Nice enough B&B, although the room I had was very small. Excellent breakfast. However, for the same price as B&B here you can get dinner, bed & breakfast at a nearby three star hotel. Rivendell doesn’t have a hotel’s flexibility either. In fact they have the most unreasonable terms and conditions of booking that I’ve ever seen. One friend couldn't come with us as booked, and they charged the whole fee for her stay (including all the uneaten breakfasts) even though the place wasn't full and the cancellation was made in good time. It would have been just about acceptable for them to take for one night (but even then, that's more than a hotel would have charged), but the whole fee for the whole period! No way! Over-priced and inflexible. Avoid.
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Rivendell Guest House – reviews, photos
58 Kings Rd W, Swanage BH19 1HR, England
18 traveller photos
London, United Kingdom
2 reviews
“Money-grabbing management”
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Stayed October 2011, travelled with friends
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Value
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
kevin egan, Owner at Rivendell Guest House, responded to this review
4 November 2011
This is the second review left by this guest; the first had to be removed by tripadvisor.
The room was single occupancy in a twin room with ensuite facilities, so one lady in a room designed for two.
Our ‘inflexibility ‘consisted of us accommodating you with an early continental breakfast and then provided a cooked breakfast for both you and your friend. Gave a FREE upgrade of a double room to your friend etc etc.
With regard to the cancellation, we waited up until 12.45am for the guest to arrive, heated a room, catered for them and were then casualy told the next day that it had apparently been cancelled? The 3rd party who booked it did not notify us verbally or in writing that this room had been cancelled and it was only when we made contact with them on the second day of the stay that we were met with a barrage of verbal disgruntlement .As the booking was for 3 days we had not been told that the guest may still be arriving for some of their stay. This party has now taken offence to having to pay. We had no opportunity to try to relet the room and avoid a charge to the third party.
Our terms and conditions are clearly stated and were agreed to by the party who made the booking and for your information the party who made the booking on your behalf was more than happy to negotiate the price you paid for your double room at single occupancy and in fact thought it was remarkably reasonable for the service we offer. We were told that they were happy to take responsibility for any cancelled bookings and were covered by insurance when we suggested that this might be advisable when booking rooms on behalf of other parties. They REFUSED the option to have us contact individuals for their details so that no liability would lay with them.
It never ceases to amaze us hoteliers that even when we inform and try our best to protect our guests against these unfortunate situations, the knives come out and you try and discredit us. We are a business and have to have measures to protect ourselves.
The room was single occupancy in a twin room with ensuite facilities, so one lady in a room designed for two.
Our ‘inflexibility ‘consisted of us accommodating you with an early continental breakfast and then provided a cooked breakfast for both you and your friend. Gave a FREE upgrade of a double room to your friend etc etc.
With regard to the cancellation, we waited up until 12.45am for the guest to arrive, heated a room, catered for them and were then casualy told the next day that it had apparently been cancelled? The 3rd party who booked it did not notify us verbally or in writing that this room had been cancelled and it was only when we made contact with them on the second day of the stay that we were met with a barrage of verbal disgruntlement .As the booking was for 3 days we had not been told that the guest may still be arriving for some of their stay. This party has now taken offence to having to pay. We had no opportunity to try to relet the room and avoid a charge to the third party.
Our terms and conditions are clearly stated and were agreed to by the party who made the booking and for your information the party who made the booking on your behalf was more than happy to negotiate the price you paid for your double room at single occupancy and in fact thought it was remarkably reasonable for the service we offer. We were told that they were happy to take responsibility for any cancelled bookings and were covered by insurance when we suggested that this might be advisable when booking rooms on behalf of other parties. They REFUSED the option to have us contact individuals for their details so that no liability would lay with them.
It never ceases to amaze us hoteliers that even when we inform and try our best to protect our guests against these unfortunate situations, the knives come out and you try and discredit us. We are a business and have to have measures to protect ourselves.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
London
Senior Contributor
“Needs to be better value”
We stayed recently for one night in one of the "superior" doubles. The room was clean, and service, including the decent breakfast, couldn't be faulted, but at GBP 88 in the back end of the season, with a bathroom which was small and shower-only, we felt better value could be had. Could be that we took the last room available and that Swanage still gets its share of visitors at end of October, but the number of B&Bs in town with Vacancies would refute that. Would I stay there again or recommend it to others? Yes and yes but not at the same price.
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Stayed October 2011, travelled as a couple
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kevin egan, Owner at Rivendell Guest House, responded to this review
3 November 2011
Thank you for your review, the request was for the best room we had which was one of our slightly more expensive rooms at £88.00 for 2 people to include super king size bed, bath robes, and complimentary items, full breakfast ect. There was also a standard double room offered at £80.00
You will find most guesthouses now would offer shower facilities as opposed to baths, as most are converted houses and do not have the luxury of purpose built rooms which can offer spacious bathrooms which tend to be found more in hotels. As it happens we have 2 rooms with baths as well as showers, but both these rooms were already booked.
We are AA 4 star highly commended with an AA breakfast award and feel that we offer an exceptional service with attention to detail which is reflected in our price, which is competitive to other establishments in Swanage who are of a similar standard to us. In fact you could pay more to stay in some establishments who are not graded at all or who are of a lesser standard than us. We do not have a winter rate as we maintain a very high standard throughout the year, though we do sometimes have special offers.
It was October half term and Swanage is still very busy, though vacancy signs will still be showing in guest houses as we are not always 100% full for the whole week.
You will find most guesthouses now would offer shower facilities as opposed to baths, as most are converted houses and do not have the luxury of purpose built rooms which can offer spacious bathrooms which tend to be found more in hotels. As it happens we have 2 rooms with baths as well as showers, but both these rooms were already booked.
We are AA 4 star highly commended with an AA breakfast award and feel that we offer an exceptional service with attention to detail which is reflected in our price, which is competitive to other establishments in Swanage who are of a similar standard to us. In fact you could pay more to stay in some establishments who are not graded at all or who are of a lesser standard than us. We do not have a winter rate as we maintain a very high standard throughout the year, though we do sometimes have special offers.
It was October half term and Swanage is still very busy, though vacancy signs will still be showing in guest houses as we are not always 100% full for the whole week.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Herts
Contributor
“What a pleasure to stay!”
Our first stay at The Rivendell and will certainly not be our last! We love Swanage and this is our best find by far.
Good location for the town and the beach although we did find parking a bit of a problem.
Our room was lovely and the bed very comfortable. Bathroom a bit small but not complaining.
Breakfasts are superb! So much choice . Would definitely recommend.
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Stayed August 2011, travelled as a couple
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newport gwent
1 review
“I tell everyone i know about The Rivendell in Swanage”
Our third visit in four years was again wonderful. We visited during The swanage Carnival. What a week loads to do, including The Red Arrows. Kevin and Lyn kept us up to date of everything available to us.Every morning was a sensory overload at breakfast. Everything locally supplied , and a great choice. You don`t have to have a set cooked breakfast! If you want eggs, do you want scambled, poached, fried or boiled ? Do you want two? Our daughter Sophia had pancakes six out of seven days, sometimes with lemon,golden syrup or maple syrup.Our room was lovely, it was homely and at the end of a lovely day on the beach we relaxed thinking we were in our own beds, My mum and and dad are going to pay a visit to The Rivindell- I can assure you, my life would be Hell if it wasn`t as good as I had promised them. Enjoy Britain and maybe start with Swanage, only a short ferry ride(5 minutes) from Sandbanks , We are positive you will tell your friends that you have had a great time at The Rivendell-SWANAGE
Room Tip: Ring and ask Kevin or Lyn
See more room tips
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Stayed August 2011, travelled with family
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Gloucestershire
1 review
“Fantastic B & B”
Very warm welcome, beautifully decorated rooms, plenty of tea & coffee in your room, fantastic breakfast with all the works.
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Stayed August 2011, travelled as a couple
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Value
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Additional Information about Rivendell Guest House
58 Kings Rd W, Swanage BH19 1HR, England
Price range (per night):*
INR3,921 - 8,009
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