Cabot Court Hotel (JD Wetherspoon), Weston Super Mare

This is a large, sprawling Wetherspoons pub set across several floors in a converted hotel on the seafront. The front entrance takes you straight into the main bar area – a rather stripped back space given over to vertical drinking for the most part but with a few high tables and stools thrown into the mix as well, mainly around the large pillars that break the room up. The servery runs along the right-hand wall and there are some bench booths towards the rear part of the room that look quite comfortable, but overall, this was one of the pub’s less inspiring spots. Stairs to the right lead up to the next level – a dark and cosy spot with long banquettes and comfy chairs under some striking pieces of art including a set of video screens showing waves lapping at the shore. The room had a nice, pub-like quality to it and only really suffers from being on the main route through the pub, making it a bit cramped at time with customers and staff jostling their way through. At the end of this area, the pub turns 90 degrees and you start heading towards the rear of the building, where a large lounge-style area can be found. This was arguably the nicest place in the whole pub with its plush carpets, large windows looking out to the pier, eclectic photos on the plain, half-panelled walls and cool aerial view painting of the pub and surrounding seafront area. There’s no doubt as to the room’s most striking feature though – a giant birdcage with a single table inside which was proving very popular with young families. The far end of the room has an impressive fireplace which was lit when we breakfasted here, creating a homely feel rarely associated with this pub chain. The stairs continue up to another level where you’ll find a second bar and a seating area that winds itself around the servery, offering plenty of basic table and chair options, most of which were either occupied or else filthy as the staff struggled to keep pace with the unseasonably high turnout, even closing the doors and turning people away at one point. From here, you can go up another flight of stairs to reach what I believe is the top level, although I didn’t get a proper look at this room, which appeared to be another simple seating space. Outside, there is a good-sized patio area on a raised platform offering excellent sea views and beyond this is an appealing triangle of grass with plenty more benches which looked like it was out of bounds in the off-season. Thankfully I was here with the other half who has the Wetherspoons app on her phone, as without it I think I’d still be waiting for my drinks now, such was the disparity between staff and customer numbers. The app allowed me to choose between three ‘Spoons regular ales and three guests and it was a bit of a no-brainer to go for the Theakston Old Peculiar at a bargain £1.69 a pint. I love this beer and it was in great nick her – well worth the wait. In a first for me, we also stayed the night here, as they still offer a number of rooms upstairs. Our room was a good size and had a small balcony outside with great views along the seafront. We’d got a good deal on the price of the room and I would definitely consider staying here again. I’m pretty sure I didn’t see this pub at its best as the limited number of staff tried manfully to cope with the unexpectedly large weekend crowds on an unseasonably warm, bright day. However, putting the uncleared tables and long waiting times aside, I can imagine this would be a very nice ‘Spoons if it were running on a more even keel. It’s fitted out to a high spec, has some well-kept beer on the bar and a nice garden for the summer months. I enjoyed this despite the obvious issues and would happily return either as a pub-goer or as a hotel guest.