Cliffs hotel is more than just a bed

To me a hotel is somewhere to lay my head, maybe catch a bit of dinner and some breakfast the next day. It’s a base from which to travel to business or pleasure engagements and that is all I was expecting when I was invited to stay at The Cliffs Hotel in Blackpool.

You see I didn’t do any research into the hotel because I like to go with no preconceptions and I was completely blown away! I mean its in blackpool for a start so you expect it to be a certain way, quaint, tired, a bit run down but it was fantastic. The Cliffs is on the North shore further along than the North pier, it is a large grand building that you really couldn’t miss and the girls both said Wow as we pulled up. Unfortunately there is a distinct lack of parking and even the blue badge didnt help us out which meant we had to mark somewhere else.

On arrival we were greeted by very friendly reception staff and given all the information we needed about the bars, restaurant, leisure suite and entertainment that was on that evening. We headed up to our third floor room using the lift which was fairly small and the only one you could use. Only having the one lift did cause issues when the entertainment finished and everyone left the venue at the same time but apart from that it was easily available when we needed it.

Getting a family room at a hotel is a bit hit and miss and you never know quite what you are letting yourself in for. The Cliffs family room was spacious and airy with bunk beds, a double bed and a single bed plus two chairs and a table, a desk/dressing table area and a wardrobe. The ensuite bathroom had a shower and bath which is always great when you have kids and it came with toiletries provided.
After exploring our room we heading down to dinner. Guests are given a table for the duration of their stay which meant that we could come and go as we pleased during the dining hours. Starters and puddings were served buffet style whilst your main courses are ordered at your table. There was a kids menu which contained burgers, sausages and chicken nuggets amongst others but both the girls seemed happy enough with the buffet that they didnt need a main course.

The starter buffet consisted of
Hot station serving ribs, marinated chicken, oriental snacks, garlic bread and a pasta.
Soup station serving two kinds of soup and a variety of rolls
Cold station serving salads, cheese, meats, pate, fish and dressing

The main course menu had a selection of four or five options consisting of a chefs recommendation (Lamb on the Thursday and Steak on the Friday), vegetarian options and other meat dishes. Every single option sounded delicious and it was hard too choose but I stuck with the chefs recommendation to see what it was like and I have to say I really enjoyed it.
The pudding buffet consisted of more puddings than anyone could possibly eat with two hot options accompanied by custard, an ice cream factory with lots of sweets and at least four cold slices which contained cheesecakes, gateaus and pastries. We were definitely well fed and with breakfast being an all you can eat buffet too my belly certainly grew whilst we were there. Breakfast consisted of a hot buffet as well as cereals, fruits and toast.

However The Cliffs is not just about the food and the bedrooms and we headed along to catch up with some of the evening entertainment. Thursday evening started off with some bingo so I used the opportunity for a bit of home schooling and bought the girls their own tickets. This enabled them to practice number recognition under pressure and they were both really good at it. Unfortunately we didnt win although I was one number away at one point.
We then watched the cabaret singers for a few songs before putting the girls to bed. They were really good and the crowd seemed to really enjoy them. They were followed on stage by a comedian but unfortunately we were all tucked up in bed by then.

On Friday we took ourselves down to the leisure suite where the girls showed off their swimming skills once again and were getting more and more adventurous, if only we could teach them to surface for air I wouldn’t be quite so panicky! The leisure suite included a gym, sauna and jacuzzi as well as a decent sized swimming pool and we all loved it. In fact the girls kept begging us to go back for the rest of our stay but there was no way i was putting on a wet swimming costume. I did almost get tempted when I saw the spa and the list of treatments available but unfortunately we ran out of time.

Picture

taken from the cliffs hotel website
At 4pm on Friday afternoon we took the girls down to explore The Base. This is an area in the basement next to the leisure suite that has been developed just for the kids. It has table tennis, arcade machines, pool table, gaming area, internet connected computers, tuck shop (well priced), soft play area, craft table and a indoor football/basketball court. During school holidays and weekends there are supervised activities for ages 4 plus and the girls loved getting crafty and covered in glitter. On Friday evening there was a kids disco where hubby got dragged up to dance too, thankfully I managed to escape! We were sad to leave on the Saturday as it sounded like it would be lots of fun with the morning being taken up making cupcakes and pizzas and the evening being spent at a children’s party, eating the food they had made, playing party games and generally having fun.  If we get the chance to go again we would definitely look at staying over on the Saturday night so the girls can enjoy more of the entertainment on offer.
We had a fabulous time at the Cliffs Hotel in Blackpool and I can honestly say I would highly recommend it to families and if you are looking for somewhere to go for adults check out their sister hotel the Viking which also offers some adult only drink inclusive breaks which would be perfect for a celebratory weekend away.