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Sunborn Gibraltar: Room service

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Being welcomed aboard a super yacht is an experience usually reserved for those with bank balances as dazzling as those vessels' maple and teak fittings (or at least with friends in that elevated social echelon). However, Finnish firm Sunborn's fixed-location yacht hotels are part of a relatively new concept that seeks to make the experience more attainable, while still an exclusive affair. The company opened in two locations this year: a five-star vessel in Gibraltar and a four-star version parked just outside the ExCel centre in London's Docklands (a third is planned for Barcelona). Both are well-positioned to attract a corporate clientele, but the Gibraltar offering is fixing its sights on sunseekers too.

Despite a booming economy, Gibraltar's hospitality industry has fallen behind; before Sunborn Gibraltar moored in the glossy Ocean Village Marina earlier this year, the territory had no five-star hotels. The €150m, seven-deck yacht was purpose built in Malaysia and meets nearly all the classifications of a sea-faring vessel. It has a captain and a first mate, but there's no fuel tank (it was moved from Malaysia aboard a transport ship). The yacht is secured by six hydraulic arms which allow no more than a one degree tilt each way, so there's no need to worry about developing sea legs.

Gibraltar itself is small with 30,000 native residents and 2.3sq miles of territory, much of which is taken up by the sheer cliffs including the Rock, which remains the undeveloped home to around 300 wild monkeys. Limited space means it's difficult to modernise Gibraltar's hospitality industry but with its theoretically portable approach, Sunborn is a novel solution.

There are two restaurants onboard, the most grand of which is the Sky restaurant on the top deck that can seat 400. This is where the impressive breakfast buffet is served. An extensive gin menu comes into its own for sundowners to be taken on the aft of the top deck where a small, refreshing pool provides a chance to cool off after sunbathing.

Should the boat stay moored here, Gibraltar has a rather glamorous reason to pay a visit.

Gibraltar is mainly geared to business travellers, but nature lovers will enjoy the charms of the barbary macaque colony that lives in the wilds of the Rock – the top of which can be reached by cable car – while the subterranean amphitheatre of St Michael's Cave is astonishing in scale, as are the tunnels constructed by the British Army over the course of 200 years.

Everything is easily accessible, and a half-day tour should satisfy most sightseers. The currency, and shops such as M&S, Morrison's and Clark's, may be British but there's a distinctly Mediterranean feel to socialising – popular marina bars only come to life after midnight.

The yacht's interiors are contemporary but suitably imposing, not least thanks to the vast orb-like Swarovski crystal chandelier in the marble entrance hall. Every room is equipped with a panel through which lights, curtains, air conditioning and even housekeeping can be controlled – a nifty idea, if a tad confusing.

Rooms are somewhat masculine but of a good size, with a king-size bed, large-screen TV, Lavazza coffee machine and Wi-Fi. All have floor-to-ceiling sliding picture windows to welcome in a cool breeze and many have a compact private balcony. Bathrooms are marble and showers come with a choice of a normal high-pressure shower and a more luxurious rain shower. The wardrobe can be accessed from either the bedroom or the doorless bathroom, although thankfully the loo is behind its own etched glass door. Suites come with a lovely, deep bath, but hot water is not plentiful and the Lilliputian toiletries are practically single serve.

Floors are wooden and desks are moulded and fixed to the wall. Modular bed frames have in-built side tables, with a choice of plug sockets and are lined in leather – a design accent on wall panels and wardrobes too. However, while it might be naff to make an origami animal out of a guest's pyjamas, it's surely better than finding them as I did, strewn on top of the bed frame?

Travel Essentials

'Sunborn Gibraltar', Ocean Marina Village, Gibraltar (00 350 2001 6100; sunborngibraltar.com ).

Service ***

Doubles on 'Sunborn Gibraltar' start at £350 with breakfast. Doubles on 'Sunborn London' at £180, B&B.

Rebecca Gonsalves flew to Gibraltar with Monarch, which offers returns from Luton starting at £147 ( monarch.co.uk ).

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Sunborn Yacht Hotel London review – a bargain London 5* hotel or a sinking feeling?

• 18 February 2023

The Sunborn Yacht Hotel London always looked very smart and rather a fun way to stay in London, so when I needed somewhere to stay in the East of London due to the train strikes, I thought I would give it a go. It was originally built as an ocean-going yacht but then was turned into a hotel before it was ever used as a proper yacht and actually has no engines. 

In this post:

Price and booking

I booked direct with Sunborn and paid £233.10 which for a Friday in December was fairly cheap for London. This was the flexible rate which allowed cancellation until 2pm on the day. It said that if you book direct you get a complimentary upgrade. It was also one up from the base room being a river view rather than the dockside view. 

If you are interested in staying there is currently a decent offer with Groupon for a Classic King Room with Dockview for Two with Breakfast from £149 per night.  They also have an offer on their own website for 20% off if you stay one night, valid for stays until the end of April 2023.

Location and The Yacht

The yacht is moored right next to the Excel so it has decent transport options within a few minutes walk. I arrived on the IFS Cloud Cable car via North Greenwich tube on the Jubilee line and caught an amazing sunset. It is around 7 minutes to walk from the cable car. There is also the Customs House that is on the DLR and Elizabeth line to the side of the Excel around 5 minutes walk away. 

Check-in at Sunborn Yacht Hotel London

There was quite a queue when I arrived at around 3.30pm and then when I did check in it wasn’t the fastest process. The person helping me had to keep walking away to sort out a trainee on another booking which I found quite rude and it was a rather laborious process considering I had already checked in online. 

They asked if I wanted to leave a credit card on file, to which I agreed as I needed to use room service and also planned to have breakfast. 

Sunborn Yacht Hotel London room

The Yacht Classic Riverview Room I had booked appear to only be on the lowest floor. The room did promise “excellent river views” which I got since I was practically in it, but I couldn’t see much else. The upgrade that it promises for booking direct (subject to availability, of course) was not forthcoming either. 

There was often a long wait for the lifts as you had to use them even to get from reception to the way out one level above. 

My first impression of the room was good, being a large size and more like a Junior Suite. There was a desk for working or doing your hair/make-up with a socket nearby and a huge mirror. However, the light in the room was quite dark in this area. 

The TV was a bit ancient (a bit like the decor) but it did the job. 

There was a Lavazza coffee machine and a kettle and even some biscuits, which always cheers me up in a hotel room (simple things…). There was also a fridge with two bottles of free water.

I liked that there was a large area for you to lay out your suitcase for unpacking. There was more storage space than most people could ever want or need unless you were staying more than a week.

The bed sadly was not comfortable at all and I ended up with back ache after tossing and turning all night. As I always caveat, I am very sensitive to beds, having paid a lot of money for a great Hyponos one at home. When I looked in closer detail I could see why as the mattress was incredibly thin.

The bathroom was also not particularly luxurious and definitely felt like a yacht bathroom being very small. 

Toiletries were provided which did the job but were nothing special. 

The towels were rather thin and old too.

Food and drink at Sunborn Yacht Hotel London

I needed to eat something before I headed out for the night since I had not had lunch either. There was a fair choice on the room service menu but I went for the standard burger as I knew it was likely to be a fairly boozy evening that needed some sustenance.

It arrived in around 25 minutes but was missing my drink, so I had to wait quite a while for them to fetch that as well, which was annoying. I also found it very odd that I had to pay the delivery person directly when I left a card with reception. I have never experienced that before. You could see the menu from a QR code and order online, which I like. The burger was tasty, and it was good to get a chutney on the side.

Breakfast was not included, but for the sake of the review, I went to try it. Again it was weird that I had to pay with my card when I came in. None of this leaves a very luxury hotel-type impression. 

The breakfast was a buffet which was set out with the food in one place and then the tea and coffee somewhere separate. I ended up with coffee as when I first went up there was no tea available.

The buffet had a reasonable selection including a full cooked english, smoked salmon, meats and cheeses along with pastries and bread. 

The way it was presented was a bit odd as it didn’t look great and made it hard to see what there was.

As well as the restaurant which is also open for afternoon tea and dinner, there is the Sundown bar which would be lovely for sitting outside in the summer. (Not so much in the snow!)

Conclusion for Sunborn Yacht Hotel London

While this is not really what I would call a luxury hotel experience, you do get a lot of space in your room, which you would struggle with in many hotels. It is certainly a unique experience, and for something that is a decent price and fairly smart, it is not a bad choice. Would I rush back again? No, but if I was attending something at the Excel I would consider it if the price was right. 

You can check prices and availability here.

Like our review of Sunborn Yacht Hotel London? You can read more hotel reviews here. 

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• 17 February 2023

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• 19 February 2023

Thanks Michele for highlighting this deal, and for giving an honest and thorough review. It doesn’t sound perfect, but I’m giving it a go next month as the price is reasonable for London and it helps solve a problem that was coming up! It’s always good to hear here about places that are a bit different.

Thankyou for your review, I also may consider this in the future. I was shocked at your picture of how thin the mattress was! Did you leave feedback for management on the concerns you raised in your report? I would be interested to know their reply if they do get back to you if you did let them know. You don’t mention how much you paid for breakfast and your burger meal. I guess we could check this online in advance?

Thankyou once again for your time. Please keep up your reviews, I find them really interesting 🙂

Thanks Rob. I don’t generally leave feedback unless it is a fault in service that they can rectify. Most brands and hotels read the reviews anyway via their PR agency. The burger was £18.50, and I think breakfast was around £18 also.

Hi Michelle, Thankyou very much for your reply. Much appreciated.

Agree with your review Michele. We were underwhelmed by the yacht – we did pay full price. Horrid decor, average service and that annoying lift to get off the boat!

Thank you Michele saved me some money as I was thinking about staying here. Now I think I will find somewhere else. Love an honest review

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