We stayed at this hotel for our wedding anniversary in April because there weren't any rooms at the Alveston Manor (across the road). However, we thought that it didn't look too bad on the pictures and knowing that it was a Macdonald hotel we thought it would easily match the 4* they had given it.

However, I have to say we were pretty disappointed. The lobby itself is lovely and I really can't fault the staff who work their socks off! Its just the general state of the room. Basically, if all the rooms are like the one we stayed in then the hotel is in dire need of a revamp.

Our room was really small, dark and overlooked other rooms (no privacy there then), oh mind you we did have some netting which was all shrivelled together so that it didn't cover the entire window and was ripped in parts! There was wallpaper coming off the walls (especially where suitcases etc knock them on the corners). The bathroom was smaller than ours at home - and that is saying something! The bath had also been repainted? somewhere along the line but the paint was peeling off and you could quite clearly see the yellowing enamel underneath. The carpet was dirty, it had marks on it that wouldn't come off by just hoovering.

Basically it was pretty disappointing. I am the one who is really 'picky' about where we stay and my husband is pretty laid back about different hotels, however, even he said it was a disappointment and should never regard itself as a 4* more a 3* and an average one at that!

We did use Tesco clubcard vouchers for this stay, which might make some people think that we can't really complain, but our deal still came to £260 for 2 nights B&B and I think that is still way too expensive for a 3* hotel.

I must admit, having read Trip Advisor reviews about The Swans Nest Hotel, I was somewhat dubious about booking to stay there. However I am so pleased that we did. We arrived early but were pleasantly surprised to find that, not only was our room ready, but we had been upgraded to a superior room (all this using Tesco value vouchers!). The downside to this was that, despite having been told by the booking office that there were lifts in the hotel, we were directed to a staircase as there were no lifts – as my husband has a breathing problem we were a little unsure about this, but the receptionist assured us that if we did not like either the room or the stairs she would put us in a ground floor room (the room we were due to use before they upgraded us). The stairs were fine and Laura helped me to take our luggage up to our room. The room had a decent sized sitting area, bathroom and bed area and though the view from the window was the roof of the other side of the hotel it was a lovely quiet room.
On the Wednesday of our stay it was our 20th wedding anniversary, somehow Laura found out and placed an anniversary card and chilled bottle of white wine in our room “courtesy of the management” – a very nice touch. As one of our friends has difficulty walking, I asked Laura about mobility chairs. Within minutes she rang back with details and within a very short time the mobility scooter had been delivered and our friend was well mobile once more. Breakfast was hot and fulfilling, but there were no facilities for lunch or evening meals unless you were part of a booked group, we found some lovely places to eat especially the Café Rouge on Sheep Street, but it would have been nice to have been able to eat in the hotel. All through the day there were flasks of free hot drinks and various free nibbles on a table near reception– again a nice touch. A decent lunch and evening meal menu in-house would have merited a five-star rating from us. Stratford centre was minutes walk away over a foot bridge – or hours if you side-tracked yourself into feeding the ducks and swans on the river! Overall a lovely hotel that is well worth considering if you want to stay in Stratford, we would certainly recommend it.

We had a three night special winter deal, B&B + one nights dinner. This was our 10th wedding anniversary and requested when booking if could have one of their special rooms. We WERE allocated a suite which was perfect. Also the hotel had left a card wishing us a pleasant stay for our anniversary with a box of chocolates, nice touch. It is in a perfect location with many walks starting right outside the door. Could not fault the room, breakfast, service, decor or dinner which was taken at sister hotel across the road. The only gripe would be the price of the drinks in the bar, although a short 2 minute walk acroos the bridge are a couple of pubs. Would definetley reccomend the Thai restraunt across the road.

The Swan is a nice hotel situated just by the River Avon. The hotel is a bit dated with its floral wall paper and tired looking decor in the lobby area. However, the room was spacious and clean and the location was excellent for exploring Stratford by foot as all attractions were only a 5 minute walk away.