The Castle Hotel

The Castle Hotel descritpion
A 5-minute walk from Ely city centre and a 25-minute drive from Cambridge, The Castle Hotel has free Wi-Fi and individually decorated bedrooms.
In the morning, guests can enjoy a full English breakfast. There are many restaurants and eateries a 5-minute walk away.
The Castle Hotel bedrooms all have a TV and tea/coffee making facilities. Wake-up calls are available on request.
Ely Cathedral is a 15-minute walk from the hotel and Ely Rail Station a 25-minute walk away. There is free parking at the property.
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Facilities of The Castle Hotel
Pets :Pets are not allowed.
Internet :Free!WiFi is available in all areas and is free of charge.
Parking :Free!Free public parking is available on site (reservation is not possible).
General :Non-smoking Rooms | Facilities for Disabled Guests | Family Rooms | Heating | All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private) | Designated Smoking Area
Reviews for The Castle Hotel
Review 1:Sloping ceiling in room difficult for oldest son as he is quite tall.
Review 2:Very helpful staff. Breakfast good, made pancakes specially for fussy toddler. Convenient for Ely, short walk to Cathedral and attractions. No problems parking.
Review 3:I expect that the walls are very thin, although I wasn't affected by this - but I was aware of muffled conversation from the next room, even if at a reasonable hour. However, I have no complaints.
Review 4:The warm welcome and personal guidance to my room set the tone. I was grateful to be at the back of the hotel and off the road. The bed was extremely comfortable and all plumbing was excellent, including one of the best showers ever! Nothing was too much trouble in the dining room and the menu choice was more than adequate. The food was good - even the continental breakfast on the first morning was generous.
Review 5:Bathroom not as clean as I would have liked the pillows were very hard and uncomfortable
Review 6:Some of the Staff were very helpful and friendly . The breakfast was quite nice
Review 7:Our first night, there was no heat. Given that this was a "small hotel with no night porter," there was also no number to call to get someone to fix it until morning. Our room was so cold that we could see our breath, and with a small child, too. In the morning, the hotel staff seemed less than friendly, though they did fix the problem. Requests for extra warm blankets got us a thin blanket for the child, and a decorative bed cover for us.
Review 8:I enjoyed the breakfast service each day, and the proximity to downtown Ely. In the end, a clean place to rest is what we were looking for and what we got.
Review 9:Beware the front desk closes early, thus so does check in! Someone trying to enter our room at 8 am to clean it.
Review 10:Relatively easy walk to Ely town center.
Review 11:Not so much a didn't like but hooks in the shared bathroom areas and a stool or chair to place items on would be useful. Decaff tea and coffee also would be good in both rooms and for breakfast. Not everyone has caffeine although herbal tea was an option
Review 12:Nice staff and great breakfast. Comfy beds albeit single. Good location for accessing the main town centre. Value for money
Review 13:Room 16 is a former bar on the ground floor. It's very big, but nobody has given any thought to making it comfortable or convenient as a bedroom. No bedside tables or lights, only one set of power sockets, at opposite end of room from sofa. To plug the kettle in you have to crawl under a table and pass the kettle base back up through a gap. To get to the shared bathroom you have to cross the main entrance and go up stairs. Urinal in the gents (just the other side of a flimsy partition from the bedhead) dripped noisily before flushing every 40 minutes all night. Noise and food smells come from the adjacent dining room as soon as breakfast starts.
Review 14:Quiet road, short walk from town centre. Staff were pleasant. Breakfast was fine though nothing special. It was cheaper than other double rooms available in Ely that night - though given the drawbacks (see other box) I wish we'd spent more on somewhere else.
Review 15:The family room is very small; the hot and cold water wouldn't mix so the water was boling hot; the room was not vacuumed; bed linen was not the freshest and was not ironed when we arrived. Overpriced for what it is
Review 16:The personnel of the hotel is pleasant
Review 17:Dripping taps all night in room. Generally tired decor and bedding in room and bathroom. Toaster at breakfast not working properly.
Review 18:The location near the cathedral. Large bright breakfast room.
Review 19:I've stayed here many times, and it is a mixed bag. The room I had this time was extremely small, made worse by the sloping ceiling so that you could only stand up straight in a small area. The worse thing was the bed. It was so small, hard and uncomfortable. The bed linens were scratchy and worn. I hardly slept at all. It would be nice if they would put some money back into the hotel to improve at least the beds.
Review 20:Location is good, breakfast is very good
Review 21:The room might be passable for one night, but no way for the four nights we stayed. The room was small, cramped, a bit dirty, had a wardrobe but no drawers for clothes. Had to live out of the suit cases.
Review 22:Breakfast was included, staff friendly.
Review 23:Hi, I booked a room for Saturday 10th of October because it was my finances birthday , and we wanted a room for the night... Unfortunately when we arrived and viewed room 12 we was not very pleased with the bedroom , the curtains were hanging off, there was brown marks over the ceiling , and there was dirty stains over the bedding ... And straight away gives a bad impression ... The shared bathroom has stuff down the toilet , and the toilet seat has brown marks around the rim , and the toilet didn't flush , we gave the keys back and didn't end up staying , I would have felt dirty. The reception lady understood and said we wouldn't get our money back until we made a formal complaint .
Review 24:An Opened packet of biscuits in our tea/coffee pot. Room decor did not not match anything and needs urgent update. Purple bedding with brown walls and green picture. Curtain pole hanging of the wall. Toilet roll holder was held on with one screw and not 2. Lots of timescale in shower hose, did want a shower after seeing that. Hot water too ages to come through. Basin tap constantly dripping water. I would not pay 110.00 again to stay here. I feel I've been ripped off. Breakfast was poor also.
Review 25:Staff very friendly. Room spacious. Bed was comfy.
Review 26:Single room on attic was a little cramped and next to a shared bathroom that was a bit noisy when used by other guests.
Review 27:Functional no frills hotel at a good price.
Review 28:Desk attendant not terribly friendly. Single room was on top floor with shared bath. Pretty unusual to share a bath anymore in England.
Review 29:Good location near town and the cathedral. Car park in back. Room was fine.
Review 30:The room was very small and with a slanting ceiling... not much space to move around (although it was ok for me as a single traveller) Very basic facilities, but it was very clear from the beginning, so I knew in advance what I was going to get
Review 31:Walking distance from city centre and cathedral Quiet area Friendly staff Cheapest rate I could find on a 2-hour notice Good breakfast Free tea, chocolate and biscuits in the room Sink and hand soap in the room Free parking
Review 32:It is a strange looking building & is in the middle of a housing estate which is a bit weird!
Review 33:The hotel is only a 10 minute walk from centre of town & it has it's own car park.
Review 34:Hotel room was comfortable but not very clean. Needs updating . Bathroom dirty.
Review 35:Lovely location. Lovely Breakfast and the staff were very friendly and helpfull.
Review 36:Walls were thin and floorboards above very noisy. Parts of the room were a bit shabby where paint was missing. Shower wasn't very good. Poor flow and no way to adjust temperature. 3 bibles but no hairdryer
Review 37:Room was comfortable, most staff were very friendly and helpful, location is very near everything
Review 38:The room was very hot and the window only opened a tiny bit
Review 39:We were able to check in early and generally all staff were very accommodating, breakfast was very good
Review 40:Some of the rooms are an odd shape and have VERY low ceilings, so watch out for that!
Review 41:Easy walking distance to city centre, cathedral etc. Breakfast was very good, served in a nice, spacious room.
Review 42:Clean comfortable room, en-suite with excellent shower. Excellent breakfast served by friendly helpful staff. Reasonable price. free parking in street but within walking distance of town centre.
Review 43:There was nothing I that disapointed me. It was clearly explained that the rooms had shared bathrooms. My stay was very good.
Review 44:The staff were friendly and helpful. I liked the way tea, coffe, hot chocolate and buscuits were provided daily in our room
Review 45:I would prefer my bedroom en suite
Review 46:As my hours in the film industry are very unsociable. The staff made sure that I was welcomed and catered for despite this
Review 47:Hotel came across as very tired in appearance. Carpeted throughout in a very dowdy style! Bathroom in particular was not good. Five of us on the top floor shared one bathroom. After people showered they would leave a towel soaked with water on the floor there was nowhere to hang them. As a student I might have put up with this bathroom but for Ely as a tourist, come on! Breakfast very mediocre!
Review 48:Staff were friendly enough but not exactly bubbling with energy! Rooms were functional at most. Location on a nice quiet street and very near to cathedral and other Ely attractions.
Review 49:Saggy beds, shower with very little water coming out.
Review 50:Ely cathedral is spectacular, the hotel is an easy walk away. The hotel is clean, nice staff, good breakfast, nice atmosphere.
Review 51:No real problems but limited parking in the yard so parked in the street and single room on the second floor had a window in the roof although this could be opened and had a blind.
Review 52:Economical, clean room, comfortable bed and a good breakfast in a pleasant room. Only minutes walk from the town centre.
Review 53:Not a complaint but the heating was on which it didn't really need to be
Review 54:V surprised at the quality of my room and the hotel, being the cheapest option. I was a little concerned initially due to having a shared bathroom which we ended up with an en suite, v pleasantly surprised. Breakfast was amazing too!
Review 55:Still called a Hotel which it is not now, but Guest information refers to bar and restaurant which no longer exist. Room in need of repairs and decoration. No mirror in bedroom (6). Bed linen did not look as if been laundered, unironed. Grubby curtains. Toilet had to be mended.
Review 56:Good breakfast
Review 57:Excellent location, lovely room and the staff are friendly and helpful. Breakfast has something for everyone. I thought the shared bathroom might be a bit of a drawback but I had no problems with using it and it was always spotlessly clean.
Review 58:We were in an attic room which was extremely warm. The room is very small, but then we didn't pay a lot for it.
Review 59:Good choice of cooked breakfast. Very warm welcome from the owner.
Review 60:Didn,t like both handbasin taps driping Faulty electric kettle had to turn it off at the socket Broken bedside locker draw Room 11
Review 61:location ..... stopped here a few tines before
Review 62:Breakfast was terrible Could not sleep for the noise and heat Staff kept me waiting to check in Nobody to sort out problems after 8pm until 7am
Review 63:Not the hotel it once was
Review 64:Room just needed a bit of tlc, silly little things that could be easily fixed such as dripping tap, loose bath panel, broken chain on bath plug, broken toilet roll holder.
Review 65:Friendly, helpful staff. Good location, just a few minutes walk into town. Excellent WiFi.
Review 66:The Castle Hotel was dusty, dated, with worn bedding. There was no shower, bar or proper parking
Review 67:Ely is a beautiful place to visit with an old world charm
Review 68:The WIFI connection was not good in the bedroom but was fine in the breakfast room.
Review 69:The Staff were super friendly. The breakfast choice was great. The beds were very comfy.
Review 70:I received a very friendly welcome and was escorted up to my room by the receptionist. I was also told my room had been upgraded from a single to a double at no extra cost. This was welcome as the weather had turned very hot!
Review 71:They upgraded us at no extra cost. As the weather was very hot,they offered us cold water and toast in case we were hungry. We declined both but, appreciated the offer.They informed us about where to eat nearby. The hotel was spotless (very clean everywhere).A good breakfast with a smile!!
Review 72:The towels in our room were old and stained, I'd have been better bringing my own towels! There was a bath in our room but no shower, there were telephone taps but the shower was either roasting hot or freezing cold! The rooms weren't exactly sound proof therefore a long lie isn't an option with doors crashing every 5 mins! Lol! I also overheard staff talking about a resident outside our room which I didn't exactly think was professional! We stayed at the hotel to go to a wedding on the Wed so I went down for breakfast just before 9, breakfast was served until 9, not even a cup of tea was offered so I had to take what was left of the continental! At around 9.15 the staff started to clear away everything in the breakfast room and pretty much made a point that I was an inconvenience being there! For £180 this was not the minibreak we were hoping for and we will definitely not be back!
Review 73:On arrival the staff were very welcoming!Breakfast on the first morning was quite nice. the bed in our room was very comfortable and when we initially booked our room we were planning on bringing our baby with us but they had everything in our room that we had asked for!
Review 74:Room was in attic and I was told on the website it was a hotel. It was actually a Guesthouse with shared bathrooms . Couldn't wait to get out
Review 75:Nothing
Review 76:Room was dated with mustard sink, but purely a cosmetic.
Review 77:location was close to town center, breakfast was excellent, easy parking. The room was clean and the tea and coffee in the room put more expensive hotels to shame.
Review 78:We did not get a shower as requested on our original booking. The fact there is no receptionist after 8pm should be brought to the guests attention on checking in.
Review 79:Location and breakfast was good.
Review 80:It is a pity there is no lounge to sit in but the rooms were spacious enough with two chairs to a table and room to relax.
Review 81:The breakfast was outstandingly good. The beds were very comfortable. The staff were friendly and helpful. The Wi-Fi worked well.
Review 82:The room was ready for us to use midday and as we had arrived by train this was most appreciated. We were able to unpack, relax and then go off exploring. The hotel was within walking distance of all the places we wanted to visit.
Review 83:Tiny single room in the eaves next to the power shower in the shared bathroom. It's a peculiar looking building in a suburban residential street.
Review 84:Good breakfast, friendly staff, clean and comfortable bed. If you want to stay in Ely it's the cheapest option.
Review 85:We have stayed here twice, the first time the room was spacious but this time the room was much smaller. You couldn't move once a cot was put in it. Also, someone left a kettle full of flies in the bathroom so cleanliness may be a concern.
Review 86:Brilliant breakfast... We love the pancakes! The staff are lovely. They were very helpful about everything and kind to my toddler.
Review 87:Nothing bad to say as very happy with the service
Review 88:Was a really nice room which I shared with my mum. She has problems with stairs and was offered a ground floor room which was greatly appreciated. I would recommend to my friends and family to stay at the castle hotel. Will definitely come again
Review 89:The shower head needed changing in our bathroom.
Review 90:Staff were very helpful when we had to change our booking at a very late stage due to a car breakdown. They couldn't have been more helpful and even offered a discount.
Review 91:Had a lovely stay at the castle hotel! Had a free upgrade! Staff were so friendly! Room was super clean which is a big thing for me! Really warm! Mattress soooo comfy.. Only down fall was the breakfast which was free anyway ..
Review 92:Other couples in our party were in the old part of the hotel upstairs and liked their rooms but had problems with shower water not being very hot and then running cold plus bathrooms not being very warm.
Review 93:We were in a modern ground floor room that was well furnished and decorated and also very clean plus well heated. Good choice at breakfast. Staff friendly and helpful. Convenient for parking and also walking in to city centre.
Review 94:Shower tray in our room took a long time to drain. Tiny issue for such a lovely hotel.
Review 95:Nice well decorated rooms and spacious. Large tv and hot drinks and biscuits. Excellent breakfast. Easy parking.
Review 96:Needs a bit more ' TLC ' just to finish off an otherwise very nice big room. New curtain rails, hairdryer, gradually replace some of the furniture, reconfigure the bathroom ( repairing wall behind rad and putting rail style one higher on wall) and sink will fit too. Lots of potential for a nice stay to become a really good one.
Review 97:Pretty clean , friendly staff, very spacious interesting room. Good breakfast. Looks relatively recently revived in places, just needs to go further now.
Review 98:1st room was really smelly, complained and was moved with no fuss. 2nd room was tiny and cold. Both rooms slightly dirty. Very thin mattress on bed in the 2nd room.
Review 99:Staff were friendly.
Review 100:The bar wasn't open due to closure which we where not informed about until we went back to the hotel for drinks
Review 101:Location close to the centre of ely
Review 102:We were a large family group with a baby, visiting Ely for a family occasion. The helpfulness and flexibility of everyone at the hotel made the visit much easier and enjoyable.
Review 103:Very difficult to find in the dark as the name of the hotel is not lit up sufficiently in this dark street. We only noticed it after driving past twice by the sign saying `hotel reception'
Review 104:The central location, the fresh cooked breakfast, cleanliness and large size of room. Would happily stay there again when in the area
Review 105:There was no possibility to vary the heating in the room. Getting to the location meant an exposed twenty-minute walk on a cold night - it was a little further from the centre than I had appreciated when we booked
Review 106:The staff were excellent, and the facilities represented good value for money. Overall impressions were all positive.
Review 107:My room was in the loft, so headroom was limited.
Review 108:I liked the position of the Castle. Very easy to get to the centre of Ely and other places around. Parking is good and the free wifi worked perfectly. There's a nice bar for a bedtime drink and the full English breakfast was excellent and most welcome.
Review 109:A drunk wedding party waking my wife and myself up at 2 in the morning,and making loads of noise untill 3am,what really upset us was no intervention from hotel staff.
Review 110:Very freindly staff,clean and comfortable hotel.
Review 111:Heard the TV from the adjoining room for a short while (mid evening) assumed due to my headboard being one side of the party wall and the TV the other - no big issue did not disturb me as the other occupant must have been aware and / or respectful, not sure if they could hear my TV or not.
Review 112:Excellent service, room upgraded upon arrival, home cooked meals, relaxed atmosphere, awoke refreshed, engaged in a slow leisurely morning followed by a very reasonable free full English breakfast, I have paid much more for a lot less over some thirty years of travelling for work, in allegedly superior premises, sometimes you get what you pay for and sometimes you don't for the one night I stayed I believe I got received far more than I paid for.
Review 113:Rooms at the top of the hotel are tiny and defined by the roof line and I hit my head a number of times. I shower to 5 rooms and 2 colds showers mad for an uncomfortable time. Facilities need to be modernised.
Review 114:Location is great if you are sightseeing in Ely. Staff were excellent. Nice dining room and good breakfast. Not sure about the centre piece of a bar; it harks back to the 1970's.
Review 115:Car park is small and obscure Wifi on site but unusable signal in room. No wardrobe and odd dressing table Tired general decoration of hotel Surcharge if paying with credit cards Poor back lighting only at bathroom basin
Review 116:Comfortable bed in spacious room (room 1) Good cooked breakfast Friendly staff Quiet location on a Saturday night Easy walk into town
Review 117:very dirty beds mould in bathroom,needs a good paint,worst accom I have ever stoped in.for lesure and my work I travel the country and this was very poor.
Review 118:Decor inside is very dated No little toiletries in the rooms We had 4 massive spiderwebs in our room, and a spider larger than a 50p coin who I named Kevin to make him seem more friendly
Review 119:The property looks amazing from outside Staff was pleasant and informative Can't comment on food as we came late and left before breakfast was served, we only came for a function.
Review 120:Towels where dirty and had to get them changed also a wine bottle was in bathroom and valence sheet was all marked... Beer was off in the hotel bar ... The room my daughter was in was not cleaned properly and the rooms need updating
Review 121:Poor level of hygiene in room, shared bathroom and dining room Breakfast poor - egg, bacon and mushroom all very overcooked Room was peculiar - door at very top of stairs (quite dangerous) and couldn't see other person or TV from my bed!
Review 122:Good location Staff friendly
Review 123:bathroom light was tempermental. Single beds weren't that comfy, not much air - couldn't really open window and no air con.
Review 124:friendly staff, spacious room, breakfast and location.
Review 125:Although comfortable, the room was a little basic (no wardrobe, insufficient drawer capacity and no table/desk on which to write)
Review 126:Very friendly and attentive staff. Close proximity to the city centre. Good cooked breakfast.
Review 127:Lack of cleanliness in room. Used and unused personal items and clothing left under bed, under bedside table and in drawer. No fruit at breakfast. On arrival around 2pm we were told that we did not need to reserve to eat in the restaurant same evening. Arrived for meal 7.15pm to find that chef had to be fetched from another establishment in Ely, so we ate much later than planned; a very limited menu; the point of the convenience of eating at the hotel was lost. On check-out we were very surprised to have to ask for a receipt.
Review 128:The small bathroom was well fitted with a good shower and toiletries. There was plenty of storage space. The bed was comfortable, but too big for the room. The young waitress on the Sunday morning was particularly attentive, efficient and pleasant, even though English was not her first language. We accepted a discount as compensation for the problems we experienced.
Review 129:The first room had clearly been occupied by a smoker. The second room toilet smelled to the extent I had to buy a spray (who uses loo blu in a toilet these days anyway?). The main lights were the kind used in the corridors of blocks of flats and gave a miserable light. We had to queue to share a table at breakfast. The gentlemen's toilet was close by and the smell highly evident at breakfast which was full English and very little else on offer, no fruit, yoghurt, pastries etc. The hotel had added two new bedrooms which should have been really nice but gave the impression of being stuck in the 80's deco wise and done on the cheap. I did not need new towels each day but would have liked a mat for the very cold floor. I did not feel the hotel represented value for money and generally seemed to be under staffed.
Review 130:The room we moved to was spacious but sparsely furnished.
Review 131:Walls thin and noises from neighbouring room caused a problem, keeping us awake one night.
Review 132:Economical, good breakfast, reasonably central, friendly service.
Review 133:The Hotel is situated conveniently for the town centre and the Cathedral. It has comfortable rooms with amenities for todays traveller, boasts an excellent breakfast served by friendly attentive staff.
Review 134:The room under the roof was less than 9m2 and smell awfull. Not a place to hang your towel, no lamp by the side of the bed, very degraded furniture. Absolutely terrible.
Review 135:Staff was helpful
Review 136:Sometimes the breakfast order was delivered incorrectly (but this may well have been because of language difficulties)
Review 137:Accessibility around the hotel and to the bedrooms, the quiet rooms at night, a good substantial breakfast, the helpfulness of the staff
Review 138:The notice re. credit card charge was hidden by the owner when I paid & I was not told about this, otherwise I would have used a different card. The bedroom doors had no inside handle to control the closing & they banged loudly causing disturbance late evening & early morning.
Review 139:Very convenient for the city
The Fine Print
Please note that the reception is open from 08:00 until 09:00.