The Swan Hotel

This was our 5th visit for afternoon tea, so we knew or thought we knew what to expect. We were wrong. Previously, we have enjoyed our visits ,hence returning several times, excellent service and delicious food. Sadly, this was not the case last Sunday. They no longer offer a savoury afternoon tea. The service initially was good but went downhill very quickly, Our beverages order was taken but did not arrive until a considerable time after the food, so we were left just sitting looking at it. When we asked what the delay was, we were told that it was because they were busy in the restaurant with lunches! Once they did arrive, my tea was in a scruffy stainless steel pot, not the lovely elegant porcelain some diners had, and we have enjoyed before. The sandwiches would have benefited from more filling, and some had crusts cut off. Some didn't. There was no strawberry or even raspberry jam to enjoy with the scones. Sorry, apricot and blackcurrant really doesn't cut it. Tables were left uncleared. Clearly, they were understaffed, this is a shame but should not reflect on their guests' experience. Sadly it will be our last visit, and in no way could we recommend as we have done previously.

Love this place. Staff are friendly and helpful and food is delicious!

we were a party of 3 went to swan for lunch,food was lovely i would certainly go again...if the service was improved things like waiting to take our order, wrong drinks and food being offered at tables, main course delivered and a long wait for sides. And being told by reception that they were busy but someone would come..they didn`t finally being charged for things we never had. i have to say the main the staff were polite and helpful but need more guidance

This is a stunning hotel in the centre of a medieval village. The public rooms are lovely. We paid extra for a larger, beamed bedroom but it was still quite small and the decor was beginning to tire. The staff are a strength of the hotel - friendly and helpful. The Gallery restaurant is excellent but we were disappointed to see dogs sitting on the furniture in the brasserie. I have no problem with dog friendly hotels but they shouldn’t be at the table for health and safety reasons. The beer garden has a lovely, relaxed atmosphere. We’ll be back!

A family get together to celebrate a golden wedding anniversary. Everything was perfect, staff, restaurant, menu,room, facilities. Nothing to fault or be unhappy with from the moment we arrived until we departed. The whole group(5) were very very happy.

We had an excellent stay at The Swan. Our room (52) was very comfortable and there was plenty of room for the two of us and our dog. We were very impressed with how dog friendly the hotel is. All the staff were very nice towards our dog and the doggy welcome pack & the sausage for breakfast were lovely touches. Dinner was good but, the only criticism would be that service was slow and it was difficult to get someone’s attention at the end of the meal. We really enjoyed the music in the garden during the afternoon. All in all a lovely hotel & we will return.

Myself and my wife had lunch yesterday 17th aug and had a lovely experience we arrived about 40 mins early and was offered hot or cold drinks which we enjoyed then had a great chicken and beef roast between us and a lemon tart to follow the whole service was lovely and every member of staff was a delight to deal with so a big thanks to them for making our stop a memorable one

The hotel is in a beautiful building and in the centre of Lavenham. We had a drink in the garden while waiting for our room. The grounds need some attention and were not very attractively planted. Our room had everything needed for a short stay. Plenty of plugs and usb access. Wi-fi is good throughout the property. The bed was extremely comfortable and bedding was lovely. The fan was definitely needed as the room was very warm with small windows. The bath was very deep and the grab rail was too high for anyone less abled. Toiletries were fabulous with a great fragrance. Had to crouch to use the mirror over the sink (I’m 5’7”). Breakfast was not a pleasant experience. I appreciate it was very busy but our server was rude on two occasions when I asked for our tea and toast, because everyone that came in after us had been already been served. Another lovely lady finally brought it and apologised - our order had got lost. With a few tweaks I would recommend this hotel.

We turned up just for a drink. We are looking to move to Lavenham and thought we’d check out some of the hospitality. We were so disappointed, the staff, with the exception of possibly one didn’t look up to make eye contact, let alone greet us. We ordered drinks at the bar, which was covered with dirty glasses, sticky and generally not looking remotely hygienic. It was a Saturday night, early evening, we were ordering 5 drinks, 4 of which were not possible because of lack of ingredients…. No alcohol free prosecco for the mocktails, no limes, no mint and the list goes on …. `it is certainly not somewhere i would consider going back to

Five of us stayed for two nights. We were celebrating a special event. The entire stay was a delight. Our rooms were gorgeous, and very well equipped. We dined in, on both nights. The menu is varied, and the food wonderful. All staff from Housekeeping, to Reception were efficient and friendly. A special mention has to go to our evening waiter of both nights. So professional, yet charming and friendly. We all thoroughly enjoyed our stay, and shall return.