The Clifton Hotel, Folkestone

The Clifton Hotel has a bar to the right of the entrance where a standard draught range is available alongside cask Bass. Lounge furniture is the order of the day and there is a piano which may or may not be used for impromptu recitals. Unsurprisingly I didn’t see any upcoming events. There was some 1930’s music playing in the background and there are no visual entertainment contraptions in the bar area that may confuse the aging populace. The barman was doing his first ever shift and he struggled to pour half a lager, which made me wonder why he was left alone. Thankfully I was there to give him some valuable pointers, which I’m sure he was very grateful of! This is no more than a hotel bar.

I read somewhere that this bar serves the best pint of Bass in Folkestone. I wouldn't disagree with that and the price was certainly good for a hotel bar.Having stayed there I'd perhaps not recommend the hotel, like many similar places the public areas are nice but the rooms disappoint. On a recent visit I dragged my mates in for a late night snifter before going back to our own hotel. The consensus appeared to be that the Bass was very agreeable, certainly more so than the grumpy barmaid. To be fair she was perhaps looking forward to a quiet last hour of her shift, with a couple of aged guests drinking sherry and vimto, when seven noisy drunkards staggered in.