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The Birkdale - Accessibility

At The Birkdale we aim to provide clean and comfortable accommodation for all our guests in a home from home atmosphere.  We want you to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.  

The Birkdale is a Victorian detached property built on 2 floors. Just 100 yards from the heart of Shanklin’s famous Old Village, it is set on a slope with 4 steps up to the front door. Out of our 7 guest rooms, 3 are on the ground floor along with the dining area and lounge.  We can therefore cater for guests with limited mobility but the property is not suitable for wheelchair users. 

The following information is provided to help you in deciding if The Birkdale is suitable for your needs but please let us know of any particular requirements that we can help with. 

Pre-Arrival  

• By car - We can make any car ferry reservations on your behalf from any of the three ports serving the Island. If you prefer to make your own arrangements we are happy to provide you with the contact details of the ferry operators plus directions to The Birkdale. 
• As a foot passenger – We can assist you with details of both hovercraft and catamaran travel to the Island plus train or bus information. 
• The nearest bus stop is 130 yards away. 
• Shanklin train station (with taxi rank) is ¾ mile from The Birkdale.
• Bus and train timetables are available in the hall for guests use.
• There is a local taxi service with accessible taxis if required & we can make bookings for you.
• You can contact us by telephone, email or post.
• Full information on our facilities including photographs can be found on our website http://www.birkdalehotel.com

Arrival & Car Parking Facilities 

• We ask guests to contact us to advise an anticipated arrival time so that we can be here to greet you
• We are always happy to assist guests with luggage
• We are walker & cyclist friendly and secure cycle storage is available on pre-request
• We do not have storage & recharging facilities for mobility scooters.  Mobility scooters are available for hire locally.
• There are seven marked bays on our tarmac drive so all guests are able to park
• Shanklin Old Village is 100 yards from The Birkdale and the Town Centre is approximately a 5 minute walk.  

Main Entrance and Reception 

• There are four steps to the front door, all 17cms high
• The threshold on the front door is 8cm high.
• The front door is kept locked for security. Keys are issued to guests upon check-in allowing 24 hour access.   There are 2 doorbells and it is advisable to ring both so that we may hear them wherever we are in the house.
• The front door is 68cm wide and our entrance hall is L-shaped with the narrowest point being 86cm opening out into a 175cm wide hallway leading to the main staircase.
• The staircase is 102cm wide with a fitted carpet & banister rail to the right and left hand side
• Each stair is 26cm deep and 17cm high
• There is a good contrast of colours   

Internal Public Areas 

• Our Dining Room and Guests Lounge are located on the ground floor
• Floor areas have fitted carpets except in the dining room which has a wood laminate floor
• Guest rooms are located on the ground and first floor of the building 

Public Areas – WC 

• All guest rooms are en-suite but no public WC is available 

Dining Room & Lounges 

• Breakfast is served in the ground floor Dining Room, accessed from the hallway through the Guest Lounge
• The Dining Room is light & spacious, with separate tables for each guest room
• Guests can help themselves to cereals, fruit, juice etc from the buffet table, but cooked breakfasts are served to the table 
• Menus can be provided in large print by prior arrangement and we are also happy to read the menus out 

Access to Guest Bedrooms 

We have a total of seven en-suite guest bedrooms located as follows: 

         On the ground floor

• 2 Double en-suites

• Room 1 (Double): Door is 71cm wide and opens inwards.  The door to the en-suite is 61cm wide and opens out into the bedroom.

  Room 2 (Double): Door is 85cm wide and opens inwards.  The space around the bed is at least 65cm.  The bed is 57cm high.  There is a 17cm step up into the en-suite through a 74cm wide door opening inwards.

  Room 7 (Twin): Door is 74 cm wide and opens inwards.  Both beds can be accessed from both sides and the narrowest walkway round is 49cm.  There is a 5.5cm step up to the en-suite with a 65.5cm door opening out into the bedroom.  There is a 26cm step up into the shower.

  1 Twin en-suite  (Wood laminate floor)

On the first floor main landing (accessible by 2 flights of stairs -14 steps and 5 steps) 

• 1 Twin en-suite
• 1 Luxury Double en-suite (5’ bed) with jacuzzi bathroom
• 1 Luxury Four Poster en-suite with double shower(5” bed)
• 1 Double en-suite (4’6” bed)

Guest Bedroom Facilities 

     All guest bedrooms are en-suite and tastefully decorated with the following facilities:

•    Central heating radiators with temperature control
•    Fitted carpets (except for ground floor twin)
•    Complementary hot drinks facilities
•    Colour television
•    Radio/alarm clock
•    Hairdryer  
•    Fan Heater
•    2 chairs (except for ground floor twin which only has 1)

En-Suite Facilities 

      All guest rooms are en-suite with:

•    Tiled shower with screen
•    Hand rail fitted in double shower
•    Rubber shower mats
•    Close coupled wc
•    Wash hand basin with twist top taps
•    Complementary toiletries are provided for your arrival
•    A bath towel, hand towel and face cloths are provided    

Grounds & Gardens   

• The garden is not available for guests use.  However The Mead public park is within a few minutes walk.

Local Restaurants   

• There is a good choice of eating houses within easy walking distance
•  We are happy to advise and make reservations on your behalf 

Laundry Facilities

  We do not offer laundry facilities but can help with drying wet clothing

• There is an iron and ironing board available upon request

Leisure Facilities   

• We do not have our own facilities but we are happy to advise on facilities available in the area 

Additional Information   

• A full Fire System is in operation with an alarm bell if evacuation is needed
• All guest bedrooms have fire instructions clearly visible
• We operate a NON SMOKING policy throughout – it is against the law to smoke in these premises
• We are not able to accept pets
• We cater exclusively for Adults (no children under 16 years)
• Medication can be refrigerated on request (not available 24 hours)
• Mobile phone services are generally available throughout the house though this does vary by network 
• Wireless internet is available at no extra charge