Grand Burstin Hotel, Folkestone

This may be a landmark building (resembling a cruise ship in outline, if you have an active imagination) overlooking Folkestone's now trendy harbour, but on closer inspection it's now a rundown Britannia Hotel. The interior Maritime lounge bar is large but dated, and the drinks range limited and unappealing. I had a quick pint of something called Melbourne Bitter, but couldn't wait to leave.

Grand Burstin Hotel pages - www.britanniahotels.com

Grand Burstin Hotel pages - www.britanniahotels.com

A truly dreadful hotel complex with a bar open to non-residents. It's shabby, smelly and as downmarket as you can get, having the ambiance and charm of a third world airport lounge. The large main bar area adjoins the 'Brasserie' (the bit of the bar with slightly less comfortable seats), the 'Victoria Restaurant' (the bit of the bar that smells of stale fat and unwashed tourist) and the 'Harbour Restaurant' (the bit of the bar with uncomfortable seats, the aforementioned aromas but safely hidden behind double doors). The food is disgusting, there is nothing resembling real ale. The clientele range from people on really cheap holiday deals to dossers who come in to sit in the dry on the uncomfortable chairs. The toilets stank worse than the clientele. I've seen better bars in Mogadishu. No, really, I have.

The Grand Burstin Hotel Bar is called the Maritime Lounge Bar and it is very big, much like the hotel itself. There is plenty of seating and during my Monday afternoon visit the entire hotel was awash with northern pensioners. There is an arcade area and at the rear there are some £500 jackpot fruit machines. The bar is stocked with standard draught and although I didn’t spot any food advertised it must be available. No hidden gem here I’m afraid, just a large hotel bar.