Langtry Manor Hotel

Impressive historic building east of Bournemouth city center with an interesting backstory between the later King Edward VII and his mistress Lillie Langtry. We were guests in the huge, historically furnished (except for the modern bathroom with whirlpool) Kings Room (Room 2). Quiet location and sufficient parking spaces. Tea room and lounge. Everything is unquestionably very stylish. Unfortunately, however, also very impersonal (PIN code, no reception, only signs). The unfortunately only below-average breakfast (starting with the coffee, to the inferior jam, to the scrambled eggs... which they surprisingly still cannot manage to make edible) is taken in the Derby Manor Guesthouse, which is just under 100 m away (where you then also meet one!). encountered employees). We enjoyed it nonetheless, even if the faceless and comparatively uninteresting city of Bournemouth only invites you to take excursions into the surrounding area. Apart from that, the city center with its restaurants is a bit far away. No longer within walking distance for us. Smaller towns like neighboring Christchurch would certainly have been a better alternative. But certainly a must for lovers of museum-like decor...

Having stayed here many times over the past 20 years this time was an eye opener. Last visit was early 2025 and all was good. Not this time. The bedroom was very tired and dust everywhere. Even the previous guests rubbish was lying around. The toilet door would not close and the ill fitting bolt would not move. Someone previously had remarked about the toilet roll holder hanging off the wall and it still is. The shower was useless. Even the TV was so old. Surely this could be replaced with a cheap smart TV. Entry to the hotel is now operated by a 4 digit coded entry system. Entry after 1500 and check out at 1030. Entry to the room is the same. As before, breakfast is served in the sister hotel and is excellent as is Anna who looked after us. Would we book Langtry again, doubtful unless it had some TLC. Next time we will probably go next door which in comparison just sparkles.

The room itself was adequate and the bathroom was lovely, with nice decor throughout. Free parking was a definite plus, and the room had a TV and tea and coffee facilities. Unfortunately, the positives were overshadowed by a very disappointing experience before we even arrived. I had emailed the hotel simply to confirm our booking and enquire about parking. Despite the booking already being confirmed and paid, I received an email saying there was still an outstanding balance to pay. I replied with evidence showing that the booking had been paid, but received no response. This caused unnecessary worry before our stay and resulted in me having to contact Booking.com to clarify the situation. Communication with the hotel was also extremely difficult. We found it very difficult to get through to anyone, and the email address advertised on the hotel's website did not work, making an already confusing situation even more frustrating. When we arrived, check-in was a nightmare with considerable confusion and questioning over the booking. There is no reception at Langtry Manor, so you have to walk over to the neighbouring Derby Manor to check in. We were eventually told that everything had been paid, but no real explanation was given as to why we had previously been told by email that there was an outstanding balance, particularly when I had already sent evidence and received no reply. When I questioned what had happened, the receptionist told us that we had got a very good deal on the room and that we were lucky to have got it for that price. I didn't feel this was particularly helpful or welcoming when I was simply trying to understand the confusion surrounding our booking. The biggest disappointment was that our room was advertised as having air conditioning and a balcony, but it had neither. With temperatures around 28°C, the room became very hot and uncomfortable without the advertised air conditioning. There is also no bar at Langtry Manor. If you want a drink, you have to go over to Derby Manor, buy it there and then walk back to Langtry Manor with it. Despite the hot weather, there was no ice available either, leaving us with warm drinks. When we raised our concerns, we were offered a complimentary soft drink, which didn't really address the fact that advertised facilities were missing. Overall, the room itself was adequate and there were some nice features, particularly the bathroom and decor. However, the poor communication before arrival, unanswered email after providing evidence, difficulty contacting anyone, confusing check-in, lack of reception and bar, the receptionist's comments when questioning the booking, and particularly the absence of the advertised air conditioning and balcony significantly affected our experience. I have raised these issues separately with the booking company.