Has seen better days. Reception has a great staircase and thats where the greatness stopped I'm afraid. As a South Shields exile it is sad to see its downhill spiral. Room was very tired and smelt damp. My sea view was over the naff funfair opposite, Go for a river view. Also worried about security of car park with local lads hanging out over the fence in public car park. Brekfast average. No sea view there either as business types had bagged the sea room for breakfast conference! If you want to visit Shields stay in Newcastle and travel down.

Had to stay at this hotel with a work night out.. .. I was only in the room for the one night and glad.. the rooms were very outdated and foisty.. we didn't hang around for breakfast the next day....

My small portable TV needed retuning regularly because it lost channels. The clock radio/cd player and bathroom mirror light did not work. I only had a small teacup in my room and Reception promised me a glass and on another occasion they promised me some milk cartons, as I had none, and they did not provide me with either. I went for breakfast at 8.10 and sat for 20 minutes with not a member of staff in sight and had to ask the cleaner, who was hoovering, to find someone so I could order breakfast. in the evening I ordered the same meal from the a la carte menu on 2 separate occasions. The first time I had it it was delicious the second time it was inedible. The Reception staff watched me struggle down 2 flights of stairs with a large suitcase, hand luggage and 2 coats and did not ask if I needed some assistance. I certainly would not recommend staying here.

The Sea Hotel is a somewhat tired establishment almost on the sea front. South Shields is rather limited for hotels so perhaps it does not have to try so hard. Bedrooms can be noisy - a colleague who stayed earlier in the week suffered from cars racing outside in the early hours - I was at the other end and had to choose between the noisy hotel air-conditioning immediately outside the window or closing the window and sweltering in my (not air-conditioned) room. Old furniture & tv. Breakfast was uninspired. It is, however, very close to the beach and the 'pier' (the breakwater that goes a fair way out to sea) as well as a path round the Coast - grand for a pre-breakfast walk if the weather is kind.