Norton House Hotel

We’re only six miles from the hotel, but decided to spend a night in Mumbles and stay at Norton House. We were pleasantly surprised by the standard of the place. Everything was great, and the staff couldn’t do enough for us. A delicious buffet breakfast rounded off a lovely stay. We’ll definitely be back.

The beds were comfortable and the central heating worked well, but that was about all we liked. We ordered a vegan breakfast, and some items were missing. When we asked, we were told the delivery van hadn’t arrived. In hospitality, I’d expect to be told about unavailable items when ordering, so I could choose something else. At night, the bathroom pump unexpectedly switched on at 2 am and was very loud for an hour before it stopped by itself. No staff were on site to help, and the check-in leaflet didn’t make that clear. We couldn’t find an emergency phone number. Why not put it on the leaflet? The website also needs updating because it says there’s a 24-hour concierge. The night entrance was left unlocked, which made the hotel feel very insecure after 11.00. It should have a self-closing door with a coded key lock instead of relying on guests to secure the outside doors. We won’t be back.

The location was good, the room was clean with fresh decor, and the staff were friendly. But the room was tiny, with hardly any storage. There was a wardrobe, though it wasn’t deep enough for the hangers. The hotel could use some upkeep, staff smoked outside our room, and there was a lot of noise from the room above.

The mattress had dips and ridges, so I kept falling into one and staying there all night. I didn’t sleep at all. The breakfast buffet was nearly empty, and what was there was barely cooked. We asked for refills, as did several other people, but they took so long that we gave up. There was no fruit or yoghurt left with the cereal. We’d booked two large rooms through a Booking.Com deal, but got two small basic rooms instead. The hotel blamed Booking.Com, even though I had the booking details. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend the hotel or go back.