The Menzies is quite a large hotel, with a welcoming and efficient reception team. The breakfasr was a buffet style, with a good range of food available.

The room is adequate but quite basic, with all the kind of amenities you'd expect.

I guess for me, the most striking memory I have of the Menzies is the 80's decoration - it's like stepping back in time! To be clear, it's not dirty or shoddy - just dated.

I've stayed at this hotel on four occasions with different rooms each time. The decor in the standard rooms is tired but clean. The beds are large although some of the rooms are not - leaving litte room to move around in.

The exectutive/club rooms are bigger and have bathrooms which are vast but with few fittings.

The staff are friendly but organisation on the check in desk is rather lacking. One of the nights I stayed I was given three rooms before they found one that was non-smoking. Then I was given a key for the wrong room. Overall I spent 30 minutes walking from reception to rooms in the hotel.

Breakfast is average - no fresh fruit although selection of other food is large.

I haven't eaten in the hotel except for the breakfast as its quite expensive. There are several restaurants and shops nearby with a cinema - so plenty to do outside the hotel.

Overall there isn't much choice if you want a hotel in this area but if you have the money book an executive room.

I stayed here for a girly weekend shopping break with my mum after winning a competition for a 2 night stay (B&B) at the Silverlink. Thank god I wasn't a paying customer! I had a quick look at some of the reviews before we set off and figured it couldn't be that bad - it was worse! On the Menzies website the weekend rate was £265 for 2 adults on B& B basis - extortionate!

The room we were given had an uncomfortable mattress, with most of the springs shot to pieces. The sockets in the room sparked, the bedside lamp was broken and the built-in hairdyer blew so the sockets in that area of the room wouldn't work. The remote control to the TV was held together with sellotape. The room itself was poorly ventilated and extremely dark. I didn't expect a top-end suite but i did at least expect a 4-star room. When I complained, I wasn't offered a different room and was told that maintenance staff would deal with it the following day. In the end, the lamp was fixed - everything else stayed the same. The room was clean but there was a fusty, old smoke smell as you walked through the hotel corridors.

Staff at the Health Club were quite rude and ignorant. Reception staff were welcoming but didn't seem able to resolve problems or provide information on Newcastle etc e.g the best routes into the city, where to park.

Staff at breakfast were very polite and helpful however the breakfast was very dry - the cooked food had been left on hot plates for too long or at too high a temperature. The choice of food on offer was good but the quality let it down.

Parking at the hotel is good, even if the road surface isn't particularly kind to your tyres but as it is opposite a large retail park/multiplex cinema and close to a dual carriageway/roundabout, getting out of the hotel car park was problematic due to the heavy traffic over the weekend period. It also meant there was lots of traffic noise throughout the day and night.

Overall, I believe that this hotel does not deserve its 4 star rating in its current condition. The rooms are tired looking and desperate for a re-furb. Some staff could do with a refresher course in basic customer service, however the staff serving breakfast cannot be faulted.

A good hotel outside Newcastle. Close to larger retail shopping outlets. Rooms were quite good and the pool facilities were excellent. Breakfast was also quite good. The staff were friendly.

Some rooms might be noisy during warmer months as its close to a major road and roundabout. There is a large supermarket very close by but you cannot walk to it, you will need drive to it and can be a bit tricky to get back from.