Cargo "boutique hotel", Oxford Street, Southampton - drinking and dining perhaps; sleep is more difficult!
We made an overnight trip to Southampton on Thursday to have dinner with our old friend Jolie Mulvaney, who was passing through on the way from her house near Ribérac to stay for a few days in New York, via the Queen Mary - hence Southampton. We'd been told that Oxford Street in Southampton was the place to go for a meal, so in the course of my research it seemed to be sensible to book into Cargo, which said on its website "Our elegant boutique bedrooms are individually designed with luxury and relaxation in mind. An eclectic mix of furnishings combined with high tech comforts provide you with a perfect home from home experience."
Well, never believe what you read. Or alternatively, those who stay at Cargo come from a different place from me. I had booked a room on the phone, specifying that it should be quiet. We were given a small room under the eaves, which seemed fine - even if the establishment seemed to be more of a pub with rooms than what I would call a "boutique hotel". But - luxury and relaxation? I think not. I woke in the middle of the night to a lurid green light shining over the door, inside the room. There was no way of putting it out. The room itself was stiflingly hot - the owners had been thoughtful enough to supply a fan, but it didn't seem to make much impression. About an hour after I had failed to get back to sleep because of the green light and the heat, the dustbin men came and loaded up a ton of empty bottles below us.
At 7 am the fire alarm went off - sparked off, it subsequently transpired, by a guest overdoing his toast in the bar downstairs. We had a shower in the diminutive ensuite shower room, where the interior designer had thoughtfully placed a glass shelf just above the washbasin so that you hit your head on it every time you lowered your head. Then we went downstairs, where some perfunctory breakfast items had been arrayed - doubtless part of the luxury and relaxation supplied, for those who normally think of breakfast as an expresso and a cigarette.
The whole experience was dire. The staff were nice, but untrained (if I say "Thank you" to someone I don't expect the reply "No problem", for example). I blame myself, really, for not being more thorough. For £95 in this country you can't expect a lot; another way in which the UK is poor value by comparison with France. I shall be warier in future!
Antony Mair
In Australia your 'thank you' would have got 'no worries, mate', so perhaps you got off lightly.
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