The Swan, Grasmere Reviews Summary

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "All of the staff where so friendly and kind but I just need to give an extra shout out to the lovely lady with the Scottish accent who served us for dinner in the evening and breakfast."
• "The staff were all really pleasant and kind and made you feel really welcome."
• "Staff went above and beyond dog friendly plus plus."
• "Service is very good."
• "Good pint, nice friendly staff."
• "Incredible staff. Hats off to Tony who really made us feel at home."
• "Staff were very friendly and helpful."

Cons:

• "Disappointed no table service for the splendour of the building and price of the food"
• "The hotel was extremely understaffed while I was staying there, which meant that frequently the people you were talking to seemed hurried and frustrated that they needed to help you."
• "service very poor from management bar staff waiters you had to find them to serve you at bar and reception"
• "Could do with customer service training !!"
• "Bar person couldn't have been less interested !!"
• "Terrible service from clueless staff."
• "After standing there and being ignored for best part of 5 minutes... the lady serving finally asked if she could help."

Rooms and Comfort

Pros:

• "We had an executive room which was lovely. The bathroom was new and shower was great."
• "Loved our room. Clean and tidy."
• "Rooms recently renovated, and they were lovely, we got a great view of Helm Crag."
• "Four poster room on the first floor at the front of the hotel was just heavenly."
• "Rooms clean and tidy, good size."
• "The rooms are very spacious and offer plenty of storage, iron, ironing board, hair dryer, tea making facilities, tv etc."
• "Room was comfy and spacious"

Cons:

• "Room a bit plain and smaller than expected for Executive standard."
• "Room clean however the bed was like a rock and I could not sleep also the windows are a bit drafty."
• "We also were paying >$200(£179) a night for a double room under the stairs which meant that the room was extremely loud."
• "The rooms are spacious, but somewhat tired. Especially for the price of them."
• "Only thing wrong we found was window in our ground floor room didn't lock so wasn't happy about that."
• "The sandwich however the swan club sandwich costing £14 was a huge let down."
• "The rooms are nicely decorated, the beds are very firm."

Food and Dining

Pros:

• "The meal was great and more than enough to share between two. Mussels were very flavourful and soft."
• "The food amazing, and the people are beyond lovely."
• "Food was very good. Fish n chips was a large portion. Too good to leave any."
• "Food was really good and not as expensive as one might expect."
• "The food was excellent as was the service. Highly recommended."
• "We had a superb roast beef lunch and cheesecake and sticky toffee pudding for afters."
• "The food we did have was excellent..very tasty."

Cons:

• "The main restaurant was of good quality although on the pricey side especially if ordering wine!!"
• "Had the tuna steak salad and the tuna was very overcooked and dry."
• "Very disappointed with the food - the fish pie had boiled over its small container and was presented as if a volcanic explosion had taken place."
• "Unfortunately, we got served cold food, which would explain why it was served very quickly."
• "Menu is basic with poor vegetarian choice."
• "Food was tasty (beef burger and sandwich), although £8.95 for a cheese and pickle sandwich with a small portion of crisps and lettuce is ridiculous even for the Lakes."
• "The sandwich however the swan club sandwich costing £14 was a huge let down."

Location and Atmosphere

Pros:

• "The hotel is very welcoming, especially when the huge fires are on the go, the public rooms are comfortable and tastefully decorated."
• "The village of Grasmere is beautiful - have a little walk about."
• "Views are amazing and it's only a short walk into Grasmere Village."
• "The grounds are beautifully kept and the beer garden very comfortable and obviously picturesque."
• "Its situated in the most desirable place in Cumbria. Great history and a meeting place of past poets and story tellers."
• "The atmosphere is always warm and welcoming."
• "The Swan sits in the shadow of Helm Crag, Seat Sandal, Helvellyn and Fairfield so it not only has some stunning views, but it's a perfect base for hikers and wainwrighters."

Cons:

• "The hotel is situated on the busy A591 and about 10-15 minutes walk from the centre of Grasmere village which is a very nice place indeed."
• "Parking is very limited."
• "Didn't get much of a sense of atmosphere but not an unpleasant place to be."
• "The WORST thing was rude staff, who were dismissive, difficult and insisted on turning away our large table of people who wanted to eat in the gardens on a glorious sunny day because 'we don’t serve food in the garden after 5'."
• "Very disappointed, the place was empty with lots of tables when we walked in we asked for a table of 6 people and were refused."
• "Bit disappointed with the £9.10 for a pot of green tea for 2, on the upside a pint of Wainwright’s was only £3.60."
• "The lobby was very nice however as we got closer to our room, through each door and up each set of stairs, we thought we were stepping back in time."