Description: We once decided to buy a house in Torquay (we never actually did, as the one we offered on had eventually fallen through, but this is a Different Story and not for this site at all). Anyway, having so decided, we travelled down from Perthshire in order to view some properties, and during that process (a weekend of house viewing, essentially) we stayed at the Southbank.
It's a small hotel or a large B&B located on a street that runs from the centre of town to the seafront, in one of those white, stucco-decorated buildings typical of the English coastal resorts.
We had a double room which was of good size (in fact I think it was a family room as bunk beds were present in a corner, but even with those there was plenty of room) with a comfortable bed and enough space to move around, keep our stuff and even organise the viewings. The décor was neutral and modern, with less of the typical English B&B fussiness, and I liked the room.
The room was en-suite and the bathroom was of reasonable size, but the water pressure in the shower was unacceptably low, with a bit more than a trickle coming out. It was just about possible to wash oneself, but frankly it didn't match the quality of the room or the ambience of the rest of the building at all. NB we stayed there around 2008 and it's quite possible that things have changed since.
The breakfast was pretty average: standard, bland sausages, pale(ish) bacon and pale(ish) toast delivered to your table by the hosts. Nothing awful, but nothing good either.
The host was helpful and welcoming, willing to chat and share tips regarding local property market as well as general local information and life stories too. He was certainly a nice chap and a positive asset to his business.
The communal areas were pleasant and there was a small bar and an outside terrace, both good places to sit in and chat or have a drink.
The hotel has a (small) parking at the back of the building and I suspect that would get very full if all the rooms were occupied. As it was we had no problems.
All in all, a good-standard option in Torquay and although I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend the Southbank, I wouldn't try to discourage anybody either.
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