Purbeck House Hotel

Stayed in the Louisa lodge, the cleanliness was terrible. Beds were not made properly.. towels shabby.. breakfast inadequate. Poor service.

Lovely old hotel. Our room was spacious with a comfy 4-poster bed, really quiet and relaxing. Breakfast was a little disappointing buffet style setup.

This was our first visit and a long-anticipated family weekend away, which unfortunately was marred by an unacceptable encounter with a member of your bar staff. This trip held particular emotional importance for our family, as my husband is terminally ill. Due to bad weather on Saturday evening, we opted to spend time in the communal room, where we had ordered fish and chips. When my son-in-law collected cutlery for our meals, he was grabbed by the bar attendant, who demanded the return of the cutlery immediately, stating it was “counted” and needed for the following morning. What shocked us most was not the request itself, but the aggressive and inappropriate manner in which it was delivered including threatening language, with the staff member stating he could arrange for us to be thrown out of the hotel. We returned the cutlery immediately and the bar attendant later brought a different set he said was “allocated for the bar.” As we tried to settle down and salvage the evening, the same staff member returned yet again—this time to ask us to vacate a side table we were using to play games with the children, stating it was needed in the bar area. It made us to feel unwelcome, despite being paying guests. This experience was entirely out of step with the values one expects from a family-run hotel, where warmth, kindness, and professionalism should be at the heart of service. I contacted the hotel this morning and spoke to Hotel Manager who apologised and expressed his surprise about the bar staff behaviour. He said he has worked for him for 10 years and never has any complaints. I don't write feedback or reviews often, as we are not fussy people but this experienced has left me saddened as the incident could have been dealt with calmy and professionally, there was no need for aggravation. It is a shame as the hotel grounds are beautiful, and the location is excellent, very near the the town centre and the beach front.

Purbeck House is right in centre of Swanage and a great location for exploring the area. It is an old historic building that dominates the town. It has good views and interesting grounds.

all was fine

Helpful friendly staff

We loved Purbeck House and were intrigued by its history and glad to see it embraced its history. We stayed in the annexe which met all our needs but if ever the opportunity to return would love to stay in the main hotel. We found all the staff to be very friendly and informative and felt they were fully invested in providing the guests with an enjoyable experience.

Great hotel and lovely service. Made us feel very welcome despite arriving late. The bar is well stocked and the hiatory behind the hotel is fascinating.

Price changed on areival and they automatically charged it to my credit card without asking. We made arrangements by phone which got lost. Complajnt was handled jn a rude way. We are not the first to ckmplajn about it being a room only rate its confusing. Breakfast food ran out multiple times whixh isnt good if paying a lot for it. Lively hotel but cant trust the family running it. We also had a power cut in lady lodge and an hour jn darkness.

The Victorian building was remarkable. The tiled flooring in the reception area and the row of servants' bells gave one a sense of stepping back in time. We were in a modern annex to the house, which was immaculate and comfortable. If there was a restaurant it would have been perfect, however there were restaurants close by, and the sea front was also just a short walk.