Norton House Hotel Restaurant

We couldn’t recommend the stay or see ourselves returning. We booked two large rooms through a Booking.Com deal, but were given two small, basic rooms instead. The hotel blamed Booking.Com despite me having the booking details. The mattress was awful, with dips and ridges that left me stuck in one spot all night. I didn’t sleep at all. Breakfast was buffet or menu service, but the buffet was nearly empty and the food that 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 by the cereal.

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

The comfortable beds and good central heating were the only things we liked. We won’t be back. At 2 am, a very noisy bathroom pump suddenly started and ran for an hour before switching itself off. There was no staff on site to help, and the check-in leaflet didn’t explain this or give an emergency number. We couldn’t find one. The website says there’s a 24-hour concierge, so that needs updating. The night entrance also stayed unlocked after 11, which felt very troubling. A self-closing outside door with a coded lock would fix that, rather than relying on guests to secure it. We’d ordered a vegan breakfast, but some items were missing. When we asked, we were told the delivery van hadn’t arrived yet. In hospitality, guests should be told when ordering if something isn’t available, so they can change their request.

A friend recommended this place and we’ve just spent two nights here. It was perfect: a lovely room, friendly staff and really good food. The portions were generous and beautifully presented, though I’ve only got a small appetite and couldn’t make the most of all that delicious food.