I cant believe that this place has gone down hill so badly so quickly since we last were here a year ago. We popped in to make a last minute booking a day ago and decided to stay elsewhere even if it meant a 5/10 minute journey into Durham. The lobby/lounge area is full of badly marked chairs and bench seats. It looks like they started to recover them and then stopped for some reason. I wouldnt want to sit on most of the chairs with remotely light coloured clothes. Someone has started to repaint inside but for some reason has stopped and filler can be seen in many parts of the ceiling. However, the unpainted heavily scuffed skirting boards show up well against the newly painted white walls. The good self service coffee service has gone as has the quick and friendly efficient light snack service. For old times sake we had coffee but had we been in a hurry the wait, while the friendly lounge staff got our order from the kitchen, may have been too much to bear. It was worth the wait though. A hotel in need of the Hotel Inspector or a visit to the Swall in Old Harlow! Possibly both....

We were only told about Durham about 3 days before we went to the U.K. and had no plans to stay there. It just so happened that it fitted nicely into our schedule. We were wanting something "typically English" and stumbled across this little gem. The place is old. But it has so much character and charm you feel as though you were stepping back in time. When we arrived, they only had a twin room with two seperate beds, but seeing as though it was late, they upgraded us straight away to the suite for no extra cost. This consisted of a large bedroom, seperate lounge area and very large bathroom. You almost needed a map to get to it though, through a series of small corridors with crooked doors and uneven floorboards. This so added to the romance of the place. Breakfast the next morning was served in the beautiful antiquated restaurant, which was very hearty and filling. A roaring fireplace was ready when you came in from a cold night exploring the medievil cobblestone streets. One thing I found interesting was the abundance of ITALIAN restaurants!! There was a lovely, but very lively pub in the town square - but overflowing and too busy for us to even enjoy a drink, let alone a meal. But the pub around the corner from the police station was very warm and inviting - and doesn't allow mobile phones! Heaven!!! Would certainly stay there again. Oh, there is a Marriott up the road, but don't bother. Get the real feel for a life long gone by.

We have just returned from a very enjoyable weekend break with friends at 'The Three Tuns' hotel Durham. Our friends booked for us and we panicked when we read the reviews prior to our visit. However we found the hotel had many plus points. The hotel staff were friendly, the service was excellent, our food was delicious[ portions just right - we are northerners but don't require huge portions as one reviewer commented!], our beds were very comfortable, there was plenty of hot water,our rooms were clean and provided everything we needed and the city centre location was excellent. Admittedly the decor was a little worn and old fashioned but it is a 16th century hotel with many interesting features! We were charged out of season rates and found our break excellent value for money. The positives definitely out weigh the negatives at 'The Three Tuns'. We'll certainly look forward to another stay at this hotel.

Stayed three nights last week. This is an old hotel so I wasn't expecting modern glitz. The room was fine - reasonably furnished although a little gloomy, but the windows are small so this should be expected. The bed was first class - very comfortable, and the room was warm enough without being stuffy. The bathroom was adequate but there was a lot of grime and mildew in the grouting around the bath. If you tried to run hot water too late you didn't get any - perhaps the system can't cope with demand. The dining room was a disaster. First evening had roast? lamb - totally tasteless. The service was poor - I waited fifteen minutes for some cheese and gave up. Breakfast was the unfortunately 'normal' array of steaming dishes with lids containing bacon, sausage and other things which didn't benefit from being steamed. I chose the 'light' alternative - chorizo, edam, smoked ham and tomato salad. It was fine except for the absence of chorizo, edam, smoked ham and tomato salad. The substitutes weren't good. A mixed grill that evening was pretty poor so that on the third evening I ate out, even though I was on half board terms. The rate I got was very good and almost, but not quite, worth the poor food and service in the restaurant. I left a comments sheet but haven't heard anything. Not once, including check out was I asked how things were.

This Hotel is bang in the middle of Durham next to all the pubs shops etc the Hotel food and accommodation is very good for a Hotel at this price.I had a very comfortable stay the weekend I stayed there,it got a bit noisy after twelve as we were in a room at the front facing the main thoroughfare,this has to be expected as the town is full of students, I would return to this Hotel again as the standard of food and service was excellent