多塞特飯店

As a foreign visitor, I was unprepared for what to expect in an Aussie pub so when we arrived, I felt that we had stepped in to a set from Crocodile Dundee. We were ushered into a spit and sawdust bar full of pretty beered-up men shouting by a vaguely threatening but hopefully good natured local. A much harassed barmaid confirmed we were in the right place to check in and in due course showed us to our room, the one with the ensuite. To be fair, it had recently been redecorated in a fairly minimalist way and was clean enough if you disregarded the windows full of spiders' webs. When we came down for breakfast, we were confronted with an empty room with a pile of dirty dishes from previous customers. There was the bare minimum of sliced, plastic bread, jams, olive oli spread (no butter) and the makings of tea and instant coffee. I think there was one clean plate left. All this, I am told by Australian friends, is pretty par for the course in an Aussie pub but where I take real exception is the price. We have since stayed in outstanding accommodation in Swansea and Port Arthur costing barely $10 more than we paid at the Dorset and for the money, the difference in service, cleanliness and comfort was as night and day. I would advise travellers to push on to the East Coast if they are looking for decent standard accommodation at a sensible price.

We went to the Dorset for dinner. Never again. The staff there have absolutely no understanding of customer service. They were rude, unhelpful and unprofessional. We waited for over two hours for our meals. A number of us had steak. It was a good cut but completely destroyed in the kitchen and so tough we could hardly eat it. There are many places in Derby with great food and great service. The Dorset is not one of them.