Three Tuns Hotel - Durham, United Kingdom 

I cant believe that this place has gone down hill so badly so quickly since we last were here a year ago. We popped in to make a last minute booking a day ago and decided to stay elsewhere even if it meant a 5/10 minute journey into Durham. The lobby/lounge area is full of badly marked chairs and bench seats. It looks like they started to recover them and then stopped for some reason. I wouldnt want to sit on most of the chairs with remotely light coloured clothes. Someone has started to repaint inside but for some reason has stopped and filler can be seen in many parts of the ceiling. However, the unpainted heavily scuffed skirting boards show up well against the newly painted white walls. The good self service coffee service has gone as has the quick and friendly efficient light snack service. For old times sake we had coffee but had we been in a hurry the wait, while the friendly lounge staff got our order from the kitchen, may have been too much to bear. It was worth the wait though. A hotel in need of the Hotel Inspector or a visit to the Swall in Old Harlow! Possibly both....

We were only told about Durham about 3 days before we went to the U.K. and had no plans to stay there. It just so happened that it fitted nicely into our schedule. We were wanting something "typically English" and stumbled across this little gem. The place is old. But it has so much character and charm you feel as though you were stepping back in time. When we arrived, they only had a twin room with two seperate beds, but seeing as though it was late, they upgraded us straight away to the suite for no extra cost. This consisted of a large bedroom, seperate lounge area and very large bathroom. You almost needed a map to get to it though, through a series of small corridors with crooked doors and uneven floorboards. This so added to the romance of the place. Breakfast the next morning was served in the beautiful antiquated restaurant, which was very hearty and filling. A roaring fireplace was ready when you came in from a cold night exploring the medievil cobblestone streets. One thing I found interesting was the abundance of ITALIAN restaurants!! There was a lovely, but very lively pub in the town square - but overflowing and too busy for us to even enjoy a drink, let alone a meal. But the pub around the corner from the police station was very warm and inviting - and doesn't allow mobile phones! Heaven!!! Would certainly stay there again. Oh, there is a Marriott up the road, but don't bother. Get the real feel for a life long gone by.