Holiday Inn - Leamington Spa

When planning our recent trip to Warwick Castle we decided to book a stay the night before at a hotel. Usually we head straight to Premier Inn or Travelodge as we have never had a bad stay at either. They are always cheap and perfect for us. Anyway while we were browsing hotels near Warwick the Holiday Inn - Leamington Spa popped up so we had a look at the details. The hotel itself looked okay from the website and to be honest we were driving down straight from school / work so it was just a place to sleep. Daddy was able to get a small corporate discount so it actually worked out cheaper than the other hotels.

Mr SatNav took us straight to the hotel. It was situated on what looked like an industrial estate. It was dark so we couldn't really see much else other than the hotel and what looked like office buildings. 

We parked up and noticed a sign saying that there was a £10 parking charge but underneath I read that it was free for overnight guests. What a relief because £10 on top of the cost of the hotel would have made it more expensive than our usual stays. When we arrived at the reception it was a little later than we had expected. I think it was around 8pm. The receptionist looked very stressed but she created us with a smile. We checked in and reminded her that we had asked for a cot in the room. She informed us there wasn't a cot as it wasn't requested or it wasn't put on her system. Daddy assured her we had rang to request, she turned to her colleague and requested a cot for us. She then started to have a conversation about matters that we didn't need to hear about. Again she seemed stressed so not sure what had happened previously but she didn't seem happy. She then turned to us and smiled as if she had just remembered we were still stood there. I had input our car registration details into the keypad system on the check in desk. This is to confirm you are a guest and that you do not need to pay for parking.  The receptionist then asked us about breakfast. She told us that for every paying adult, the kids go free. She leaned over the counter and checked the age of little J and said "yes she's free" I felt like screaming. That is such a pet hate of mine when someone calls a boy a girl or vice versa.  Anyway we weren't to sure about breakfast so she said we could buy the vouchers in the morning.  Our room was situated on the second floor. We were overlooking the front of the hotel, and had a view of the car park. Like I said it was dark so nothing to see.  The room was really big with two double beds and space for the cot when it arrived. Whenever we stay away we always check for plug sockets - how sad, but we always have phones and other devices that need a charge. There were five plug holes which is a lot more than other hotels we have stayed  in.

It wasn't long before the cot arrived and little J could have a bath and then off to bed. I had a browse through the hotel guide and noticed that breakfast is actually more expensive if not booked the night before. The receptionist hadn't mentioned this at all so I am glad I saw this. I would have been very unhappy if we had tried to buy breakfast in the morning and charged more.

Big J making use of the wifi

Once little J was settled, Daddy and big J went to buy breakfast vouchers and a nice cup of tea from the Starbucks that was just downstairs. Big J asked if he could buy the wifi package so we paid £13 for 24 hours even though we wouldn't be there for 24 hours the only other option was 1 hour. As soon as I had drank my tea I was asleep within minutes I was so tired. The bed and pillows were really comfortable. I usually don't sleep well in hotels but I slept like a baby.

Enjoying a spoonful of Nutella

Breakfast was served downstairs next to the reception in the bar area. There was only one other guest eating breakfast so it was really quiet. There was a large selection of continental items such as croissants, muffins, toast, jams and the delicious Nutella. There was a a hot buffet breakfast too. Everything was fresh and was replenished twice just while we were sat there. We all enjoyed our breakfast and we were ready to start our day at Warwick Castle. I would recommend the Holiday Inn Leamington Spa for those looking to stay over whilst visiting the Castle or other attraction within the area. Browse online to find cheap deals. Please make sure you input your car registration details on arrival as I have read some reviews that guests have received a £100 fine two weeks after their stay. Thats not good. If you require breakfast, buy your vouchers the night before. This will save you some pennies. *I did not receive any compensation for writing this review*