Best Western Plus Dover Marina Hotel & Spa

It appears that they are doing some refurbishment on the hotel which was nice to see. We reserved a balcony room (which I highly recommend) and it was a bit dated. However, the room was clean, in working order and had all of the amenities that we needed. The staff were exceptionally friendly and very helpful. The bartender in the lobby was great. The views were incredible. If I ever get to visit again, I would stay here again and would definitely recommend this hotel. less

We stayed here for 2 nights, in room 108 overlooking the beach and between the 2 ferry ports. The room was a little on the expensive side, but at least you know what you are getting with such a chain so worth paying a little extra. We had a balcony room on the first floor. We really enjoyed sitting on the balcony on our return to the room to watch the ships coming and going. We were lucky with the weather too so were able to sit outside with a glass of wine. There is free parking around the back with a permit from reception. The bathroom was clean, very hot water so take care! The bed was 2 pushed together so very large and comfy. Hairdryer / safe / iron / good towels / tea / coffee facilities in the room. We didn't eat in the Whites restaurant as the reviews were not good. The breakfast was buffet style and very straight forwards, or you could have cooked to order. Nice breakfast room. I did try to book a facial but they were fully booked so if you thought you wanted this, pre-book as I was quite disappointed. Staff on reception very helpful. Dover in itself is mostly about the ferry port, but the view of the castle is very impressive and walking around watching the ships was good. Go for a walk along the White Cliffs if you can, I enjoyed this more than the excellent castle. less

We booked the Best Western for a one night stay prior to taking a cruise from Dover. It's well situated for the cruise terminal, being a short drive (or a walk if you're feeling up to it) away. It's more or less what we'd expected for a seaside hotel like this - decent enough, if fairly old-fashioned and basic in its decor and presentation. The breakfast was decent, though, and of course, the main reason we stayed there was the location. The location was one of its biggest assets, the other being the extremely helpful and friendly staff. We had a bit of a problem when checking out, as despite being assured by the local taxi company that they'd have cars available the following morning, none were available - not for at least two hours. An exceptionally kind member of the reception team leapt into action and insisted on driving us to the cruise terminal - such a kind gesture, especially as we were weighed down with bags and my wife would have struggled to walk there. It was such a lovely gesture well above and beyond the call of duty. If you're after luxury, this isn't it, but it's very well placed for onward travel from Dover, and close to local amenities. And we were well looked after during our brief stay. Thanks! less

My boyfriend had arranged a stay for us at the marina dover hotel and spa as part of my birthday treat. Generally the staff were friendly, however the room was disappointing. There was not a bath but a shower in a very outdated bathroom, where the room itself was rather small considering the price we paid for it. We had a sea view room with a balcony, which had a fantastic view. However, during the night we both felt very uncomfortable as the draft coming in was bitterly cold due to the door not being properly insulated. My boyfriend had arranged a massage for me that was an add on discounted voucher when booking online. When arriving to the spa, there was no record of it, and my boyfriend had to pay full price. Saying that, the swedish back massage itself was very good and relaxing, but the whole process lacked organisation. Although our stay was pleasant, I would not recommend this hotel to a friend due to the room facilities, lack of organisation and high price tag. less

On check in for our spa weekend which was planned to be a real treat I was informed that the special flowers and chocolates for my mums birthday had been forgotten, I was also asked to pay for breakfast which I had assumed was included in a weekend package. The young lady on reception was very apologetic and sorted what she could at the time offering to arrange these extras for later but the surprise was a little lost at this stage. Due to the issues I was informed she had moved us from our original suite to one which had newly been refurbed on arrival in the room I have to say it wasn’t obvious that the room had been refurbed and the bathroom certainly hadn’t been touched during this refurb. The hallway and corridor had dust bunnies in the corners and general debris on the carpets. On a positive note the spa on site was lovely and the staff were great during our treatments I did however try to attend the spa one morning after breakfast to find the hot tub empty for cleaning the sauna switched off and the steam room drains causing an unpleasant smell but my mum has much more success when she visited and used the hot tub. On closer inspection of my booking my breakfast was in fact included and I asked for a refund on the payment for breakfast the gentleman I discussed this with helped eventually but was very stand offish at the time and I had to repeatedly show him my booking confirmation and forward the email and point out the exact paragraph which made it feel like I was trying to pull the wool over his eyes or something...not a great feeling as a customer! Eventually this was resolved and interestingly while trying to resolve this I heard several others have the same issues with their bookings...hopefully this was a computer glitch and will not continue to affect guests. We dined in the restaurant which although adequate all options were very rich leaving us feeling heavy and uncomfortable, the food was also not quite as billed on the menu the fancy descriptions far outstripped the product delivered! We were also surprised to be asked to pay cash for the bread we were offered by a waiter it was not made clear that this was not part of the service and I wouldn’t say a few slices of warm bread and butter were worth the additional cost. In all the stay was not what we would expect from a brand such as best western and I have since been asked by friends if I’d recommend this hotel for a spa weekend and I’m sad to say it was a resounding no! If your looking for a one night stop off this hotel is incredibly close to the ferry port and adequate but I’d advise managed expectations! Anything further I’d certainly shop around. less