A rejuvenated gem in the making.....
We were moving into the area having sold our lodging business in the US and were looking for some accommodation for a few nights. We booked before they even had the reservation system up and running and the manager was incredibly helpful with our requests.
So we turn up after the place had been open for about three weeks. Well where do we start....the bathrooms are a creative delight, some with enormous bathtubs and great powerful showers. Yes they are creative fun but also work, they have thought about where you hang your towel and where you stand to shave etc. Non of your UK water dribbly showerheads here....one even has an old wind up gramophone as a shower head!
The beds are huge and VERY comfortable, with great linen. All the rooms we looked at (cos' we asked for a tour...not often asked for in the average PIG hotel is it?) seemed to have a wonderful level of whimsy and humour. All the bedrooms are a decent size with room for a suitcase etc.
The bar on the ground floor is fitted out gastro pub style with loads of individual tables but also has a proper bar you can stand at and sup very decent beer. Again thought has been applied to the fixtures even including retro salt and pepper shakers.
Onto all things edible.....and boy are they just that. The prices are fair and the wine list we thought offered good value with most vino bottles in the 18 - 30 quid mark.
So what of the staff...well they smile, chat and seem to be not only affable but also efficient. Very rare these days, visible owners. The two brothers Ollie and Jules whose bank manager has we deduce been supportive of their capital expenditure, want their new venture to work and genuinely seek client feed back.
Onto the point of feedback ......As former innkeepers we are fussy travellers, so we asked to move rooms after the first night as the traffic noise first thing in the morning woke me up early and I 'm usually a late riser (my partner slept and snored once too often for my liking!) To put this into perspective we used to live in a rural field in the US so i'm a sensitive soul for this urban living lark. In a jiffy we were packed up and whisked to an equally delightful bedroom and quirky bathroom at the rear of the hotel. As a result we missed the huge free standing copper tub in our suite, but I discovered my own ability to snore, according to my partner. This was probably caused by one extra pint of the local Bristol beer I had before retiring!
If you arrive by car take note that car parking is around the corner in a car park a short stroll away but only costs a whopping £2.00 a day.....A bargain!
So in summary this place is the biz in the 21st century.
When you visit see me at the bar cos' I believe I'm going to be consuming a few beers in the Crooked Swan for many years to come..... read more