8/10 Good

Debbie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hotel
Lovely room and lovely hotel

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

phillip

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
very good staff friendly and a good full english breakfast the only downside to this hotel was is on a steep hill no good if you got health problems

10/10 Excellent

frank, staines

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
An excellent run hotel
We had a lovely three nights at the Shirley,there was a happy atmosphere,the proprietors,were always smiling.The breakfast, was second to none.The décor extremely original,rooms excellent.Obviously when they bought this place,they put a lot of thought into it.Yes it on a slope, but where in Torquay,is not.Should we go to Torquay,again I know where we are staying

10/10 Excellent

David, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very friendly place.
Nice B&B slightly away from the town centre. Nice rooms, honesty bar and swimming pool (which I didn't use).

10/10 Excellent

Tracey, Burntwood

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very comfortable and friendly will stay again

10/10 Excellent

IAN, Durham

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent stay, highly recommend.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel was within easy walking distance of the sea
A very welcoming host and the hotel was clean and spacious.Breakfast was excellent with a variety of choices.Even though the hotel is up a hill it wasn't difficult to walk down to the front.The only downside was that parking could be a problem when the hotel is full.

10/10 Excellent

krzysztof, Frome

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Weeken time
Nice clean nad cosy pleace to spend weekend time.

10/10 Excellent

Jimmy, Florida

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Just up the hill, but close to everything!
Loved it! Great hotel -- and Nick was a great host. It's just up the hill from the 'Hole in the wall' pub, the aquarium, and the harbor.

8/10 Good

J, Edinburgh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Could have been a disaster- but quite the opposite
While booking online through Expedia it was not clear at any stage that this hotel was not deemed suitable for young children. So when we turned up with a 5.5 yr old we faced the prospect of having nowhere to stay after a 7 hour train journey. The owner was calm and flexible and explained he was happy to take us and explained possible safety concerns- these were minor and we have a sensible daughter so we were happy to stay. Room was clean and regularly serviced to a good standard. Breakfasts were above average with plenty of options. Good quiet location but very close to amenities and attractions. The staff were friendly and very knowledgeable about local attractions, transport, etc. Would happily go back and would recommend to others- But shame on Expedia for not flagging up the issues with children. Would advise all parents to contact hotel directly when travelling with children- Expedia search engines don't always filter out the unsuitable locations.

8/10 Good

Mel, Gosport

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly B&B - great find!
The room was very cosy, clean, well presented and surprisingly soundproof (our neighbours liked their TV on loud but you could not hear it inside the room). The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. We have very awkward dietary requirements; we are both vegetarians and one of us is dairy free and the other gluten free. They provided us with soya milk for the drink making facilities in our room and provided us with gluten free/dairy free breakfasts in the mornings. Sometimes the breakfast service was a little slow but this is understandable as the B&B was fairly busy and the owner had only recently taken the place over. I am very grateful for everything they did as it is rare for anywhere to go to this trouble for us and our awkwardness. The hotel is in a quieter area of Torquay but still close enough to easily visit most attractions on foot. Would definitely recommend staying here to others.

8/10 Good

Nick, Kingston

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Summer Break
Great breakfast menu - far more than just the normal full English or continental. Great décor. Quiet. Fresh milk for making you own tea and coffee.

10/10 Excellent

Dirk, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect base to eplore the English Riviera
We've had a very friendly welcome and pleasant attention from the new owner, who took on the business just a week prior to our arrival.

10/10 Excellent

Ed, Bristol

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely staff and extremely comfortable rooms.
We stayed for 2 nights and found The Shirley extremely comfortable. The staff were very friendly and helpful and made us feel at home. I would definitely recommend it as a place to stay.

8/10 Good

Matthew, St Austell

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very satisfied
Very comfortable and VFM. Be careful if you use the guest house parking, it's limited spacing and the incline is fairly steep. However that doesn't take away the enjoyable stay.

10/10 Excellent

Nicole, Birmingham

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fab short stay!
Second time we have stopped at the The Shirley and it was great. Anything we needed hosts were accommodating and nothing seemed like trouble. Definitely recommend! Will be back again!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Phillip, South Wales

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very enjoyable

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Pleasant stay very good breakfast with lots of choice

10/10 Excellent

dylan, Bristol

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
lovely friendly hotel

8/10 Good

Kathryn, Bristol

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
lovely bright clean comfortable room (although a little small )staff friendly and approachable beautiful lounge area we were made to feel welcome and will stay again

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Tony, Bath

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly staff, good facilities, good location and a good breakfast. Thanks

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Eamonn, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Don't hestitate to book.
Top class on every level. Lovely staff and very well managed. Pool was a real treat in a guest house. Food quality and choice couldn't be faulted.

8/10 Good

Andrew, Wendover

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very pleasant staff, good location, family room a little cramped for family of 4 but adequate

8/10 Good

Jan, Cambridge

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly and Welcoming.
What a welcome! Such nice hosts. We had a lovely stay at the Shirley. It is a well run hotel. Super breakfasts and a nice room. All very clean and comfortable. A good location for us. The parking worried my husband at first but we managed it ok (the hotel is on a steep hill and so is the car park).

8/10 Good

Jasmine, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable, clean, friendly and good location
My husband and I stayed here for 2 nights this past weekend. We booked a small room and it must be the first time I had expected the room to be quite small and it actually turned out to be more spacious than I expected. Room was very clean and toilets were very clean with nice little luxury bath toiletries just as you would find in a more upscale hotel. The highlight of the stay was definitely the owner. He was incredibly friendly and helpful. I'm on a strict nutrition plan and had some food with me in a cooler. They were so nice to have provided me with a mini fridge which was not originally included in the bedroom. We also just asked for tips on beaches and getting to Dartmoor Park and what he would recommend. He ended up writing up an entire itinerary for us which we followed and it was the best day ever.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
For our one night stay it was comfortable, friendly and ideally placed.

10/10 Excellent

Carole, Cornwall

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Absolutely excellent hotel!
Had a weekend break with friends & would wholeheartedly recommend The Shirley. Such a warm & friendly welcome, offering excellent service. Our rooms were excellent, good quality linen & towels, very comfortable bed & loved the little touches such as fresh milk for our morning cuppa!! Breakfast was a feast fit for kings!!! We will definitely be returning!

10/10 Excellent

PATRICIA, MONTETON, FRANCE.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
superbe.
iT'S BETTER THAN WHAT THE TIN SAYS.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Staff
The staff made up for any short comings of the hotel. The rooms were clean and the staff were very knowledgable about the local area. The only down side was the parking for the facility. The breakfast was excellent and the staff made you feel welcome. This is a B&B worth the money. It is well placed--not far from town centre.

10/10 Excellent

chris, Southampton

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing hotel
Such a great hotel and was well worth the stay!

10/10 Excellent

Ian, Prestonpans

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Stay!
Fantastic stay at The Shirley. A lovely hotel, and lovely hosts. I would definitely stay here again if we're back in Torquay. The breakfast was fantastic!