Hotel: Pear Tree at Purton (Hotels in Swindon in general)

Member Name: JGimpFood

Product:	Hotels in Swindon in general
Date:	30/08/00 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relaxing and comfortable hotel, with friendly staff and excellent food

Disadvantages: None

Located just outside Swindon in the village of Purton, The Pear Tree at Purton is a small hotel located in a converted rectory.

Originally opened just over 10 years ago by a couple with impressive hotel industry credentials, the hotel has grown from initially being a restaurant to the current 18 rooms. The emphasis is firmly and squarely on lokking after the customer - not "customer service" or any other industry hype, but actually genuinely looking after the customer. After 3 solid months of staying in various hotels in and around Swindon, I can honestly say it's the only hotel where all of the staff were genuinely friendly, and genuinely pleased to help, all of the time.

The small size of the hotel, and the uniquely helpful attitude of the staff set it apart from the rest, as do several other touches. Each room has it's own character, and is named after a person associated with the Pear Tree over it's history. The ethos of being different continues when you get to the room; a decanter of sherry, a bowl of fruit, a bottle of mineral water, biscuits and mints are all included in the room price, and there's no feeling that the hotel are trying to screw every last penny out of you. Yes, the hotel is not "cheap", but the price is the same as every other business hotel in the area, and the quality is far in excess of the others, in every regard. They even provide a copy of the Radio Times in each room, so you can plan your viewing (no pay-TV, but several satellite channels, including 2 movie channels - again, no extra charge).

A review of the Pear Tree at Purton would not be complete without mentioning the restaurant. The food is simply superb, and far better even that "name" London Restaurants like the Conran Coast. A fixed price (notice a theme here?) menu offers a wide choice of contemporary British cuisine. Good food, solid, sensible food, but wildly imaginative too.

In short, a hotel
where you really can relax, where the staff genuinely care about *you* personally, and where the quality of everything is absolutely first rate.

Am I raving about the place? Yes, but as I'm a fussy so-and-so, I'm confident you'll rave after a stay there. And no, I'm not on paybacks for this review!

Summary: