The Alexander Hotel in Swansea, Wales

To Stay or Not to Stay?

As indecisive as I am, it took me weeks to find what I was looking for. I scoured the internet searching for low-cost hotels in Swansea, hotels in Wales and in particular, cheap hotels in Swansea.

I was looking for a good hotel, easily accessible to both the town centre and the beach, somewhere that was more than 4 hours away from home. I didn’t dare to search for guest houses near me, I wanted to be far away from home.

I needed a quick getaway and as half-term quickly crept up on me, this was a perfect time.

Choosing Swansea

Swansea was the perfect location. It was 5 hours away from London, not too close but not too far, had a gorgeous beach I was yet to explore, the trip was within my budget of £150, and it was somewhere I had never been before. I finally chose to stay at The Alexander Hotel.

Good reviews, great pictures and an excellent location, all while being within walking distance to the beach, and not too far from town. It was exactly what I was looking for. I had to trade Booking.com for Agoda.com because The Alexander Hotel was fully booked. Luckily, I managed to save £30 by altering my dates slightly and going with Agoda.

Two hours in on our coach drive, I received a welcome email from The Alexander Hotel. The email explained the details regarding the key collection, and the instructions regarding key codes and boxes, and checking in and out times.

At this point, I started to panic slightly as I did not realise this was an un-hosted hotel or a guest house without reception! This would be my first time staying in an un-hosted hotel.

Bed Impressions

It was a half an hour’s walk from the bus/coach station and by the time we arrived at our hotel we were dripping with sweat. We never imagined it would be so warm. We finally arrived at the Alexander Hotel and as I approached the front door, I was seemingly unimpressed.

I collected our keys and walked up one flight of stairs to get to our room.

We open the door and I followed in behind my son. The first thing I noticed was the bed. I had specifically chosen a superior room and had requested two single beds, but obviously, my request was ignored. The bed was not made to perfection like I’m used to seeing at other hotels and although I didn’t mind the room itself, I was not 100% impressed.

Our room looked clean, and that was my main concern. Nevertheless, we washed our hands and took out our anti-bacterial surface wipes and began to give the room a ‘clean over’. As we looked around and out of our window, we could see the beautiful sea far back, which already had me mesmerized.

This immediately calmed my anxiety. The bathroom was clean, neat and modern and I was impressed with the style and décor, and couldn’t wait to take a hot shower. We put our bags down, unpacked some of our clothes, and one after the other, had a shower, and then we both had a quick nap.

The bed was so soft, so comfy, I felt like I was sleeping on a giant marshmallow! Our short nap quickly turned into a few hours of sleep. We had a microwave and a small fridge outside of our room was which both clean and convenient.

Overall, our stay at The Alexander hotel was quite pleasant. Although I had expected a larger room, I was comfortable, the room was clean, and I was very impressed with the extra available amenities. With an average of 3.5-star rating, I would most definitely return. This is with the hopes of additional improvements made.

The only thing I’m not so sure how I feel about, was the fact the we didn’t meet the owners once! We were given key pick up instructions via email, but having been my first time staying in this kind of property, I like it… I think!

However, I would most likely return!

With Love,

Siobhan Patrina

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