The Grotto

The Grotto has gone very grotty. Outside not a single table was clear. Piled high with plates and cups and bottles. Inside was only marginally better. I had high hopes - it having changed ownership again that they would tidy up, pick up the rubbish and spruce it up. There was a time you could get a great coffee on a lovely deck looking out to sea. Sadly even basic standards are not on show here. This place has huge sentimental value to me, my nan worked here once upon a time. It’s the best setting earth with one of the most beautiful beaches you could wish for. Crying out for an owner to maximise its potential.

The whole place needs an overhaul. It was tired and dated, definitely deteriorated since previous visits. Food was overpriced, the bread served with it was stale and chips were undercooked. I think the car park charges should be waived for customers and Wi fi code should be made available. The best part was the fabulous views.

We booked as a special night for our 39th wedding anniversary and were not disappointed. When we arrived, we asked about the parking as the car park had a pay and display machine. The barman told us to only pay the cheapest tariff and then give them our reg, and this would cover us for our stay. We arrived too early to book in, so I just told the lovely staff that we would be back later and booked a table in the restaurant for 8pm.we caught a bus into south shields for the day and had a lovely afternoon. We returned by taxi at 6 pm. Our room was number 5, the sandpiper and it was lovely. Very clean, nice and roomy and a comfortable bed. The only gripe was the shower head was too low, so hubby had to crouch down under it, but this no way spoilt our stay. There was lots of hot water, fluffy white towels, tea and coffee stuff, and the view was fantastic. Overlooking a stony beach and Marsden rock, I could have sat and watched the sea and the birds forever. We had a nice stroll on the beach, then had our meal in the cave restaurant. We both had the Jack Blaster burger and it was very nice. It's a nice experience with a bit of a spooky atmosphere and we loved it. We were surprised the next morning as there was a nice breakfast included that we didn't know about. Cereals, toast, muffins, tea, coffee and fruit juices. Very nice. Overall we enjoyed our stay and will hopefully return next year and would recommend