The Black Swan Hotel

The smile from reception as we walked in was a very encouraging indication to what turned out to be an excellent overnight stay. You can park right outside the 1746 inn to unload luggage and then drive round to the Wharf car park, from where you can walk back to the hotel in 5 minutes down Snuff Street. Devizes was a big snuff town in the 18th century. The stairs up to our room were clearly 18th century with a 90 degree turn and quite narrow step depth. This is NOT a criticism, just a warning that comes with a hotel of this age. Our room looked out over the Market Place and a couple of bus stops but there was minimal road noise. The double-bedded room was very clean and tidy with a large wardrobe, a quiet fan, television/wifi and a bathroom (with a shower) a couple of steps up from the floor. Milk and water were in a fridge on the landing just outside the door to the room. We slept very well indeed. Breakfast was just superb with a wide range of dishes available, not just the usual full English/Continental that is to often the case in the UK. We regretted not eating at the Black Swan in the evening. Service was very friendly and efficient. Given the small size of the hotel they do ask for visitors to book a breakfast time. A quick walk took me back to the car park and a drive back to the hotel that does involve a slight detour around the one-way system. Overall a very enjoyable and comfortable stay to celebrate my return to Devizes - having moved away in 1964. I was never old enough at the time to venture into the hotel, which is a feature of the Market Place. Note that you get a key to the front door so that if you are out late you can still get back to your room.