The Black Swan Inn
The Black Swan Inn descritpion
A 3-minute walk from Alnwick Castle, The Black Swan Inn offers en suite rooms alongside a bar and restaurant. There is free Wi-Fi at this town centre pub on Narrowgate.
Each room has a flat-screen TV, desk and tea and coffee facilities. Each has an en suite bathroom with a shower, hairdryer and toiletries, some of which also have a spa bath.
The Black Swan bar and restaurant serves a range of food, and provides live entertainment every night.
Alnwick Playhouse theatre and the Alnwick Garden are among the local attractions 5-15 minutes’ walk away. The town is around 25 minutes’ drive from Northumberland National Park and around 40 minutes from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.
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Facilities of The Black Swan Inn
Outdoors ：Terrace
Activities ：Karaoke | Nightclub/DJ | Evening Entertainment
Food & Drink ：Restaurant | Bar | Snack Bar | Special Diet Meals (upon request)
Services ：Packed Lunches | Baggage Storage | Private Check-in/Check-out | Shared Lounge/TV Area | Fax/Photocopying
General ：Non-smoking Rooms | Heating | All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private) | Designated Smoking Area
Reviews for The Black Swan Inn
Review 1：There were a few things that happened that were resolved but marred things a bit - no hairdryer in the room (the lady promptly ran off to the shops to get one!) and no hot water on first night due to a problem with a water tank (so we couldn't use our spa bath). We also had to put up with a very loud burglar alarm going off in another building from 1am - 4am. Not the hotel's fault but not great in terms of getting a good night's sleep! What I do think the hotel could improve on is the general attention to detail. It wasn't the cleanest in our room (the spa bath room) and I really think, at £110 per night, some nice toiletries and drinks wouldn't go amiss. Sachets of shampoo and a tiny bar of soap feel more like a hostel than a hotel/guest house and smacked of tight-fistedness!
Review 2：The staff are excellent, really friendly and welcoming and couldn't do enough for us. Definitely a credit to the hotel. The food is delicious - we had the pie on the first evening - and the breakfast was tasty too. The pub has a good atmosphere and feel about it.
Review 3：The room was relatively small however this did not impact greatly on our stay.
Review 4：Location was fab, price for NYE was perfect and staff were extremely friendly and helpful.
Review 5：Impression that inn was run down.ie loose bannister, no latch on bedroom window so window was partially open, no butter at breakfast, although breakfast order was taken the evening before the breakfast was not as ordered.
Review 6：Friendliness and helpfulness of staff. Central location & parking.
Review 7：The bathroom was not very clean, toilet was dirty and floor. Room was very small no wardrobe facility
Review 8：The staff were very friendly and helpful, breakfast was really nice
Review 9：Good location-parking at back of pub-The rooms are on the top floor but the bedrooms and bathrooms are very small-friendly staff and very helpful-very good breakfast
Review 10：The corridor up to the room was very dark and gloomy. It felt like we had made a mistake until we reached the room which was decent
Review 11：The spa bath was excellent
Review 12：Came back and the room hadn't been made up!! Not impressed. The girl was very apologetic and gave us towels etc but not really good enough. Was then given platitudes by the manager saying you had to request to have your room cleaned as someone complained about their room being cleaned previously. It was in the hotel room book we were told - it wasn't!!!
Review 13：The staff were friendly and the breakfast was excellent - best kippers ever!!!
Review 14：problems with parking. The pub is on a busy road through town and parking is at the back......but you don't get told until you arrive.....would be good to have instructions beforehand.
Review 15：Friendly and good breakfast.
Review 16：My bedroom was small for a double. it was cold during the night with no spare blanket. The window blind came down and then wouldn't go up. No heating on for a cold night. Shower area very small!Itr
Review 17：Bar arera
Review 18：Town was not what I expected, issues with noise and disturbance. Parking spaces are difficult to find, overnight parking could be a problem. Mattress felt cheap and flimsy
Review 19：Spa bath. Approachable manager. Breakfast Kippers were fantastic
Review 20：Paint was peeling from ceiling above our bed but that was the only bad thing.
Review 21：Great for the castle and gardens. We did the castle and the treehouse restaurant. Also a couple doors up from a bar called dirty bottles that was excellent. Bath was awesome!!!!!!!!!!
Review 22：The rooms and ensuite were incredibly small. For what was provided, the cost was excessive. Room was really uncomfortable, you had to go along a wall to try access the bed - would not stay here again
Review 23：Staff very friendly, good location
Review 24：Bannister and other bits missing from second floor and room respectively. We were supposed to have ordered breakfast by 830 prior evening. We booked in early for 15 mins but no forms to do so and we didn't realise as were out from 1 til 2300 We could order so,no,harm done but just a thought to draw attention to.
Review 25：Location, staff, food.
Review 26：Cramped bedroom with cheap fixtures and fittings in the bathroom.
Review 27：The friendliness and helpful attitude of the staff. The breakfasts and beer great. A lively happy feel to the bar area in the evenings.
Review 28：noisy, noisy , noisy - fighting patrons loudly at midnight - quite frightening to hear room basic but toilet paper was large roll sitting on floor (from commercial dispenser)
Review 29：nothing
Review 30：Booked a small double and it was very bijou. Bed was too soft for my liking but it is a personal preference.
Review 31：Friendly staff and recently refurbished rooms with soft fluffy towels. Great location, Alnwick Castle just 2 minutes walk away.
Review 32：not to keen on giving a correct reciept.
Review 33：first day breakfast lots of bacon and sausage second day only one thin measley sausage and a measley piece of bacon.
Review 34：The stairs to the rooms, difficult to negotiate with luggage.
Review 35：The Staff, always helpful and willing to put themselves out to help. The food of an excellent standard.
Review 36：Bedroom and bathroom were very tiny - not even enough room to get dried properly after showering Photos on website flatter the facilities
Review 37：Clean tidy hotel, friendly staff, excellent breakfast Room very clean if a little small
Review 38：Very small room & very warm. No password for wifi given in welcome book. No toiletries apart from two sachets of shampoo. Really annoyed that when we got back at 11:30pm we were told it was too late to buy a drink (we only wanted a soft drink) When I was reading the welcome book later on it stated the bar was open til 12pm.
Review 39：Breakfast and location.
Review 40：The shower pressure is non existent when other guests are using their bathing facilities. The road through the village is used by the locals as a bit of a race track and was noisy.
Review 41：The breakfasts were very nice freshly cooked and served promptly
Review 42：It was dirty. Lights, Wi-Fi, extractor fan didn't work. Bathroomaccessories were all broken, breakfast was poor and the owner refused tocome and talk to us and left by the back door and refused to come back.
Review 43：Nothing
Review 44：Room 2 has a door that doesn't open many inches before it bumps into the bed. In the bathroom the sink is the smallest I've seen; the kettle wouldn't fit under the tap.
Review 45：The location is good, as it takes only minutes to walk into town or to the bus station.
Review 46：I have only one small gripe the food was served on cold plates,this is a personal thing.
Review 47：The location was perfect,the staff very helpful and polite and it was a nice pub.
Review 48：A little noisy late in the evening as can be expected from the pub environment.
Review 49：Staff accommodated brilliantly. The location was perfect for our trip, close to all the main attractions. Breakfast was really good with a substantial choice.
Review 50：Very small room, very noisy at night while pub open. The room was very hot but if the window was open the sound of the generator was very loud.
Review 51：Good location
Review 52：The spar room was on the main road through town and due to the heat, we needed to have the window open which was very noisy.
Review 53：From the outside it does not look so inviting, but inside the welcome we received was very good and so helpful, there is a great atmosphere and the staff are all very pleasant.
Review 54：Staff very Friendly, Nothing was a problem. Breakfast was lovely just what we needed after a wedding the night before. Pub was full when we came back from wedding, no problems as quiet quickly. Definitely stay again.
Review 55：Room far to small Staff not passing on our early breakfast request, despite taking down all the details
Review 56：Location Great Wi-Fi Staff - helping us get parked
Review 57：Room was small, sink in the bathroom tiny! As clearly stated on the property description, there is no onsite parking but there is a free car-park ~200m away,
Review 58：Good location ,breakfast was good, room clean and reasonably comfortable, good towels
Review 59：non-double glazed window and outside street noise we couldnt get extractor fan in bathroom working staff didnt explain car parking situation very well (parking discs in operation)
Review 60：friendly staff food was good in pub downstairs
Review 61：Unfortunately disco played until midnight hence we decided to drive home. Not charged for room or meal proprietor very apologetic. Would still stay there but probably not on a weekend.
Review 62：Food excellent and staff very friendly.
Review 63：Small room and the door rubbed against the bed uponopening/closing. Two flights of stairs to the room not for olderfolk. Small shower but adequate.
Review 64：Terrible value for money, the wifi barely worked, and when it did I had to sit in the corridor to use it. The shower kept falling out of its holder. The room was tiny. My hash brown at breakfast looked like it had already had a bite taken out of it.
Review 65：The staff were very friendly and the location was superb, just round the corner from the castle.
Review 66：Daily booking of Breakfast for the following day. Also repeatedly having to request the room to be serviced during a week long stay, as they do it if asked rather than as a matter of routine.
Review 67：Spa Bath. Friendliness and helpfulness of staff, particularly problem solver Karen.
Review 68：our only complaint would be the size of the hand-basin far to small,ended up washing hands and face in shower.
Review 69：friendly staff, good food,clean room and a really good breakfast. value for money.
Review 70：The room was sold on the promise of a spa bath with changing lights to set different moods. We couldn't get it to work. The toilet roll holder was not there. The towel holder was not there. The sink did not drain properly. The Wifi in our room didn't work though it did work in the bar.
Review 71：Pub was fantastic and had lots of character. Staff were wonderful. Couldn't have done more to help us.
Review 72：The only downside is that room 1 is on the road so you do get traffic noise (if you live in a town/city this will not bother you).
Review 73：Staff were very welcoming. Food was good. Room was small but did the job. On our last night we were upgraded to Room 1 which had a Jacuzzi bath. Entertainment every night.
Review 74：up 2 flights of stairs but that coudnt be helped but would be difficult if you had health problems
Review 75：really interesting place really quirky much better than plain old hotels which are all the sameand very nice staff had evening meals in pub which were reasonable and good
Review 76：Bathroom looked like it hadn't been bottomed - around taps grubby, kettle and flex dusty. In need of a little TLC.
Review 77：Food was excellent as was the staff team.
Review 78：this was not,i repeat not value for money.the bedroom was very very small,shower was not very clean,breakfast was only luke warm.
Review 79：Easy access for town visit.bed was very comfy.
Review 80：3 flights of stairs to get to b'room. Not at all suitable for person with walking problems. This was not indicated any where.
Review 81：Staff were cheerful and breakfast was very good
Review 82：Nothing bad to say at all.
Review 83：Andy the barman/staff member was truly fantastic couldn't have been more helpful if he had tried more. The spa bath and shower was a welcome relief at the end of a long drive, comfortable little room, can't fault the staff, can't fault the accommodation nor the served breakfast.
Review 84：Breakfast was a little bit of let down,no toast with breakfast got toasted buns.And no white sugar, and girl serving seemed like she couldn't be bothered.
Review 85：It was really close to Alnwick castle that we we're there for.
Review 86：The doom was tiny - couldn't open door because bed in the way Shower and wash basin dirty Continental breakfast was toast Very rowdy noisy pub
Review 87：Central location
Review 88：Nothing comes to mind.
Review 89：We were so well looked after, even given an upgrade at no extra charge. The breakfast was great and more than enough. Staff were welcoming and friendly and made sure we had everything we wanted. A great base for touring the local area.
Review 90：The room was far too small ,no wardrobe or chair ,very thin blind at window which didn't cut out any light, the bathroom had no shelf to put toiletries on and the room wasn't cleaned just tea and coffee replenished but the dirty cups were left and the bin wasn't emptied, on the whole very disappointing and over priced.
Review 91：the staff were friendly and breakfast was ok
Review 92：This was the smallest bedroom and bathroom we've had in any hotel in years - about as small, or smaller, than being on a rivercruise
Review 93：On-site restaurant and bar
Review 94：Bedrooms to small, how two people are supposed to fit in the double rooms, I don't know. Rooms are far to small . No parking is another problem. Very noisy with music blearing out till midnight.
Review 95：Good location for seeing town
Review 96：The room could have been cleaner. When we arrived it had been cleaned but there was still a good layer of dust visible on the wardrobe. I stay in lots of different hotels regularly and it is standard for rooms to be serviced daily however the room didn't get serviced whilst we stayed (3 nights) and we needed to ask for fresh towels, an essential when there is a super spa bath to enjoy. We were woken early every morning due to the rosdsweeper Olympics taking place right outside our window. They must have the cleanest streets in the country in Alnwick. Back and forth over and over again. The sound magnified due to the narrowness of the street by the BS.
Review 97：This area of the country is fabulous and we were lucky with the weather being sunny and warm. The people at the Black Swan were very friendly snd helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Big old fashioned cooked breakfasts were excellent. Wednesday night quiz night was fun. Spa bath was lovely and relaxing and big enough for two with room to spare.
Review 98：Apart from a couple areas that needed cleaning can't really complain - perhaps needs a lick of paint and general makeover!
Review 99：Food really good - homemade chunky chips with steak n ale pie. Liked the traditional pub character and great location right next to castle
Review 100：Room so compact needed one at a time movement system. Steep steps so not suitable for some.
Review 101：Friendly staff. Interesting old pub used by excise officers, Robbie Burns used it. Priest hole. Two ghosts as non-paying residents: a man and a child. Possible passages to castle 50 metres away. Decent breakfasts.
Review 102：The atmosphere was fantastic like a friendly warm welcome pub. Thestaff are friendly and make you feel extremely welcome, must sayAndy was fabulous and very friendly and would make any person feelreally welcome, fantastic job he done, and we stayed in room withjacuzzi in room wow this is a must for relaxing and unwindingpeaceful night. Overall 200% would recommend again and we will bestaying again real soon
Review 103：Room was rather small and it was difficult to fill the travel sized kettle in the tiny wash basin. Shower cubicle was a little dirty around the outside edges.
Review 104：Great location, welcoming staff and comfy bed. The breakfast was huge, and very delicious! We had a view of the castle from our bedroom window.
Review 105：We stayed when it was karaoke night so there was a bit of noise coming from downstairs but that was perfectly understandable. Although the food was lovely it was a bit of a limited choice
Review 106：Was in a perfect location to Alnwick castle and gardens and the town centre. The spa bath was amazing and just what we needed after a long day of travelling and walking. The staff were incredible and provided everything we needed. The location of it being above a pub was convenient because we could have dinner and a few drinks there. They had a good value for money deal with he meal too!
Review 107：although clean the room was still over priced for £80 room small basic could do with some glasses in the room to fill up the kettle as it did not fit under the tap
Review 108：liked the food and staff ,location
Review 109：ust a couple of niggles, no mattress protector, the room was the smallest I have ever stayed in and the room bin was full on arrival. Nothing major but little things that could be sorted (obviously not the room size)
Review 110：The bed was comfortable and the shower was nice and hot. The breakfast was also very nice. Staff were friendly and the pub was very clean.
Review 111：No wardrobe in the bedroom. Bathroom very small. No toilet paper in the bathroom. Workmen started bèfore 8am.
Review 112：Location for our purpose of stay. Staff very friendly.
Review 113：Amazing stay. Staff couldnt have been more helpful. Room was clean and comfortable. Spa bath was a fantastic bonus. Food was amazing. Will definitely stay again
Review 114：To be honest we had a 2 night stay 20th/21st Feb the room wasn't huge but very clean and the bed was comfy there's nothing to fault!
Review 115：We found all the staff exceptionally helpful and polite the food was good and everyone we met from the Manager, Bar Staff and Chef all had a smile on their faces. We would definitely stay again.
Review 116：There was parking on the premises and the place did not look very good from the outside could do with a lick of paint. The room was very small could not get two people round the bed at the same time . And they stop serving food at 9.30 .
Review 117：The staff and owner where very nice and helpful . The room was very clean and had good views from your bedroom window . And it was lovely and warm .
Review 118：Little noisey at night but it is a town centre location so to be expected.didnt bother me.
Review 119：The location was perfect, a pub with charm, little rough round the edges but worth the money, friendly polite helpful staff, nice room, close to attractions.
Review 120：Room far too small for two adults. Washbasin was so small you couldn't even fill kettle let alone wash! Noise from bar so loud until 12 couldn't sleep. Had to be up early so wasn't good. Should have mentioned that would be a problem then we would have booked elsewhere. Disappointing.
Review 121：View from room was good. Food in bar was excellent. Staff friendly and helpful. Breakfast good too.
Review 122：We had nothing to complain about on our trip and can't fault anything about the black swan. Don't let negative posts put you off try it for yourself.
Review 123：My wife and I have just had a fantastic weekend at the black swan. From arrival to departure staff made every effort to ensure we were happy and nothing was to much trouble. Bedroom was clean warm and comfortable with the added bonus of a spa bath which was amazing. Breakfast set us up for the day with cereal, tea,toast and a large english breakfast. We will definitely be back.
Review 124：Room too small couldn't open the door for the bed. Steep and narrow staircase. Shower tray filled up while showering. Radiator wouldn't turn off so to hot. No key to get in and out of main door. not much leeway for breakfast time 9-10am to late in my opinion as wanted to get back on the road.
Review 125：comfy bed, clean. Breakfast good.
Review 126：Wonderful stay at the black swan. Spa bath was amazing! Beds are comfortable, staff are lovely and a credit to the black swan. The food and atmosphere of the pub is brilliant! Definitely will be returning!
Review 127：Very small room. Not much hanging space. Very small ensuite and tiny sink.
Review 128：petfect location slap in the old part right next to the castle. Bed was comfy, room was clean. Ideal for a one night stay. Excellent breakfast and very nice coffee.
Review 129：Kippers at breakfast were disgusting don't order!! Full English, cereals and fruit were lovely.
Review 130：Friendly staff, location good and went to tree house for dinner best restaurant so far.
Review 131：The room was very small and I also didn't like the fact that the entrance to the rooms was past the ladies toilets. Also the door to the bedrooms should of been locked as I feel the rooms were vulnerable to anyone using the toilets.
Review 132：The food was very nice and very friendly staff. The accommodation was very clean and tidy.
Review 133：Being on a curfew as they lock up at 12 and if your not back you have to ring someone !!!
Review 134：The bar itself is in a good location within walking distance of the town
Review 135：Wifi did not work in room and was not working anywhere on Sunday morning. Minuscule washbasin, totally inadequate and impossible to fill kettle. No staff for 9am breakfast, had to wait until 9.10 to be served and then it took 45 minutes. The kippers had to be re cooked as they were partially raw and cold.
Review 136：Comfortable bed Good shower Good TV Tea and Coffee making facilities Helpful staff
Review 137：Small room Very small bathroom No hairdryer
Review 138：Friendly and helpful staff Good breakfast Good central location Attractive view across roof towards castle
Review 139：No key to front door so we had to be in by 12.30 every night when the bar shut. Room was very small (room 3)
Review 140：Very!!! comfortable beds staff freindly Nice food Beds made every day fresh towel every day
Review 141：I have no complaints at all
Review 142：The room was lovely very clean and modern,shower was great, staff were really lovely very chatty the bar on the evening was lively which is what we wanted and the full English was good I would certainly stay here again
Review 143：The room and shower room were too small for 2 people. The pub is very lively, it was Karaoke night which was noisy until 11.30pm.
Review 144：The staff were very helpful sorting parking and wifi problems. The situation is convenient for local attractions. The food is good.