The Portland Hotel Wetherspoon

As a weekend base, and this was our first stay in a Witherspoon hotel it was ideal for exploring Bakewell & Bolsover which we both enjoyed. The room we stayed in was excellent as it looked as if it had not long been refurbished. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was exceptional value for money and the bar prices were very competitive.

The room we had overlooked the pub opposite which was very loud and noisy with a DJ until the early hours of the morning. This was not the fault of Witherspoon's. . Would recommend you ask for a room at the rear of the hotel if staying at the weekend.

Spacious, clean, modern room. Despite there being a massive 'Spoons downstairs, there was no noise in the room at night. Aircon was great. Staff were nice. Felt secure as the rooms were through a keycard door and on a different floor to the pub. Location great for central Chesterfield and the station.

Though I came by train, I decided not to drive after looking at the very small car parking facilities online. Car park (only about 6-8 spaces) was full when I arrived, and I never saw a space in the whole weekend. If planning on driving, would suggest calling the hotel ahead of time to see if they have any overflow spaces or alternative arrangements.

Couldn't be more convenient - town centre location, restaurant downstairs. The room was clean and the other guests were (mostly) quiet and considerate. Easy walk to the wonky spire, there isn't much else to see in Chesterfield. The car parking is a bit crowded and awkward for a van if the more convenient spaces are taken, but they did reserve me a space, and I was able to get in every night.

If there was anyone holding a loud conversation in the corridors, there wasn't much soundproofing. There was one guest who started blasting music, but it was switched off very shortly afterward, so I assume the staff were on to that in a flash. The beds were a bit stiff for my tastes, but everything was clean and I slept very well.

The hotel is situated in the centre of Chesterfield with its shops, cafés and restaurants and within walking distance of the bus and railway stations. The room was very clean and comfortable with air conditioning although one of the windows opened to allow fresh air. The pub is popular and serves typical Wetherspoon food but there are plenty of alternatives in the town if you wish to try something different.

There is a 24 hour reception with a phone to call if no one is there. I did have to wait 10 minutes for someone to come to the desk. However, the receptionist dealt with minor issues with the television promptly.

The Portland is in a great location yards from the market square ,the town shops and is a great looking building. The hotel has a lift and a small car park at rear (booking and payment required),contact reception by intercom and you may have to wait in car park for someone to allow you in to access lift to to book in. Once booked in room key gave access to hotel from car park and reception. The room we stayed in was at the front of the pub overlooking the street which was quiet on the Sunday night we stayed The staff were helpful and friendly and our room was clean and comfortable with separate shower and toilet room. The food was off the usual wetherspoons menu , served hot and tasty with the tables and whole bar area being clean and tidy . Good selection of real ales were also available

Nothing not to like,

The bedroom and bathroom were spacious, clean, and pretty modern. The helpfulness of the staff before travel, and when checking in, was excellent Parking was convenient, and the bays were big enough

The main drawback was the security door from the pub part of the hotel to the bedroom, which banged shut whenever guests used it. I'm sure we'll stay again, but next time we'll request a room away from there. The £10 to park bumped up the basic price, and affected value for money rating - other Chesterfield places don't charge for this

The location is great, but we know that as we have stayed there three times before. The rooms are huge and all have been refurbished with a super shower.

The food. I ordered a 6oz burger and got two 3oz, not the same, the 3oz ones must have been already cooked waiting for a customer as they we tepid and obviously not freshly cooked. Similarly the breakfast was not what I expect from a wetherspoons. I ordered from the extras part of the menu, ie separate items, it was obvious the items I chose were pre cooked waiting for a customer. They we tepid and not freshly cooked as the food was delivered too quickly to be cooked freshly. Very disappointed.

We both liked the location, even though it was on the edge of the market square it was very quiet. The room was very large and very clean. The household staff were very friendly and efficient. Of course having the res intuarant down stairs was a big plus, good food and drink at a reasonable price.

It isn't a question of what we didn't like but more of a recommendation. Better, or brighter lighting in the room near the mirror above the table. Again a recommendation, the breakfasts could be served a little hotter. We both thought the food was excellent just needed to be hotter.

The room was huge and so was the bed you could have slept 4 people.

The heating was on in the room but it still felt a little cold. Went to reception and they gave us another duvet to put on top of existing one. The evening meal we had was brilliant but the breakfast was on the cold side. I did mention it at the time and they said the kitchen would be notified. Also I had to ask for new batteries for the remote for TV we used our own at the time but I mentioned when we were leaving so that the next guests would not have the same problem.

The bathroom was completely spotless. I thought it had only just been refurbished but I was told that had been done several years ago. Room was big, beds were excellent and the room was completely quiet. The location was also excellent and it was much easier to find than I expected We did use the restaurant but we appreciated the way that the bar/restaurant and bedrooms had been kept separate

Finding our way from the car park into the hotel was not all that clear for first time visitors I don't know if this questionnaire includes the restaurant but the "sirloin steak" was inedible, just chew, chew, chew and then spit it out. We didn't complain there and then as the staff were quite busy and it wasn't their fault