I've just returned from a 4 night stay at the Clifton hotel, with my elderly parents, & we all agreed it was an excellent hotel for our purpose. The staff were all genuinely helpful, kind & friendly, without being unctuous or over familiar.
The rooms & beds were comfortable & warm, the bathrooms recently refurbished & kept scrupulously clean. My single room was a bit small, but comfortable & clean with a lovely view out to the sea & the castle to the South, & it was lovely to fall asleep to the sound of the waves below. My parents twin room was large & very comfortable, but their view was obstructed a bit by scaffolding & netting, but obviously hotel repairs & repainting need to be done at some time.
The lift was a bit ancient but worked when the last passenger in it remembered to close the inner gate on leaving! The breakfast was wholesome traditional fare, & the dining room/ball room rather splendid with huge mirrors & candelabra gracing the ceiling & walls. The residents' bar & lounge were comfortably furnished, light & airy, & enjoyed views out over the sea.
The hotel is wonderfully positioned above the quiet North Bay, with very little traffic noise, but away from the main town, the shops & most of the bars etc. & with lovely views out over the bay to the castle to the South or up to the Sea Life Centre at Scalby to the North. The car park for the hotel was already quite full in March, but parking on the road outside with a hotel disc was successful, with 2 disabled spaces available just opposite the hotel.
The only problem I had was that there were quite a few smokers staying at the hotel, & the smoking area was positioned next to the entrance, so you had to walk through a cloud of smoke to get in or out. This problem may be resolved by the July ban on smoking in public places, but meanwhile, perhaps the public bar could be used as a smoking area.
Most of the other residents were considerate, & well-behaved, but there was 1 rather rowdy group, & a couple of drunken young women one night who disturbed my sleep a bit. Luckily my parents are deaf & weren't disturbed!
The hotel has had some more cultured visitors in the past, including Wilfred Owen, who was was sent there to perform light duties when recovering from shellshock during the First World War, & who wrote some of his most famous poems in the tower room on the 4th floor.

50+ members of the Sheffield City Liners line- dancing group stayed at The Clifton, Scarborough from March 2-4th. We had a wonderful weekend. The food was excellent and the staff could not have been more helpful. The ballroom was ideal for dancing. The bedrooms need upgrading however, and are shabby and the plumbing leaves much to be desired but the beds were heavenly.The lift is very antique and too small for the numbers of guests that wish to use it. Despite these problems. I would definitely consider staying there again. Thank you to the wonderful staff.

After reading the previous reviews of this hotel we were on the brink of cancelling, but how glad we were that we didn't. The hotel exterior is currently being renovated, but once inside the hotel the staff were extremely friendly, professional and helpful and our room on the 3rd floor overlooked the fabulous Yorkshire Coast and appeared to be newly decorated. It had everything we could ask for, including two comfy seats looking out over the view as well as tea and coffee making facilites and a lovely comfy bed. The bathroom was small, but clean and well stocked with toiletries and the restaurant provided good, wholesome food, served once again by very courteous staff. All in all we had an excellent stay and wouldn't hesitate to return.

A hotel with very nice staff and good food but the rooms I had a single on third floor so small no space to put case except on the bed. Room had no chair no heating in the very very tiny bathroom wallpaper falling off boardering on dirty. And above all the smell that damp fustey smell a good hotel to visit and eat but not to stay at. Much better value avalable here than this hotel. Whole place needs massive refurb beware if staying