White Swan Hotel

Very disappointing. Struggling to the...

Liked: Rooms good but further apart than we would have liked. breakfast good. location excellent for where we intended visiting, Alnwick gardens.
Disliked: The hotel is very poorly equipped for disabled people & those with mobility issues. There are too many steep steps. A lift or stair lift should be installed.

An OK hotel with friendly...

Liked: A very welcoming hotel with a nice, old-fashioned atmosphere. Very pleasant and helpful receptionist. Bedroom clean and comfortable, if a little tired, as was the bathroom. The main draw was the dining room taken from the Olympic, the sister ship of the Titanic. This magnificent room didn't disappoint, though the food did, unfortunately.The bar was pleasant and relaxed.Some good photographs of the Olympic are hung adjacent to the dining room.
Disliked: Food! The first disappointment was dinner. Portions were small and you could never describe what was on offer as "fine dining", as the website does. My partner's rather unappetising chilli was served with a very small portion of rice and a handful of what looked and tasted like Doritos. Wine was served warm, on (not in) ice, with the screw cap left on.The second disappointment was the breakfast. This was self-service, apart from coffee and toast. The food was served from individual iron casseroles, with a paper napkin wrapped round the hot lid handle to protect one's fingers. Mushrooms were swimming about in hot water and the rest of the offering was no more appetising. The ladle for a large container of baked beaks had spilled sauce all over the tablecloth, which looked pretty disgusting. I've never seen a breakfast presented quite so ineptly. On the plus side, there was a pleasant fruit salad. Coffee was poor, but that's pretty normal in the UK. Overall, the dining experience didn't live up to the dining room experience, and was expensive for what it was.Parking was a bit of a palaver, but we visited over Easter weekend so car parks were more crowded than usual. We didn't manage to find a space in the hotel's tiny car park and had to buy a parking disc for the otherwise free but time-limited public car park, which is very close to the hotel. Another adjacent car park had unrestricted free parking, but this was full when we arrived. The hotel will give you a handy map to help sort out the complexities of the various car parks which, on less-crowded days, should offer ample parking.

Very good

Good

Liked: Dining hall had stunning features
Disliked: Bathroom tiny and virtually had to climb over toilet to get into the smallest bath I've ever seen

Disappointing

Good

Exceptional

Liked: The location is excellent, breakfast was very good too with very polite and attentative staff.

Exceptional

Enjoyed the Olympic stay over

Liked: Central location and handy for other attractions. Good value for money. Good parking. Grateful that the restaurant opened early to allow us to go to the theatre without too much of a rush.Please train waiting staff to be a little more attentive, just leaving bottle of wine for clients to pour! Also smarten their appearance, tighten ties and no white trainers.