Villa Mentone Hotel

First of all i would like to add that the manager made us all welcome and was very friendly, but the room this we stayed in let the whole place down. We paid £220 a night for apparently the penthouse suite , it was no penthouse but an attic room with 3 bedrooms in it, needing a lot of doing up. The only wardrobe was in the main bedroom no storage to hang up clothes in the other bedrooms. The bathroom and shower was a disgrace with the shower door having to close a certain way see photos. If you have a disability you’re stuffed!! no lift so you have to climb 59 steps to reach your room! We called it the stairs of death very steep. The doors was very drafty and we had to put a piece of cardboard in one to stop it rattling during the night. Double glazing has gone in one window. Very disappointed with room. Car park small see photos. Safe to say we won’t be returning.

The owner seemed really helpful and changed our ferry when we were delayed. The views from the property and location are great , reception also looks clean and modern. However once you climb the stairs the age shows, the carpet was loose on the stairs and in our opinion a trip hazzard, the handrail provides support, perhaps the stickiness of the handrail is helpful to some? The room was too small to fully open the bathroom door, the bathroom floor still had grouting all over if and felt unclean. The carpets generally felt unclean, perhaps because of their age. Upon arrival there was a banquet, we ordered drinks which were flat, after complaining we were offered alternatives for which they tried to over charge us. Our little girl had water and ice served in a dirty glass (it had lipstick marks on), we asked for a clean glass but were offered another dirty glass. When we pointed this out we were asked to select a clean glass – the ability to do so appeared beyond the staff member. There is a buffet breakfast, for us the cooked breakfast seemed to be dripping in fat, yoghurts are left out and not refrigerated, the toast was the best thing on offer, coffee is worth a miss. The owner said the breakfast was good value for money, if you are not fussed about quality, and just want quantity, then I see the point, but I can’t think of a worse breakfast I’ve had in the last 5 years. Before posting this we did mention concerns to the owner, we also reviewed the hotel review and pictures which we don’t believe are a true reflection of our stay. This hopefully will allow others to make a more informed decision regarding their stay.

This is a tricky review to write as there are more negatives than positives but I hope the constructive feedback is taken as helpful. First the positives...Undoubtedly the best thing about our stay was the incredible stunning panoramic sea view from the room's private balcony which is breathtaking to say the least. We used it every day and it was the highlight of our stay. The hotel is also ideally situated for walking into Shanklin town and as others have said the lift to the beach. The car park is small but we always managed to get a space. Salma, the owner was very helpful during the booking process and like other hotels they have a business account with the ferry companies so you can get a good discount. Now the not so good.... The hotel decor is very tired and tatty in places. The stair carpet was ill fitted and covered in stains. The handrail to the upper floors was sticky to the touch. In our room, the area behind the toilet and vent were dirty. The toilet seat was the wrong shape for the toilet and wasn't fitted properly. Whoever painted the bathroom door forgot to paint down the side. The glass window had a large crack all the way down and looked like it had been previously patched in the corner. On the balcony the floor hadn't been cleaned behind the furniture and there were cobwebs hanging everywhere and dead bugs around the privacy boards and behind the egg chair. The beds and bedding were not comfortable at all, very hard (as opposed to firm) and the pillows were paper thin. We had to ask for more but they were still uncomfortable. I went home with a very sore back. The buffet breakfast which has been described as the best on the island is most certainly not. The bacon was pre-cooked, stacked in the warmer and was hard. The fried eggs were either under or over cooked and swimming in oil. The mushrooms were slimy. The yogurts were left out and were warm. My mother ate one of the sausages on the first morning and deemed it revolting. We only ate the breakfast for the first few days but couldn't stomach it after that and ate out instead. Lots of people have commented on the friendliness of the staff but none of the staff spoke at breakfast unless you caught their eye and said good morning. The chap managing reception and it seemed everything else was lovely but not very communicative. Perhaps he was just tired as he was there at breakfast and still there late in the evening on all the days we stayed. I would have provided direct feedback but we didn't see the owner Salma during our stay. It's such a shame as if they smartened things up with a lick of paint, improved the cleaning and the quality of the bedding and breakfast, it would make a vast difference as that view is very special indeed but the hotel seems to be relying on this to carry everything else.

Room 103 avoid. Tiny tiny bathroom couldn't wash at the sink without leaving the door open. Small shower, squeeze pass the sink to get to the toilet. Green mould on decking, broken decking. Filler slapped onto one wall, why I don't know. Needed plastering. Mouldy curtain, uncomfortable bed. Room needs decorating. Grubby and tired

We were due to stay at this hotel on 27th August 24, as soon as I walked in and was told we had a room on the 4th floor without a lift I knew we couldn’t stay, stairs very narrow and dark. My husband went and looked at the room and it was very small not at all what we required or booked. We were obviously disappointed as we had to find another hotel, on returning to the hotel to tell them we wasn’t staying they suddenly said they had a room on the second floor, we had already paid for a second hotel. We are trying to get our money back, we are older people and can’t afford to lose this money. I would seriously not recommend anybody staying here.

Lovely friendly hotel in great location for beach lovers & travelling by public transport around the island . Great outdoor area with seating to enjoy cliff views A very good tasty breakfast with large selection , daily maid service who kept it immaculate . Great value for money . Will be back next year