a great location if you are interested in walking as there are walks directly from the door. The hotel is warm, and gives the feel of a small hotel. Staff were excellent, extremely friendly snd attentive and nothing is too much trouble. Food in the restaurant is excellent although make sure you book as it can get busy. The rooms are a little dated but still fine..perfect place for a short break and it's a great place for couples. I wouldn't recommend for families as I could imagine kids getting a little bored here

Coming from the Old England in Bowness to this we were expecting a come down. The main hotel is old and has been extended over the years and it is showing signs of its age. Our room was plush and clean but very in need of a refurb and an update. However, none of this really put us off. In fact it adds to the charm. There's a warm oldie house smell and feel to the place. It's like going upstairs to bed at your Nan's house. You feel at home, settled and relaxed. The restaurant is great. It has seen some update in recent times. The food is a step down from the usual MacDonald fare which is great as it obviously caters better to the market this hotel is aimed at. Coming from the formal dining of the Old England in Bowness to the relaxing vibe in this hotel restaurant was refreshing. Reasonably priced food, cooked beautifully, presented with love and delivered with a smile. You could not want for anything more. The location is all about walking. If you don't walk you're a fool. Helm's Cragg is an easy hill climb and offers stunning views. White Moss Common is an easy walk, more views, caves and Lakeside fun. Keswick is a stunning scenic drive away etc etc. Buy a map, pack a lunch, boot up, set a route and go. You'll not be disappointed whichever way you head. Grasmere has hiking shops, small cafe's and a lovely evening vibe. Great for an ice-cream and/or an evening stroll.

Booked a two night 'break' and took our dog, Daisy a fox terrier. Its great to find an accommodating hotel to take us & the dog. The food was excellent, breakfast too many options! The bar very relaxing and lovely open fires. Its a lovely place for a special break as it is a little more expensive, but you do get what you pay for. We bought a voucher for our parents to go and stay and they enjoyed it as well. Grasmere is a fantastic place and so many beautiful walks in the area. We will be back, thank you the Swan.

After many years using this dog-friendly hotel, my wife and I abandoned it five years ago because of its falling standards. Last week we decided to give it another chance. Intending to use the restuarant for dinner each night, the first night we both chose the same items. However, our bread was decidedly stale, the elaborate fish starter was frozen and tasteless, and the duck tough. The rolls were changed with the comment they were fresh that morning, but those of people sitting around us were also changed at the same time without their needing to ask. We heard the lady at a nearby table complain about the duck to be told the knife probably needed sharpening. We found the two courses plus wine and coffee grossely over-priced at ?74. We found having bar sancks would have probably cost ?50+. We went out to another restauarant on the second night for a far better service and meal at a more reasonable cost. The breakfast next morning was excellent, but the second morning my wife ordered tomato mushroom and bacon, while I ordered a 'full' breakfast. We each received a quarter of a mushroom- yes, a quarter of one - half a small tomato, and one slice of bacon. Mine included half a round of black puding, a tablespoonful of dried scrambled egg, and a small sausage. My wife's plate looked empty and mine would have done but for the 'flood' of watery baked beans. When I commented to the head waiter he just shrigged and walked off. Our room was decidedly 'tired', but the good things included the quality of the bath sheet, the comfortable beds,the hotel situation, and the friendliness and helpfulness of the reception staff.

We had an absolutely superb weekend at The Swan. We stay for the Easter weekend (2008) and everything was fantastic. The staff and service over the weekend were exemplary. They epitomised politeness and attentiveness to detail was exquisite and we could not have faulted a single part of the hotel experience. We were there for an extended weekend away from work, to relax, rewind and climb some stunning English mountains. Each one of these were fulilled to a T. The location of the hotel was, for us, perfect. True, it is on a "main" road (it is not exactly a busy road), and we could NOT hear the road from the room. It is a 5 minute walk from the centre of Grasmere yet has stunning views of the nearby crags and is superbly position for some direct walks and for short drives to the variey of hills in the Lake District (Ambleside: 10 minutes, Keswick 20 minutes). Breakfast, consisting of a juice, fruit, cereal and pastry buffet plus a full English cooked to order was excellentt. On arriving back at the hotel late afternoon after a day on the hills the bar menu was just what the Doctor ordered - sandwiches, soup and afternoon tea were all great. The only criticism would be the evening menu. Some of the menu choices are a little simple and the wine list a bit uninspiring for the price they charge (23 GBP for 2 courses, 30 for 3. In restaurant of this price you would expect a bit more)though it is a charming breakfast / dinner room and the bar / lounge extremely relaxing. Taking the wine and cheese through to the fire and sofas is a wonderful thing after a long day out. The whole experience was, nevertheless, extremely enjoyable. I can only imagine that DCPiacere either stayed at the wrong hotel or that we were simpy far luckier than them in our experience. We expect to go back to the lakes very soon and we will definitely be staying at the Swan again.