The Swan Hotel, Wells, Somerset

I really don’t understand why this hotel gets such positive reviews. We were very disappointed with our stay. When I search for a hotel room, one of my filters is always somewhere with parking. It was on this basis we booked for a weekend in the Swan for our wedding anniversary. We were extremely unhappy to reach the hotel on Friday afternoon and find the car park full. We were directed by a receptionist to a chargeable car park five minutes away which meant my husband walking back through the streets carrying clothing on hangers. The receptionist pointed out that it says on their website there are restricted spaces available on a first come, first served basis. That may well be the case, but why should I pay for a room and then have to pay to park elsewhere, whilst someone else who paid the same rate for their room gets free onsite parking? As a result, a large part of our first morning was wasted messing about with car parking. The car park was paid until 9.45 on Saturday morning so we had to head over there for that time having first checked the hotel car park to see if there were any available spaces but it was still full. When we got to the car, the pay machine won’t accept payment by card or notes, you can only pay by coins or online. We only had enough coins to pay for one hour so did that to allow us time to decide what to do next. We decided that one of us would stay with the car and one return to the hotel to see if any spaces had yet become available before we started downloading apps to pay for the chargeable car park. I got back to the hotel and found two available spaces so phoned my husband who risked leaving the chargeable car park which was filling up fast in the hope that he could get back to the hotel before the two spaces were taken. There was another lady in the car park doing a very similar thing, she was also waiting for her friend to bring her car over from another car park. Luckily he did get there in time and was able to use one of the spaces. The ladies managed to use the other one. It was a very stressful start to what was supposed to be a relaxing, celebratory weekend. It was almost 11.00am before we were actually able to start seeing the sights. The room we were allocated, Room 3, was at the furthest end of the farthest corridor! Even the staff member who helped me with the rest of our luggage whilst my husband went to park the car, was unsure where it was. Where to start with reviewing the room? It was the smallest room we’ve ever stayed in, but definitely not the smartest. Certainly not what I would expect from a 4-Star hotel. The worst thing is the shocking state of the windows. We were surprised the curtains were closed when we arrived. Once we opened them it became apparent why. They were obviously trying to hide the appalling sight behind them. The wooden window frames are cracked and distorted. There is black mould over the frames and on the walls on both sides of the sill. O

Twin beds stand side by side. With lots of space for a K-pop dance. I was only given one single key to share with my daughter so when I left the room she was locked inside even if there was a fire! Insane. Other rooms got key cards

We stayed one night at The Swan Hotel to break up our journey to Cornwall. The hotel is very good and deceptively big but the thing that impressed us the most was the service we received from every single member of staff we bumped into. From our arrival at the hotel and the parking of our car in the hotel car park, to the delivery of cases to our room, service from bar staff and reception, we could not fault anyone's attitude. Great customer service like this is unfortunately not that common in the UK these days. Thanks very much to all the staff at The Swan.

A disappointing experience. We stayed for 2 nights with friends and chose the hotel based on location and information from the website. The location was very good within close proximity to the cathedral and all the city amenities. Car park was full on arrival but I would not have been able to get my car through the tight car park entrance anyway !! Food on the first night was variable with 3 of our party enjoying theirs but my fish and chips was inedible. We waited so long for our food that the waiter gave us a complimentary bottle of wine while ch was appreciated. Breakfast on both days was equally slow and on the second morning two traditional breakfasts totally over cooked and two scrambled eggs and smoked salmon tiny!! During our stay there was a wedding taking place that we were not informed about until the night before our arrival this seemed to stretch the waiting staff beyond their capacity. Overall the rooms were ok as you would expect in an old historic hotel but the toilets near the restaurant and bar were small and filthy totally inadequate. Staff were generally friendly except breakfast host who seemed stressed and rude.

Very disappointed with our superior double, should have just gone with standard. The rooms looked so much better in the photos. Ours was very tired looking, marks in walks, doors, cupboards, needed a complete uplift. We were above the roadway to the carpark so noisy mornings, as by the kitchen as well. The noise of the kitchen extractor fan was annoying and kept me awake the first night so I bought some ear plugs and had a better second night. My husband didn’t want the hassle of changing rooms so we stayed. To be fair we didn’t spend much time in there but still disappointing for me anyway. Breakfasts were good and the staff very attentive although service was slow for breakfast and there was a lot of choices missing of the evening menu. Pleasant stay but not as plush as expected. Nice local pubs with very friendly staff, cathedral was beautiful and the city very small indeed. The Saturday market was good with good variety of stalls. Really liked the slow pace of Wells

I had a fantastic stay at The Swan Hotel. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, making me feel right at home. The room and hotel were impeccably clean, and the food was absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend a visit to anyone looking for a wonderful experience. I will definitely be staying again.

With mobility issues, hotel was chosen for closeness to cathedral and availability of onsite parking. on this score 100% However room was on second floor and stairs uncomfortably steep. Room was small, dirty at the edges; bathroom was tiny. Breakfast buffet adequate only.. Staff were very helpful & friendly.