The Swan At Hay

All good thanks. Comfortable stay, excellent location. Dinner and breakfast good

Nothing

Excellent location. Staff exceptional. Food great

Nothing

The room was very clean and the shower worked very well. The hotel is a little dated in places but this does give it some character. Staff were very pleasant, helpful and attentive. Good beer available in the bar (HPA) and the food was excellent both at dinner and breakfast. The evening dining area was a little quiet during our stay, somewhat lacking in atmosphere but there was a larger party being catered for separately so perhaps this would not always be the case. Parking is a bit limited but there is a large public car park just across the road which we used during our stay so no problems there. The location of the hotel is excellent for the town, which is well worth a visit. A short walk gets you to the many book shops, other artisan shops and cafes/pubs (and the castle).

We thought that overall it was a little expensive but no doubt this was the going rate for Hay on Wye, which is a lovely little town. Well worth a visit. Lots of bookshops! You could browse for hours. Plenty of places to eat. Good food. The castle was an excellent diversion for an hour or so- great exhibits and multimedia presentations.

It is right opposite the biggest bookshop in Hay, which was great for me. The breakfast was okay, though the plates were cold.

There is no atmosphere; the lighting is all wrong (and could be improved drastically for very little expense... perhaps some little USB rechargeable lights on each bar/restaurant table for example?) The lighting in the bedroom was very poor, with the tea/coffee tray and table in one darkish corner of the room without light, despite plug sockets immediately beneath the table. The feel of much of the furniture is that it's seen better days. We stayed at the Swan thirty years ago and it was a lovely place, It is now running on a kind of faded grandeur... I would guess the furniture in our bedroom and the bar areas hasn't changed since our last visit! Our room, billed as 'De-luxe' certainly did not fit that description. We arrived just for one night on our 55th wedding anniversary, having arranged to be able to leave the car in the car park from late morning. When we arrived to leave the car, the lady who greeted us in reception seemed lovely and told us our room was actually just being done and should be ready for us early, at around 1pm, and so we could check in then. Even so, to be on the safe side, we left our return till around 2pm and walked back (from the other end of town) to check in. We were now told (by another lady... the proprietor?) that our room was just being done (?!) and we couldn't check in till 3pm, and that the earlier lady had no right to tell us what she did. Clearly, someone wasn't being entirely truthful!. So we dutifully wandered off again (in the rain!) till 3pm.