I decided that I wanted to go and visit some friends in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and that I would need to stay over in a Hotel. As many of you might already know, I find it very hard to part with my cash on a room that is likely to cost me a minumum of £120 a night, often before you look at adding an evening meal or breakfast. So, when I found the Travelodge, a 2/3 star hotel in Tunbridge Wells was offering a basic double for £45 for a Friday night, I thought to myself, this is a no brainer. I added dinner and breakfast, which brought the overall total to £65 before parking.

One of my main concerns about Tunbridge Wells is the sheer amount of traffic that congests this Royal Town on a daily basis. Add on top of this, the state of the roads, which have dozens of dangerous potholes, and it was a lengthy process crawling in from the A21 into Tunbridge Wells via Southborough.

Travelodge, is located along Mount Ephraim (TN4 8BU), and is opposite the common, where in the Summer, Tunbridge Wells cricket can be watched and supported. As I was driving, I needed to park my car overnight, and I ended up paying £4 for 24 hours parking, which in my opinion, is great value. There were plenty of available spaces to park, and I was fortunate to be able to park right outside the hotel, which is a godsend as I have a very bad back and carrying luggage is never straight forward.

Checking in was fairly straightforward, and I politely asked if I could have a room which was as quiet as humanly possible, as due to my Autism, I am not a fan of noise which I have no control over. The gentleman was very kind and actually let me have the disabled room which was on the ground floor, and had no other guest rooms either side of it.

The room was very pleasant, and very fitting for a 3 star hotel. No fuss, no frills. The room was clean, warm, and the curtains, although slightly motheared, did their job. It was a big room, and would easily have accommodated a wheelchair without any problem. The bathroom was specifically set up for someone in a wheelchair, which was fine, apart from the fact that at 6’2″ tall, the sink was almost at my knees, so with my bad back, was slightly awkward to bend down to use.

Now, we are all counting the pennies these days, and I am not one for eating out at what I would call a ‘posh’ restaurant, so I pre paid to have a 2 course evening meal at the hotel. Whilst the choice was ok, I went with the sausages and mash, which came with peas and half a gallon of gravy. Now I’m no foodie, but even I can tell when a meal has been shoved in a microwave and reheated up. So, whilst it was hot, it wasn’t as enjoyable as I would have liked. The pudding was very acceptible and I enjoyed the old fashioned banana split, something I haven’t experienced in probably several decades.

I decided that I wasn’t going to go out Friday night, and instead sat in my room and watched various Youtube shorts until I fell asleep. There was a tv in the room, but it was so far away from the bed, that it really didn’t work for me. Access to the public wifi was easy, and I have no issues downloading emails and watching Youtube.

I slept very well in the standard double bed, which had plenty of pillows and covers, and there was little noise to disturb my sleep, so that was a huge plus.

Breakfast was from 8am – 9.30 am at the weekends, and it was your typical buffet set up, with juices, hot drinks, cereals, bread for toast, bacon, eggs etc and a few pastries.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay here, even if only for 1 night. As an openly gay man, I did not feel any anxiety or feeling that I may be being judged. I was made to feel very welcome by all the staff.

So, would I recommend this Hotel?

If you are on a budget, and you are happy to stay in a 3 star hotel, then I would definitely recommend Travelodge Tunbridge Wells. You go knowing you are paying for ‘basic’ so please don’t complain if you book but expect more than this.

Everyone Is Welcome at Travelodge Tunbridge Wells Kent.