(no subject)
Welcome dear reader. Settle down, I have a tale for you.
A tall tale of lies, deceit and blood in deepest darkest Leeds. Make sure you don’t have any thing in your mouth as you read this, I would hate to cause spluttering.
I fear this story maybe a long one, but as you imagine myself and Cheryl stood many times in shock and horror, but anyway, I build this up to much and I haven’t even written it yet.
.... This weekends wendyhouse trip was done differently from normal. Rather than a huge bus full of people in a drunken whirlwind of a night, we decide to book into a BnB and spend the some time mooching around leeds. Visiting gallerys, shops, subculture and pubs. A lovely plan, with possibly bonus’s of meeting up with Angie or Sarah.
However, unfortunately the first hurdle, being the BnB started off badly.
I arrived at the manxdene guest house at midday, it looked a bit run down on the outside, but not enough to worry about, and hey, its just somewhere to rest your head right?
As soon as you enter a slight off smell assaults you, stale and musty. 2 other what I thought where guests where right inside. 2 male chavs infact. Scruffy and smelly.
Let me take a moment to describe the landlady. 5 foot 2, possibly 40-50, dressed quite gothly, shuffles about. Glasses, black hair. Think mad old woman from a horror film.
She took a interest in wendyhouse and had a good chat, just making sure there would be no problems with staggering back in at 3am. So we have these 3 people, in a hallway which may have been stylish 40+ years ago. I don’t think its had new carpets, wall paper, pictures or infact anything since then.
So, as I was early she wasn’t sure if my room had been cleaned that morning and asked if I wanted to upgrade to a ensuite which was clean for a extra 10. taking it to 40. what the hell, why not. She wandered off to see to that and I started talking to the other guests..
The first one was actually staff, who didn’t seem to bad, joked away, before wandering off. Then the other one started telling me his story…. Recently he had a accident and broke his left leg, arm and some of his face, so hes off work for several months. Living in the guest house, dosed up to the eye balls. Passed the time with some stories of physiotherapy before retreating to the room.
My bathroom is bigger than the room she showed me, the mattress was so cheap I was betting I was going to feel each spring and be able to count them. But the toilet and shower was clean and comfort problems could be resolved with more vodka.
Couldn’t see any cockroachs or anything like that and I have slept in worse places. Misgivings are starting to build at this point btw.
Cheryl arrived then, after getting lost around the leeds campus. While she was checking in, the staff chap said that the other guy had actually been incontinent shortly before I had walked in the door and he thought it was gross. He had actually shat himself while sat on the sofa near the front door and had just carried on talking…. Given the colour of the sofa I doubt anyone could tell. At this point I think I had a glazed expression and just silently prayed for him to go away.
And onto cheryl’s room. Long, thin, twin room, really horrible. Cheryl was utterly disgusted, and was basically telling the woman it was awful and that she couldn’t stay in it and it wasn’t what she expected. Seemingly rather offended, she then offered cheryl the “executive suite” on the top floor with was a double on suite for only £30. half price.
Went to have a look at it, and it hadn’t been cleaned than morning, tea stains, bed obviously slept in, everything used, floor dirty. At this point I should have listened to chez and just found somewhere else. However I assumed that any other hotel we could find that close to the uni would be like £80 a night, and not have space for the 4 of us (aidan and Gillian where arriving in the evening). Ah, I nearly forgot, cheryl had several bags and bits and pieces with her, and left a couple of them in the first room and the landlady promised to bring them up to the second room. We believed her…..
The much bigger room, and at half price, with many promises to get it sorted out asap placated us enough so we then headed in to town for some culture. I may comment on that in another post, however this one is just for ranting.
Returning in the early evening to meet aidan and gillian, we found that the bed hadn’t been done. Nothing had. Once again pestering the nutter of a land lady, she went off and did it herself. Just the bedding. The mold in the shower, tea stains ,dirty floors tho… she once again promised to solve this while we went out for dinner.
Oh I forgot, the reason most of the rooms werent tidy that day was because her cleaner had taken ill and was in casualty, really ill. That was the story anyway.
Tried the shower in my room, which of course, didn’t actually heat the water at all. So an extra tenner for a shower that didn’t work.
Aidan and Gillian arrived to find out that the mad woman had no record of their booking even though they had given the card details over the phone, she then showed them the room that chez had rejected. Sooo, basically she had upgraded chez while putting out a customer who had put down a deposit and then lied about it. They took an opportunity while the landlady was distracted by another guest to run screaming into the night, 3 doors down to a utterly lovely BnB that had space. Thank dog.
On the way out to dinner, the land lady asked for chez’s door key so that she could get into it to clean the shower,etc,etc. she had copies of virtually all the rooms just not that one. So we asked if she was going out, and that we could definitly get in when we came back and she assured us it would be fine. We had stayed this long, and things where bad, but we had paid when we arrived and thought it would be to hard to get a refund, so just carried on.
Had a utterly wonderful thai meal in a restaurant next to the german markets. Excellent.
Back to the BnB. Into the hallway. All dark, no sounds, no response from knocking at the staff hole. Wandered around the basement, horrid kitchen, wouldn’t want to eat anything from there, quite disorganised ( I must admit my own kitchen is worse, but im not catering for paying customers). By this point chez and I where getting really very miffed. Banged on random doors, loudly, got a reaction from the first guy with multiple injuries. He had asked the staff guy to go the shop for him and he would be back any second.
Several frustrating minutes later in he comes with 2 bags full of booze., with his head held up high bleeding from the nose, with blood on his face. Apparently this was because of his blood pressure as he drinks so much…. Nod and smile….
Gives us the key and off we dash to get ready. (which means that once again the landlady had lied to us).
Chez’s room had been cleaned, shower and everything.
Chez gives me a call 10 minutes later, she had left her hair extensions in the first room and the landlady hadn’t brought anything up from the first room at all. Could I go and find then because she doesn’t have time. Up to this point I had been fairly relaxed about the day..
Off I trundle to reception to ask if the hairs been put somewhere.
The staff guy had obviously been drinking by this point, and was mumbling under his breath when talking to me. He checked under his desk, that the land lady had done something with it but he didn’t have a clue, and that couldn’t it wait till the morning. Things started to get a little irate at this point. Blood pressure rising and all that. Got the key for the first room off him just to go and check it. Nothing there, even checked under the beds, all the draws, etc. nothing.
Went down to ask where else it could be, and he was even more unhelpful, things like, you don’t expect me to search the hotel, nothing he could do.
When he was distracted I went to the basement, searched the kitchen, its bin, several draws, sitting room that was there but not the land ladys bedroom cos that actually had a private sticker on it (I didn’t know it was the bedroom at this point), searched all the draws on all the landings. Apart from rubbish and random crap no joy.
Went and bothered the increasing unhelpful mumbling skin head, and he then said he would ring his boss and ask her where it was, but she was at a show and probably couldn’t.
Now this bugger couldn’t even dial the numbers correctly, kept on telling me it was engaged, when I could hear the fact that it wasn’t and he had misdialled or couldn’t get through. Blatantly lying to my face for what seemed like for ever at this point.
I was just thinking that this cant be happening, im getting grief from a drunken, nosebleeding, skin head with obvious learning difficulties considering his boss is a pathological liar. He then just gave up any pretense of being helplful and started insulting me under his breath. Violence was at this point not far from my thoughts. He completely refused to give me his boss’s mobile, even though he wasn’t dialing it. In the conversation I said I had searched downstairs, which he then told me off for saying it was strictly private and I shouldn’t have gone down. Strictly not allowed, little aggressive about it. I think this was the moment that I decided to get the fuck out of dodge and move hotels.
Went down to aidan and gillains guest house and asked if they had some rooms.
They said they didn’t ( I was probably looking and sounding very stressed and hyper at this point, im getting hyper again just typing this). Rather than carry on wandering I asked if I could come in and see aidan. While I was in there I gave the owners the whole story and they finally relented and offered us a twin room. Relief. Sweet relief.
Went around the back of the first hotel and actually started checking the big bin just incase the landlady had threw the stuff out.
Chez rings during this, really very upset and irate,asking if I had any luck. While on the phone I can hear speaking to the skin head, who is trying to be helpful but not succeeding. Eg “ hair things? Black squilly stuff in a red bag?”, “yeah”, “no idea”
Chez then hangs up while sounding even more upset.
Sprinted around the building just incase anything was happening, it really sounded like it could have been.
Chez got a little further than I did, as he couldn’t cope with us being so stressed any more, with more mumbling under his breath, gave chez the mobile number he had been trying to ring. While chez was trying to get through he then gave me the keys for ALL the other rooms in the hotel so I could check those. He actually gave me all the keys so i could hunt through all the occupied other rooms. I basically searched the entire hotel. Madness. It never even occurred to me that these rooms where other peoples, I was just looking for a red bag. Must admit it sank home what I was doing after the 3rd room. Thank dog no one was actually in there rooms as I didn’t knock.
We then gave up, we couldn’t hack it any more, there was no where else to look, chez calmed down and we decide to go to wendyhouse. Bagged up all our stuff, checked the skin head wasn’t looking, and darted from the house, to the next one.
Oh, it was lovely, warm, light, such a welcoming feeling and bliss. It was basic, but after the last place it may as well been a palace. It will get glowing reviews and we will stay there again.
Made it to wendyhouse on a adrenalin come down and had a utterly wonderful time. Lovely seeing so many great people, getting wasted (which was much needed) and dancing away.
Which brings us to the morning and reclaiming our money. Much fretting and planning what to say was involved, what if the skin head was still there? What if she didn’t believe us? Etc
Went into the guest house, none of the landings lights where on. Really really dark, yet again no answer, walking through the darkness wondering if some ones going to be dead in a corner, it was that type of perfect setting. Desending into the bowls of the house and finally the land lady appeared like some sort of spider queen from a haunted house story.
We told her about how we had felt uncomfortable and threatend and couldn’t have stayed. She said the guy had been new, would never work there again as he had been removed by the police last night (? Yeah right, yet again another lie I bet)
We got our money back, chez got her hair ( the landlady had put it back in her room and there was some slight inference that it had been there anyway…which it hadn’t), and then we left.
Oh i forgot that she claimed she never got the message chez left on her phone as well
Chalk that up to experience, never ever ever go to the Manxdene Hotel unless you don’t believe the above and want to prove that something as random as the above cant happen
A tall tale of lies, deceit and blood in deepest darkest Leeds. Make sure you don’t have any thing in your mouth as you read this, I would hate to cause spluttering.
I fear this story maybe a long one, but as you imagine myself and Cheryl stood many times in shock and horror, but anyway, I build this up to much and I haven’t even written it yet.
.... This weekends wendyhouse trip was done differently from normal. Rather than a huge bus full of people in a drunken whirlwind of a night, we decide to book into a BnB and spend the some time mooching around leeds. Visiting gallerys, shops, subculture and pubs. A lovely plan, with possibly bonus’s of meeting up with Angie or Sarah.
However, unfortunately the first hurdle, being the BnB started off badly.
I arrived at the manxdene guest house at midday, it looked a bit run down on the outside, but not enough to worry about, and hey, its just somewhere to rest your head right?
As soon as you enter a slight off smell assaults you, stale and musty. 2 other what I thought where guests where right inside. 2 male chavs infact. Scruffy and smelly.
Let me take a moment to describe the landlady. 5 foot 2, possibly 40-50, dressed quite gothly, shuffles about. Glasses, black hair. Think mad old woman from a horror film.
She took a interest in wendyhouse and had a good chat, just making sure there would be no problems with staggering back in at 3am. So we have these 3 people, in a hallway which may have been stylish 40+ years ago. I don’t think its had new carpets, wall paper, pictures or infact anything since then.
So, as I was early she wasn’t sure if my room had been cleaned that morning and asked if I wanted to upgrade to a ensuite which was clean for a extra 10. taking it to 40. what the hell, why not. She wandered off to see to that and I started talking to the other guests..
The first one was actually staff, who didn’t seem to bad, joked away, before wandering off. Then the other one started telling me his story…. Recently he had a accident and broke his left leg, arm and some of his face, so hes off work for several months. Living in the guest house, dosed up to the eye balls. Passed the time with some stories of physiotherapy before retreating to the room.
My bathroom is bigger than the room she showed me, the mattress was so cheap I was betting I was going to feel each spring and be able to count them. But the toilet and shower was clean and comfort problems could be resolved with more vodka.
Couldn’t see any cockroachs or anything like that and I have slept in worse places. Misgivings are starting to build at this point btw.
Cheryl arrived then, after getting lost around the leeds campus. While she was checking in, the staff chap said that the other guy had actually been incontinent shortly before I had walked in the door and he thought it was gross. He had actually shat himself while sat on the sofa near the front door and had just carried on talking…. Given the colour of the sofa I doubt anyone could tell. At this point I think I had a glazed expression and just silently prayed for him to go away.
And onto cheryl’s room. Long, thin, twin room, really horrible. Cheryl was utterly disgusted, and was basically telling the woman it was awful and that she couldn’t stay in it and it wasn’t what she expected. Seemingly rather offended, she then offered cheryl the “executive suite” on the top floor with was a double on suite for only £30. half price.
Went to have a look at it, and it hadn’t been cleaned than morning, tea stains, bed obviously slept in, everything used, floor dirty. At this point I should have listened to chez and just found somewhere else. However I assumed that any other hotel we could find that close to the uni would be like £80 a night, and not have space for the 4 of us (aidan and Gillian where arriving in the evening). Ah, I nearly forgot, cheryl had several bags and bits and pieces with her, and left a couple of them in the first room and the landlady promised to bring them up to the second room. We believed her…..
The much bigger room, and at half price, with many promises to get it sorted out asap placated us enough so we then headed in to town for some culture. I may comment on that in another post, however this one is just for ranting.
Returning in the early evening to meet aidan and gillian, we found that the bed hadn’t been done. Nothing had. Once again pestering the nutter of a land lady, she went off and did it herself. Just the bedding. The mold in the shower, tea stains ,dirty floors tho… she once again promised to solve this while we went out for dinner.
Oh I forgot, the reason most of the rooms werent tidy that day was because her cleaner had taken ill and was in casualty, really ill. That was the story anyway.
Tried the shower in my room, which of course, didn’t actually heat the water at all. So an extra tenner for a shower that didn’t work.
Aidan and Gillian arrived to find out that the mad woman had no record of their booking even though they had given the card details over the phone, she then showed them the room that chez had rejected. Sooo, basically she had upgraded chez while putting out a customer who had put down a deposit and then lied about it. They took an opportunity while the landlady was distracted by another guest to run screaming into the night, 3 doors down to a utterly lovely BnB that had space. Thank dog.
On the way out to dinner, the land lady asked for chez’s door key so that she could get into it to clean the shower,etc,etc. she had copies of virtually all the rooms just not that one. So we asked if she was going out, and that we could definitly get in when we came back and she assured us it would be fine. We had stayed this long, and things where bad, but we had paid when we arrived and thought it would be to hard to get a refund, so just carried on.
Had a utterly wonderful thai meal in a restaurant next to the german markets. Excellent.
Back to the BnB. Into the hallway. All dark, no sounds, no response from knocking at the staff hole. Wandered around the basement, horrid kitchen, wouldn’t want to eat anything from there, quite disorganised ( I must admit my own kitchen is worse, but im not catering for paying customers). By this point chez and I where getting really very miffed. Banged on random doors, loudly, got a reaction from the first guy with multiple injuries. He had asked the staff guy to go the shop for him and he would be back any second.
Several frustrating minutes later in he comes with 2 bags full of booze., with his head held up high bleeding from the nose, with blood on his face. Apparently this was because of his blood pressure as he drinks so much…. Nod and smile….
Gives us the key and off we dash to get ready. (which means that once again the landlady had lied to us).
Chez’s room had been cleaned, shower and everything.
Chez gives me a call 10 minutes later, she had left her hair extensions in the first room and the landlady hadn’t brought anything up from the first room at all. Could I go and find then because she doesn’t have time. Up to this point I had been fairly relaxed about the day..
Off I trundle to reception to ask if the hairs been put somewhere.
The staff guy had obviously been drinking by this point, and was mumbling under his breath when talking to me. He checked under his desk, that the land lady had done something with it but he didn’t have a clue, and that couldn’t it wait till the morning. Things started to get a little irate at this point. Blood pressure rising and all that. Got the key for the first room off him just to go and check it. Nothing there, even checked under the beds, all the draws, etc. nothing.
Went down to ask where else it could be, and he was even more unhelpful, things like, you don’t expect me to search the hotel, nothing he could do.
When he was distracted I went to the basement, searched the kitchen, its bin, several draws, sitting room that was there but not the land ladys bedroom cos that actually had a private sticker on it (I didn’t know it was the bedroom at this point), searched all the draws on all the landings. Apart from rubbish and random crap no joy.
Went and bothered the increasing unhelpful mumbling skin head, and he then said he would ring his boss and ask her where it was, but she was at a show and probably couldn’t.
Now this bugger couldn’t even dial the numbers correctly, kept on telling me it was engaged, when I could hear the fact that it wasn’t and he had misdialled or couldn’t get through. Blatantly lying to my face for what seemed like for ever at this point.
I was just thinking that this cant be happening, im getting grief from a drunken, nosebleeding, skin head with obvious learning difficulties considering his boss is a pathological liar. He then just gave up any pretense of being helplful and started insulting me under his breath. Violence was at this point not far from my thoughts. He completely refused to give me his boss’s mobile, even though he wasn’t dialing it. In the conversation I said I had searched downstairs, which he then told me off for saying it was strictly private and I shouldn’t have gone down. Strictly not allowed, little aggressive about it. I think this was the moment that I decided to get the fuck out of dodge and move hotels.
Went down to aidan and gillains guest house and asked if they had some rooms.
They said they didn’t ( I was probably looking and sounding very stressed and hyper at this point, im getting hyper again just typing this). Rather than carry on wandering I asked if I could come in and see aidan. While I was in there I gave the owners the whole story and they finally relented and offered us a twin room. Relief. Sweet relief.
Went around the back of the first hotel and actually started checking the big bin just incase the landlady had threw the stuff out.
Chez rings during this, really very upset and irate,asking if I had any luck. While on the phone I can hear speaking to the skin head, who is trying to be helpful but not succeeding. Eg “ hair things? Black squilly stuff in a red bag?”, “yeah”, “no idea”
Chez then hangs up while sounding even more upset.
Sprinted around the building just incase anything was happening, it really sounded like it could have been.
Chez got a little further than I did, as he couldn’t cope with us being so stressed any more, with more mumbling under his breath, gave chez the mobile number he had been trying to ring. While chez was trying to get through he then gave me the keys for ALL the other rooms in the hotel so I could check those. He actually gave me all the keys so i could hunt through all the occupied other rooms. I basically searched the entire hotel. Madness. It never even occurred to me that these rooms where other peoples, I was just looking for a red bag. Must admit it sank home what I was doing after the 3rd room. Thank dog no one was actually in there rooms as I didn’t knock.
We then gave up, we couldn’t hack it any more, there was no where else to look, chez calmed down and we decide to go to wendyhouse. Bagged up all our stuff, checked the skin head wasn’t looking, and darted from the house, to the next one.
Oh, it was lovely, warm, light, such a welcoming feeling and bliss. It was basic, but after the last place it may as well been a palace. It will get glowing reviews and we will stay there again.
Made it to wendyhouse on a adrenalin come down and had a utterly wonderful time. Lovely seeing so many great people, getting wasted (which was much needed) and dancing away.
Which brings us to the morning and reclaiming our money. Much fretting and planning what to say was involved, what if the skin head was still there? What if she didn’t believe us? Etc
Went into the guest house, none of the landings lights where on. Really really dark, yet again no answer, walking through the darkness wondering if some ones going to be dead in a corner, it was that type of perfect setting. Desending into the bowls of the house and finally the land lady appeared like some sort of spider queen from a haunted house story.
We told her about how we had felt uncomfortable and threatend and couldn’t have stayed. She said the guy had been new, would never work there again as he had been removed by the police last night (? Yeah right, yet again another lie I bet)
We got our money back, chez got her hair ( the landlady had put it back in her room and there was some slight inference that it had been there anyway…which it hadn’t), and then we left.
Oh i forgot that she claimed she never got the message chez left on her phone as well
Chalk that up to experience, never ever ever go to the Manxdene Hotel unless you don’t believe the above and want to prove that something as random as the above cant happen