The Victoria Hotel

This was the best budget hotel we stayed at in our entire 6 weeks in England. It had everything we needed to enjoy our 3-day stay in Canterbury. The restaurant is good and reasonably priced, and has an option called "the carvery" where you can pick a mixture of fresh-cooked meats carved to your desire, plus all the veggies you can eat, for something like 13 pounds. The room was excellently appointed and quiet, with fast WiFi. The lobby was a nice alternative place to sit if your room got a little claustrophobic. Every week they have an amazing event called "The Pudding Club" where a bunch of people sample a bunch of different puddings and vote on the best one (we arrived just as that event was reaching its finale). The walk into town is quite pleasant, maybe 15-20 min, mostly off roads and through the "Westside Garden" if you get a map and don't just walk down London Road. Canterbury is totally walkable end to end, and there are enough sights to keep you busy for a couple days including touring the cathedral. The town also has a nice tourist office where we booked a great walking tour (I mention this because in our 6 weeks, we found very few places with a functioning tourist office with real people--most seem to have closed during the pandemic and not gotten up and running again).

The booking.com description of how to get to the hotel needs to be better. The postcode and/or address are not enough. We came steaming into a roundabout when our GPS shouted "you have reached your destination". But we couldn't see anything. We kept going, and did a U-turn at the next roundabout and tried again. Still nothing. So we parked the car nearby and just walked around till we found the hotel. Turns out, it is exactly ON the roundabout where our GPS shouted, but going at normal speed you just don't see it even with a sign out front. There is a small exit off the roundabout marked "No Entry" (which doesn't exactly encourage you to take it) and that leads to the hotel. People coming by car need to be given exact directions.

We decided to have this years UK break visiting Canterbury, and after reading some of the reviews of The Victoria Hotel were slightly apprehensive when booking, but took that leap of faith. We are really glad we did, as this establishment left us in no doubt that we made the right decision! The staff were friendly and helpful, with check-in being swift and efficient and pointing us in the right direction to our room. Our ground floor room had one single bed and one large double bed, with tea and coffee making facilities, along with a selection of biscuits. There was also a nice sized flat screen television, the décor was pleasant, and overall the room was clean and tidy. The bathroom had the usual shower-over-the-bath, and had a strong flow of hot water. Breakfast time consists of the usual buffet affair along with a full-English cooked option. All items provided are really tasty and of good quality. For evening meals, although there is the option of eating out in one of the many eateries in central Canterbury, after a long day out doing touristy things, it was just great to just be able to use the Hotel restaurant and enjoy the various tasty meals. We really needed to stay longer to try out all the items on the menu. The location of the Hotel was perfectly positioned, as it is only a 15 minute walk into the heart of Canterbury itself, either along London Road and the impressive Westgate entrance gate or the more scenic route via Westgate Gardens alongside the river Stour. Would we stay here again? We would most certainly would, and would recommend anyone else to not have any doubts that this is a great place to stay with visiting Canterbury!

The only minor thing which we would say they could improve is the way that when booking online, the only way to include breakfasts is if you choose the non-cancellation option. This seems to be quite confusing and potentially off-putting.

This hotel was perfect for a mini break for myself and my mum. The staff were friendly and helpful. Breakfast and evening meals were excellent and reasonably priced. After dinner there was a cosy bar area available too. Central Canterbury was a short walk away and, despite being on a busy road, it was very quiet in our clean and comfortable twin room. The large free car park was another bonus.

We liked it all.

If your looking for accommodation in Canterbury. Look no further than The Victoria. Book Today !! After originally booked for 2 nights, we managed with the help of management to juggle our stay by 2 extra nights within the same room. My wife and I found Canterbury a delightful City, hence the extra nights. It oused character and charm. The Victoria was an excellent choice, we could walk into the city centre. We found the staff forever smiling, either at breakfast, behind the bar, on reception or serving the evening meals, they were always smiling. Our room 334 was above excellent, the decor and cleanliness was 1st class, and a credit to those who prepare them. Breakfast was plentiful, an array of choice, quality ingredients with fresh fruit, yogurts, croissants, etc. Either the Continental or English breakfast was enough to keep you going for the day. Evening meals, was a choice of carvery or a great varid selection off the menu, again quality dining. You got my vote and would highly recommend. Lovely experience, and would not hesitate to book here again.

There was nothing I didn't like

Lots of parking spaces, easy to find. Comfy bed and soft spongy pillows, Room and hotel was clean, staff were friendly and helpful. Restaurant menu was extensive and reasonably priced. Lovely area to sit outside. Could not really fault this hotel and will be going back again, but this time to visit Canterbury.

I was based on the top floor (and no lifts) but I could hear the person in the next room (e.g. coughing). If this were a loud person / couple I would assume that would be annoying, however for me it was a slight minor to the hotel thus given it a nine. There are lots of rooms off the hotel, so not sure how noisy they are....something to bare in mind..maybe speak directly with the hotel first?

The staff were very kind through out. Rossiera and Gary (don't know if I have the first name right) - in particular amongst hotel staff was very polite and helpful with any queries including providing information about Canterbury and areas to visit and requests during stay. So thank you for that. The little things that mattered - free coffee/ hot chocolate/ tea in the room, the soap smelled nice, the bed was comfortable, the shower was refreshing and the wifi was good enough to have a video call comfortably. Thanks for a fun time!

Nothing comes to mind

The staff were super helpful and flexible, and the room was well stocked. They were always ready to keep topping it off. The ambience was nice, and the restaurant was pretty good. We had dinner there for 4 nights! Breakfast was spot on as well! I'd recommend the typical English breakfast.

It was quite warm inside, and they couldn't get one of the windows open. It made it difficult to sleep comfortably, we were sweating quite a bit. There was no lift, and all the ground floor rooms were fully booked due to graduation week.

We were so pleased to be able to book the family room at such short notice which suited all our needs as we had a lovely en suit bathroom . We like your new refurbishment a great deal and it has refreshed the bar and rooms and gives it a more modern feel. We have stayed here before and found it is good value for money. We stayed in February 23, with breakfast included and drinks and snacks available in the bedroom. We are glad of the parking facilities and ability to have the ground floor room as I am disabled and getting around can be a challenge. It close to the old town centre and one of the stations .We first started using the Victoria when my daughter started university and we use the hotel when visiting her. The staff were very helpful and skilled and kind. Thank you Love the hanging baskets and flower arrangements

All good.

The room was spotlessly clean and well cared for. The decor is a little worn in places, but still clean and tidy which is more important! The staff were very helpful and pleasant, this hotel is run by a nice team who know each other well and care for their guests. Everyone was cheerful and nice. The room was comfortable with soft pillows, the beds were firm (which I prefer). It was quite warm, but we should have turned the radiator down. The bathroom was newly fitted out and very smart. In our room there was a shower over the bath, which was fine for me (5'8) but my husband (6'2) had a little trouble. Still, clean and tidy wins the day for us!

Accessibility information was limited. This hotel is not suitable for wheelchair users. If you have issues with stairs be sure to request a ground floor room when booking. I was OK as it is one flight up to the first floor, but it is worth bearing in mind if you have mobility problems. I am sure that the staff will help and try to accomodate if you ask as they are very nice.

We were greeted warmly by Rosario on reception, who checked us in, and took our money, and then gave us some helpful information on how to get to town. All the staff we came across were warm and friendly. Breakfast was very good. Continental or cooked. Good choices on the buffet table. Room was comfortably warm, didn't need the radiator on, and the bed was comfortable. Crisp clean linen and towels. Coffee and tea making facilities. Good hot shower. Our room was at the back, so it was nice and quiet. Good size car park out back as well.

Nothing to dislike. Rooms at the front might be noisy from the traffic, but out back is peaceful.