The Beresford Arms Hotel, Ashbourne - Ashbourne, United Kingdom     

We stayed here for one night - and I think so long as you don't expect too much, you won't be disappointed. (It's shown as 2* by the AA sign outside) The hotel is basically a pub with lots of rooms upstairs - but quite a nice pub. The service was excellent, we were warmly welcomed and throughout the stay, and in this area I couldn't fault the place. The room we stayed in was very large (surprisingly so), and very adequate. We did get a view of the Sainsburys carpark - and the alley by the side did have 'youths' in it for a couple of hours - but it was a Friday night, and they didn't affect us atall - although I'd imagine if you were in a ground floor room, they might. We had breakfast which was very adequate. I personally felt that for what it was, the price was quite high. The whole place does feel slightly shabby with some mixed furniture in the rooms which makes it slightly worse. There are some strange wall hangings which have been put up in an effort to brighten the place up a bit - I wasn't convinced! The one reason we booked the hotel was that it is ideally placed for Alton Towers (about 15mins drive). So if you're looking for a place to rest your head close to Alton Towers - this is the place. If you're looking for luxury and an amazing hotel experience - this certainly isn't the place.