Carena House

Great property located in the edge of town. Host was amazing, thank you Susan. She catered for my vegetarian request at breakfast, allowed me to park in her driveway. Always happy, smiling and willing to help. Would stay again.

Everything was superb from the moment we stepped through the door. We were greeted by the owner who couldn't do enough to help us enjoy our stay. We were able to choose a time for breakfast (we chose 10am) we were also given a great choice of what to have.

Only parking.

Susan was absolutely wonderful and very welcoming, ensuring a very pleasant stay. The shower in the economy bedroom was great, in respect to water pressure and heat! The bed was comfortable and I enjoyed 2 good nights sleep. I enjoyed a full English breakfast both mornings at my preferred time which was served on time with a cheery smile and very tasty. I liked the house rule to remove outdoor shoes on entry, it's not a big ask is it? LEAVE THE OUTSIDE WORLD BEHIND. If you are looking for absolute luxury then this is not for you. But the genuinely caring welcome meant more to me as a solo female traveller visiting my family close by. I will be revisiting Carena House in the very near future.

What's not to like?

Susan was very welcoming and accommodating. Tea, coffee, biscuits, fridge were a nice touch (but fridge was not practical because you had to move the chair to access it fully! Location was good - very close to the centre and local amenities.

I was requested to remove my shoes when I entered the hall which was fine. However placing my shoes in a rack in the hall with other guest’s shoes is plain daft. I would have been happy to carry them upstairs. Instead any other guests had to endure the smell of my trainers after a 6 hour drive. The poorly handwritten sign instructing removal of shoes was pointless. It really made the place feel cheap and nasty. Not very welcoming either. The room I stayed in (with a garden view) was cluttered with too much stuff. It felt really small and confined. The room overlooked a poorly maintained garden that resembled a junk yard. Parking was in a poorly lit back street that was a bit hit and miss. The furniture (both bathroom and room) were either very dated, useless or impractical. The shower cubicle had signs of minor repairs that were clearly done on the cheap and poor workmanship. The shower mechanism was really stiff (which I was warned about) but needs sorting because it’s not acceptable. Older guests would struggle with this. The bathroom suite was very dated. Initially no towels were supplied but this was rectified an hour or so later after some fairly persistent knocking at my door. After a long drive I was trying to get some sleep which is why I didn’t answer. However, this didn’t seem to matter… A blue rag was stuffed between pipes which was odd. I didn’t get the purpose of this. I was offered a separate portable heater which I didn’t understand until later. At 0300 the room was freezing! Bed linen was proper ropey. Some very poor attempts at patchwork that initially looked like blood stains! The bed linen was white and the repairs were done with red and green cotton! I got locked out at 1230 in the afternoon. I returned to find the chain across the door. I needed to get ready for a wedding so rang the bell and the door was answered by a very apologetic Susan who said she “forgot” but even so - this was very poor.

Susan is a very happy looking woman. It felt very housy, obviously it was a house before. She is very helpful and nice to talk to.

Nothing much.

A lovely lady welcomed me to her hotel which is as lovely as her. Everything is very clean and pretty. The location is perfect. I truly recommend anyone who wishes to spend few days in Canterbury to book this place. I will definitely come back. Thank you so much !

Great location, lovely staff, nice cosy room.