My wife’s 30th.. Fancy website and reassuringly expensive, so expected what I saw online. didn’t get it, walked the whole hotel trying to convince ourselves to stay. The smell of hospital disinfectant everywhere, not a single item of furniture matching in the room, TV smaller than my mobile phone, bathroom smelt of mould, broken windows in the gym, very strange... more

Horrible place, hugely overpriced. Very dishonest manager. I booked over the phone and the rates quoted were per person not per room. The room that we got was disgusting, with pealing wall paper, dirty, dark and with plastic dirty walls in the bathroom imitating marble. Very average food and service. A real rip off. The location is stunning, shame that... more

On reading all the reviews was dreading going- what a fantastic surprise- on arrival was greeted by a wondeful receptionist- who we later discovered was the manager.( Nice to see the manager involved with guests and working on the front desk) Our room was adeqate- to be honest probaly do need a bit of updating -but was perfectly comfortable, the... more

Our double bedroom with sea view - which was anything but cheap - was extremely pokey and the decor was a disgrace. The bath was badly stained and everything was shabby. This hotel, which is beautifully located with superb views of the bay, needs serious money spent on it. When we complained about our room, the receptionist thanked us for... more

Stayed for 2 nights the 6/7/9 and 7/7/9 at the Grand Hotel. We had 2 rooms, one single and one twin. PROS- The twin room was very spacious and had a lot of storage space. The view was also excellent, even though it costed £30 supplement each night. The food was excellent, although very limited as the menu was the... more

Having read all the bad reveiws on The Grand Hotel I decided to cancell . We were meant to stay for the August Bank holiday three nights half board for £630.00 not cheap by all means. Only to find that the deposit of £252.00 was non refundable. No where on their web site did they disclose this, the only option... more

Luna London's review: "Grandly overpriced" is bang on the money. We stayed in a room with, agreed, a wonderful majestic view of Swanage Bay, but that really was the sole good point of this hotel, charging £170 a night for a double bed and breakfast - daylight robbery. The website looks amazing, but the reality will disappoint. The bathrooms are... more

First, the pros: great location and wonderful views of the bay, attractive gardens and conservatory. However, they are about the only good things about this place, which shows what a lack of competition can cause. Amazingly, this is apparently the best hotel in the town, so it does not have to raise its game and, boy, does it show. It... more

The Grand has the most wonderful view of Swanage Bay from its conservatory. We stayed in a room with a balcony - a beautiful room with wonderful view, but the bathroom!!! Shabby, cramped, the towel rail was dangerously hot all the time and the plumbing is in dire need of updating. The hotel is friendly, although a little old fashioned,... more