Classic Lodges - The White Swan

The room itself was comfortable, clean and very good value, and the staff were friendly and helpful. We chose to stay because we wanted to eat in the Olympic dining room, with its wood panelling and glass salvaged from the first-class lounge of Olympic, sister ship to the Titanic. It really is beautiful, and we had no complaints about the hotel. Still, it felt like a faded first-class lounge being used to serve a decidedly average meal. The menu and wine list were limited and a bit tired. Service was so fast that dinner felt ordinary, and the room deserved more. With some imagination and investment, it could be breathtaking. I'd love to hear Cole Porter, Berlin, Gershwin and other 1910s and 1920s dance hall music, live or streamed. The run-down little bar in the corner could become a pre-dinner cocktail bar serving drinks from the Titanic and Olympic, plus decent whisky and gin. A better wine list and a proper chef-cooked menu focused on fish and local produce could make it fine dining. Encourage people to dress up too, since we were the only ones in the room who did. The casual meals could go in the soulless modern bar at the front, ideally with better beer. It could be spectacular and draw visitors in town for the castle.

The bed was really comfy, and our room was spacious and clean, with a lovely view of the marketplace. The hotel is right in the centre of Alnwick, within easy walking distance of the castle, gardens and shops, and there's great free parking nearby. The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly. Between them and the gorgeous Olympic dining room, where we had breakfast and afternoon tea, our stay became something very special.

We had breakfast in a beautiful room, and the whole downstairs of the hotel was stunning. But we waited over 20 minutes for coffee, which came with toast. Nobody asked if we wanted white or brown bread, so we got mostly white and one slice of brown, even though we prefer brown. The sausages were still pink and looked barely cooked, and the cooked tomatoes were soggy. They seemed short staffed, so it was hard to relax while I ate my anaemic sausage, white toast and soggy tomatoes with the waitresses rushing around. The staff were very friendly, though, especially the young bar lad we saw at Hardy’s bar on Saturday evening and the night porter, who was such a kind, lovely guy. The central location is great, but parking is very limited. We arrived early, at 2pm, and the only space was in a really tight corner behind a ramp. The receptionist said nobody usually parks there because it's so difficult to get in and out, and it was. Room 110 was grubby, with dirty skirting boards and stained, dirty curtains and carpet. I wiped all the touch points, including the dirty switches and liquid soap dispenser. It was freezing when we arrived, but after I turned the radiator up full and went shopping, it was fairly warm when we got back. The bathroom had no radiator or heated towel rail and stayed cold. The plumbing made an awful noise when the shower was running. The room smelled a little of old cigarette smoke, and one pillow smelled really dirty. The next day my husband found dirty brown, saliva-like stains all over it under the pillowcase.

The only real drawback was the bathroom, which was very cold. It had a small electric fan heater that switched off after about five minutes. We stayed in the well-appointed Alnwick Suite and had a very comfortable stay. We came for the 'Olympic Suite' and enjoyed the atmosphere while dining. Dinner and breakfast were both very good, with excellent service.