The Swan Hotel

“Chilled little getaway”

We stayed here for two nights at the end of April, it was scorching. I also did a solo trip the following weekend as we had to cut our trip slightly short! Positives Helpful, friendly staff Stunning building full of history Beautiful decor Very chilled vibe Lots of places to sit including outdoor … lisää

We stayed here for two nights at the end of April, it was scorching. I also did a solo trip the following weekend as we had to cut our trip slightly short! Positives Helpful, friendly staff Stunning building full of history Beautiful decor Very chilled vibe Lots of places to sit including outdoor terrace/Airman’s bar Decent wine Beautiful food including breakfast.. generous portions, my husband had two lattes at no extra cost snd I had two types of tea Really reasonable rates Beautiful historic village Tour around the village was interesting Loads of places to eat and drink Spa is divine, we felt like we were abroad sitting outside Treatments amazing - I liked spa do much I’m now a member for the summer Plunge pool/hottub/steam room sauna and relaxation room You can order drinks at spa and there is free flavoured water and fruit 2 car parks and on road parking 2 co ops, a chemist and lots of independent shops Lovely toiletries Negatives The room was very hot even with fan on I wouldn't want to stay in number 27 on my own as windows didn't feel secure and steps right outside Shower was warm but not hot, hot We were kept waiting at the bar and at breakfast as no staff about Recommend The Greyhound for tapas (next door) Also a pub near the church for food If you have mobilty issues, this might not be for you as its a very old building with steps, bumpy flooring and step stair cases

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“Excellent Staff”

We had a 2 night stay at The Swan, initially with a couple of missteps. Everyone that has owned or run a business realize these things can happen. To me it is how you resolve the issues. The Swan could not have done better. Freddie, the restaurant manager, and Alex , a general manager, could not h… lisää

We had a 2 night stay at The Swan, initially with a couple of missteps. Everyone that has owned or run a business realize these things can happen. To me it is how you resolve the issues. The Swan could not have done better. Freddie, the restaurant manager, and Alex , a general manager, could not have done more or been more responsive. Both are a true gem. The hotel is old, historic and charming. There is a little trade off with old historic buildings…. Baths not as large or plush as a new upper scale props. This is just the nature of the age. I would restart here again. To emphasize, everyone on staff is Great ! Thanks so much for resolving any issues above and beyond exp

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“£21.50 for a glass of wine”

We went to the restaurant for a family meal meal which was fine . However before the meal I went to the bar where i asked for a white wine, i wasn't asked the size and given a choice of 2 wines to which i said whichever ,i didnt expect to be sold the most expensive wine on the menu and charged £… lisää

We went to the restaurant for a family meal meal which was fine . However before the meal I went to the bar where i asked for a white wine, i wasn't asked the size and given a choice of 2 wines to which i said whichever ,i didnt expect to be sold the most expensive wine on the menu and charged £21.50 . I thought this is unacceptable practice by the staff trying to sell the most expensive wine .

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“Disappointing Stay at the Swan Lavenham”

Resting on their Laurels Friends were quite excited when we said where we were staying. Years ago they stayed here. The room was rather shabby and the bathroom used wall boards with gaudy grey joins that seemed rather cheap work. The restaurant was a little worn and the chairs stained. Break… lisää

Resting on their Laurels Friends were quite excited when we said where we were staying. Years ago they stayed here. The room was rather shabby and the bathroom used wall boards with gaudy grey joins that seemed rather cheap work. The restaurant was a little worn and the chairs stained. Breakfast buffet was meagre with only one type of bread. The fruit salad was full of melon and pineapple and apple with only tiny amounts of other fruit, no berries. No nuts. The rooms were so hot we had to have a fan running continually day and night Disappointing

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“Beautiful but not quite good enough”

Lavenham is a beautiful historic village and well worth the trip. We came for a birthday party and it all started reasonably well. We were too early to check in for our room so decided we would have some lunch on the lovely terrace outside. Service, if you can call it that was friendly but at best… lisää

Lavenham is a beautiful historic village and well worth the trip. We came for a birthday party and it all started reasonably well. We were too early to check in for our room so decided we would have some lunch on the lovely terrace outside. Service, if you can call it that was friendly but at best both the food and service need much improvement. Yes, the building is hundreds of years old but the bathrooms are poor and maintenance really needs to up their game . We had booked a suite but it was dark and faced onto a wall so we were kindly moved to a different room which was of a lesser category but with a much brighter aspect, more comfortable and had certainly been updated more recently. The bathroom was bigger, and more user friendly and thankfully actually had space to put cosmetics and toiletries . The bedroom was spacious and there were lots of nice little touches like a chocolate on your pillow and a turn down service. The safe is on the floor so you need to be flat on the floor to access it and it wasn’t working properly. The bathrobes had definitely seen better days and my biggest bugbear was the bathroom sink which was so small that a mouse would have trouble washing its face ! Where it rapidly went down hill was at dinner - we foolishly booked our first dinner at the hotel. The dining room is fabulous and could be a truly wonderful. Sadly the service was disappointing. Quite a few lovely young staff who truly did their best with little training, overseen by a gentleman who probably should be enjoying his garden. It was slow, laborious and by 10.30 I had lost the will to sit any longer and gave up on the idea of cheese or a pudding. When we sat down at 7.45 there was a miniscule amuse bouche and with great aplomb we were presented with a tiny piece of focaccia each. It all felt very small and calculated to the last decimal point. Bread is a cornerstone of hospitality and happiness! Our rib eye steaks were pretty good as were the accompanying vegetables but my friend’s fish was completely over cooked as were the scallops for the starters. The next morning breakfast was not much better, undrinkable coffee, poor quality tea, toast only toasted on one side and a sharp intake of breath when I ordered more toast. The breakfast buffet selection was depleted and the tatty scraps left there looked most unappealing. It was all pretty shoddy and low quality. The main question I always ask ! Would I come again? To Lavenham certainly but I would not stay at the Swan. It has much going for it, a historic building, helpful friendly staff , our room was comfortable but with a little effort it could be a truly wonderful hotel

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