Review of The Strand Inn 2*

I stayed at the Strand Inn on a Saturday night with my girlfriends (all in our mid-30s). On first inspection, the hotel seemed very nice but when we settled in, we began noticing things that weren't quite right like mis-matched furniture, cheap laminate floors, tired carpets, broken lock on bathroom door etc etc. To be fair though, overall, it's quite aesthetically pleasant to look at but I expect more when a hotel bills itself as being 'boutique'! We were delighted as there was a balcony off our room overlooking the sea and the wait staff kindly chilled our bottles of prosecco. We had also booked in for dinner that evening. I am coeliac and I ordered pate with coeliac bread. When my dish arrived, I questioned whether the bread was coeliac or not and I was advised that it was not by the waiter and he said he would change it immediately. My pate came back out (supposedly with coeliac bread) and I tucked in happily until the waiter came along and told me not to eat the dish as there was a mistake and the bread was in fact non-coeliac. I advised the waiter that I had eaten the bread already and that I would be sick and he just didn't seem to get it. In fairness, he was only a young lad and probably didn't have a clue about the implications for me if I ate gluten. I decided to have the salmon instead which was a nice enough dish. Anyway, the manager came over to apologise and I accepted his apology. Then I had bouillabaisse for my main which was a poor attempt. I make it myself at home and I know exactly how it should be and it was a far cry from my dish, it was a waste of good fish quite frankly! Although the dining room had the most stunning views of the ocean, it was very very loud and we could barely hear one another, however, it was exceptionally busy given it was late July so I can live with that. Anyway, once we were done, we ordered the bill and not only was our order on the menu but there were lots of pints of Carlsberg and Bulmers and additional items which we hadn't ordered. I also did not expect to pay for any of my food at all given the huge mistake they had made yet my food was on the bill. We asked for another bill and they removed the drinks etc and just my starter but left my main course on the bill so we decided to pay the bill but just deduct the price of my main course, I was perfectly happy to pay for the wine and my coffee. We then went to the bar for drinks and the manager came over to me with our bill and the cash we paid in his hand and said that we had left them short. I explained to him that I was coeliac and that although I was not feeling ill at that moment in time, gluten remains in your system for 6 weeks leaving a scar on my small intestine and that I would be sick and lethargic at some point in the immediately future (the next morning I felt dreadfully ill and had to pull over the car a few times). He accepted that I shouldn't have to pay for my food and gave us a bottle of prosecco as compensation. He explained the mishap in the kitchen and whilst doing so, it became very clear to me that neither the wait nor kitchen staff had a clue about the protocol when dealing with coeliacs. All I can say is that I hope they sort it out as the place has great potential. I think the hotel itself could do a bit of sprucing up of the hotel also as it's not exactly cheap at €60 per head for B&B for one night for 3 people sharing. It was all just a bit shambolic! In saying that, I would stay again and hope for a better result!