Ivey Place, High Street, Swansea, United Kingdom | (618) 248-8274
Central location opposite Swansea train station
Rooms include flat-screen TVs, coffeemakers, and air-conditioning
Penthouse Suites have outdoor hot tubs and scenic views
On-site bar and restaurant
Wi-Fi is free throughout
Neighborhood is somewhat rundown
Some worn rooms are awaiting renovation
No minibars or mini-fridges in
rooms
Breakfast not included
No parking available
The mid-range, 53-room Grand Hotel Swansea, one of the city's landmark properties, is conveniently located next to the train station. Renovations are ongoing, and guest rooms can vary widely in quality and style. The hotel does claim to have the only rooftop hot tubs in South Wales, which are on the terraces of its Penthouse Suites. For guests seeking something a little more upscale, Towers Hotel & Spa, while 10 minutes outside the city center, is worth checking out for its spa, indoor swimming pool, fitness center, free breakfast, and free parking, at only slightly higher rates.
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Scene
A landmark hotel, undergoing renovation, that evokes the 1930s
Built in the 1930s, The Grand Hotel Swansea is a landmark. Located on a corner opposite the city’s main train station, the hotel occupies an imposing gray building, whose exterior, along with the rooms, is undergoing renovation. The reception area, with its large glass windows, is spacious and bright, with brown and beige leather sofas arranged in clusters around the large lobby. Hallways are lined with beige-checkered carpets and cream-and-beige striped wallpaper, which look somewhat dated but match the overall color scheme. An attached sports bar, The Grand Tavern, with its shabby, dated furniture, doesn't quite fit the elegance associated with landmark properties. The hotel draws couples, families, business and solo travelers, and is a natural choice for travelers catching early-morning trains.
Location
Convenient location next to the train station
Located opposite the train station, The Grand Hotel Swansea is a convenient choice for anyone with an early-morning train, but the neighborhood is rundown, and not one of the city’s finest. Still, the beaches
of the Gower Peninsula and Swansea Bay are easy to reach by car: It’s a about a 20-minute drive along the coast to The Mumbles, and scenic
Three Cliffs Bay is about a half-hour drive. The beaches of Rhossili are 45 minutes away by car. Swansea Airport is a 20-minute drive from the hotel.
Rooms
Some rooms have been refurbished, but renovations still underway in 2017
Renovated Standard Rooms are modern, with attractive natural wood furniture and stylish floor lamps, and bathrooms with fresh-looking beige walls and floor tiles. Striped carpets and checked chairs in tones of brown and beige prevail in the unrenovated rooms, which show signs of wear and tear, such as peeling wallpaper and dated, worn furniture. The two Penthouse Suites, located on the top floor, have pleasant terraces and outdoor hot tubs with scenic views of the city and hills beyond, but the rooms and bathrooms are not significantly larger than Standard Rooms. Minibars, only available in the Suites, are stocked on request. All rooms are air-conditioned and include flat-screen TVs, irons and ironing boards, hairdryers, robes and slippers, and free Wi-Fi.
Features
An on-site bar and restaurant, plus free Wi-Fi throughout
A buffet-style breakfast is served in the restaurant area for an extra fee -- guests don't give it particularly good reviews. The restaurant also serves bar food in the afternoons and evenings, as well as afternoon tea on some days of the week, and there's an attached sports bar, The Grand Tavern, which doesn't exactly fit the mold of the rest of this landmark property. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property.
