Grand Hotel

Location and sea views are second to none-worth the money just for that. Make sure you book a high floor to get the best view. Room very clean and just decorated but public areas were slow being cleared of glasses and plates-lots of temp. staff as you would expect but they really didn't seem to care ! This spoiled what could have been a perfect experience-as it was we ate out in Swanage-plenty of great choice.
Stay for the location, the views and the beach which is 2 minutes away. Don't stay for friendly conversation and attentive staff.

The Hotel is well located in a lovely sea front position. Inadequate parking for guests meant we had to trawl all the adjacent streets in our quest for a legal place to park. Didn't eat at the hotel as breakfast was not included in our tarrif, but did find a lovely cafe in Swanage serving an excellent full english breakfast. The room itself was adequate but certainly on the small side, both the floor and the bed creaked quite badly which I am sure would have been an inconvenience for the guests in the room below ours. The single lift is a bit of a bone shaking experience, and would politely suggest that it is either given a major overhaul and service, or indeed replaced before an 'incident' occurs. On a positive note, the gentleman behind the bar was very friendly and it was always 'service with a smile'. The in-room kettle was accompanied by a few packets of Horlicks which perhaps is an indicator of the type of guests they normally attract. Didn't really appreciate being woke up early on the day of departure just to be asked if I would pay my bill before 10.00am even though check out was actually 11.00am. In fact the woman on reception was quite rude about this. All in all, as I booked this hotel only 48 hours before our stay, it was adequate for the purpose; but 'Grand', It certainly is not.

excellent location and views