I love Blackpool - I know a lot of people do it down, but I still find it a charming British seaside experience - down to earth, cheap and a lot of fun. It feels a bit old-fashioned and yes it can be a bit run-down, but it's a very friendly place and I really enjoy going there. So when I stay in Blackpool, I want a hotel which is going to be friendly and welcoming and fit my idea of what Blackpool is - it needs to continue the tradition of friendliness, old-fashioned down-to-earth service and good value. As you'll see if you check my previous review of another Blackpool hotel, I'm a single gay man who wants a gay-friendly hotel, but the hotel I stayed at previously had changed ownership since my last stay and I wasn't sure if the service would stay the same - so I decided to shop around a little and see what other options I have. I found the Lyndale Court through their website and liked the look and the location. It's in North Shore - a little way up the shore from the main attractions, probably about a mile from North Pier, but that puts in a much quieter location in the nicer end of Blackpool so I decided to give it a try. I was impressed by the fast and helpful response to my e-mail enquiry and very pleased with the rate quoted for a double en-suite so I went ahead and booked. The owners Colin and Mark were extremely friendly when I got to the hotel - they are really welcoming and treated me like an old friend - I felt at home at once. The hotel is really charming and has an old-fashioned feel - in a good way - it's beautifully decorated in a classical style. There's a really comfortable bar, two sun lounges at the front, a TV room which looks just like someone's beautifully-kept parlour, a games room with pool table, and a lovely spacious dining room. My room was a really good size with a large double bed which was really comfortable with a thick, springy comfy mattress and thick duvet. It had a TV and tea/coffee making facilities and a shower-room with a good-size sink. It was a touch old-fashioned but everything worked and I found it quite charming - to me this is what Blackpool is all about. It's the atmosphere of this hotel which made it for me. Mark and Colin know a lot of their regular customers and I ended up making new friends - I wasn't sitting alone at breakfast for long and left the hotel knowing a lot of new people and feeling Mark and Colin were old friends. The friendliness of the owners makes or breaks a hotel in my opinion and Mark and Colin have this in spades - nothing is too much trouble for them. Breakfast was hearty full English with a full selection of quality cereals, the traditional fry-up, unlimited tea and coffee, and unlimited toast with a selection of preserves. They were more than happy to make me up another tray of tea to take into the sun-lounge with my new friends at no extra charge. Then when I got back in the evening, I could order a delicious traditional home-cooked meal - or if I came back a little later, the cosy bar was open with the owners both sitting holding court and chatting with all the guests. Everyone was made to feel welcome and part of the "family". For a single gay man travelling on his own, this hotel was a revelation to me. It's certainly gay-friendly but not exclusively gay - plenty of families, older people, singles and couples were staying there, but everyone was really friendly and accepted you for who you were - and that meant a lot to me as a single traveller. I've tended to go for mainly gay hotels in the past but they aren't always very friendly so I ended up feeling less comfortable. The hotel itself is great - charming and well-maintained, and a really reasonable price - but Colin and Mark make it feel almost like you're visiting friends. However, you naturally get your own key to come and go 24 hours a day - they aren't overbearing - if you want to be private and left alone, they will understand and appreciate that - but if you want a friendly chat you'll find that too. The hotel is probably about a mile from the main attractions at North Pier - might be a disdvantage if you want to be closer and i was initially concerned, but again I found this was actually an advantage. You're in a quieter, more residential feeling area and the hotel is bigger with bigger rooms than the ones you find further down the Prom - it's also away from the hen parties and stag nights - the attractions are only a 10 minute walk away down the Prom or a quick tram ride, but once you're finished with them and tired, you can go back to somewhere quieter in a nice part of Blackpool - and it's still just a stones throw from the beach and Prom. I can't remember a friendlier holiday that I have fonder memories of than this one - this is a hotel which somehow captures the best of the spirit of "old Blackpool" but has a modern, friendly attitude - not like the grim seaside landladies of the past - it's a winning combination I think the owners have got just right. I will certainly be back!