Abi
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The Swallow Falls Inn is placed in an incredibly idyllic and peaceful location, which we had a wonderful time exploring for our NYE break away however, we were incredibly let down by the experience from the hotel itself.
Placed in a ‘cosy’ room in the small block to the side of the hotel which had dated décor, we were met with nothing but dust on every surface and stains on the bedding at the foot of the bed upon arrival. The wardrobe, nightstands, tables, safe, lamps and kettle were filthy. The floor was in desperate need of a hoover, it was covered in pet hair and crumbs. After mentioning this to reception, we were told that the head cleaner was going to give our room a ‘deep clean’ – 20 minutes later she was done. It had not been cleaned to a satisfactory measure, the only changes being that she had made the bed and dusted the surfaces mentioned – bar the wardrobe. The bedding was the same, so was the floor. The only semi-clean thing about this room was the bathroom (thankfully).
My mother’s room also had no heating in the peak of winter – her room was quite literally freezing, incredibly poor conditions. A basic need completely missed.
In addition to this, we had a dreadful time while dining here. The first night was fine, somewhat tasty food but nothing I would rave over returning for. The second night (NYE), I had the chicken parm from the special’s menu – which the chef had conjured up in the day, despite being instructed to place our pre-order before the evening – had overcooked pasta, dry chicken and sweet, unseasoned tomato sauce. I left most of it. I also only received a quarter of a bowl of lukewarm soup to start, while a relatives who ordered the same was full. The cherry on top of this was, when we ordered, my partner asked for the steak from the special menu, which they had sold out of. If you are open to the public during a busy time such as NYE – perhaps plan the menu in advance and stock up adequately for the evening, I understand that things can sell out during this, but the dining room was not that busy, and we had paid a lot of money for this package. Incredibly disappointing.
The ordering process as previously mentioned was frustrating, one minute the staff were doing table service, the next they were not and we had to go to the till to order.
This information continued to be altered, resulting in four separate members of staff in the space of fifteen minutes coming over to our table to explain that we had to order at the till – which would have been fine. After this confusion a member of the team took our order anyway which just created unnecessary back and forth stress. In a nutshell, they didn’t seem to have great communication ultimately resulting in an unpleasant atmosphere for the evening.
After the meal, the entertainment from 9 to midnight was carried out by a singer and in all honesty she was dreadful. After three hours of what sounded like a sheep and Shakira’s lovechild shouting down the mic, she was five minutes late to the NYE countdown… it was literally 12:05 when she came back out after her interval. The best part about her performance was the comedic value.
Finally, I was mistakenly charged £53 at checkout from yet another error their side. I do not recommend this place for NYE, or a general stay.
