Pub with rooms Godalming, Surrey | The Swan Inn

Overview

A hip hotel meets gastropub concept has breathed new life into this impressively reincarnated 14^th-century inn, which rose out of ashes like a phoenix following a disastrous fire.

It provides all the charm of the country with modern, chic Manhattan-style rooms and suites, all of which are superbly appointed. Downstairs, there's a rustic-meets-contemporary bar area with wooden floor, chunky scrubbed tables and chairs, leather sofas and easy chairs fronting a blazing winter log fire, old village photos and modern prints, and a long, sleek bar lined with gleaming beer pumps.

Upham Inns have softened the look and feel of the place, adding rustic wood panelling, upholstered wall bench seating and shelves of books in the two informal dining areas. A cracking village pub - the atmosphere is relaxed and it's the place to peruse the papers over a pint of local ale.

Rooms from:

11 doubles: £129

Good to know

All credit cards accepted
Private & alfresco dining
Disabled access to pub/dining area
Parking available
Dog stay: £15 (beds & bowls)

Secret Garden

Tucked away at the back of the pub is a beautiful landscaped terraced garden - decked out with urns, teak tubs, terracotta pots and upmarket benches and brollies it makes a perfect alfresco dining option.

Rooms

It was an upstairs function room that bore the brunt of the fire and from this space eleven contemporary bedrooms have been created, with 21st-century mod cons.

All the Standard, Superior and Executive rooms are individually furnished and air-conditioned, plus you can expect muted, earthy colours, plasma screens (Sky), big beds with upholstered headboards, quality linen and colourful throws and modern furnishings. Stylish tiled bathrooms come with walk-in showers or power showers over baths, Algotherm toiletries, fluffy bathrobes, slippers and posh basins - some have two basins. Dogs are welcome overnight with beds and bowls provided.

Book the executive suite for a spacious lounge area, stairs to a mezzanine level and the bed, and access to a balcony with super views across the fabulous terraced garden.

Restaurant & bar

A seasonally changing menu is served throughout the pub and makes sound use of fresh, local and seasonal produce and successfully balances the traditional and modern.

You'll find beer battered haddock, classic burgers (chargrilled short rib with smoked cheese, smoked bacon, chips, relish and pickles) and 35-day aged steaks with all the trimmings and a choice of sauces - try the peppercorn.

Share a baked camembert, studded with rosemary and garlic and served with onion jam, for starters and If you have room for a pudding, try the dark chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream. Delicious Sunday roasts, homemade breads and ice creams, tip-top beers, and a raft of boutique spirits and wines complete the pleasing picture.

Things to do

Secretts Farm Shop at Milford is crammed with fruit, vegetables, herbs and salads picked in the market garden each day. The extensive delicatessen offers 300 cheeses, cooked meats, salads and delicious individual dishes prepared in the kitchens.

Loose yourself in the tranquil hillside woodland, wander amongst the award-winning collection of thousands of rare shrubs and trees, and think yourself into New England in the fall - the National Trust's Winkworth Arboretum is most famous for autumn hues, but magnolias, cherries, azaleas and bluebells ensure year-round colour.

Petworth's magnificent late 17th-century country house, set in a 700-acre deer park, is home to The National Trust's finest collection of pictures with numerous works by Turner, Van Dyck, Reynolds and Blake. The servants' quarters contain fascinating kitchens and outside, the grounds, which can be enjoyed by walkers, were landscaped by 'Capability' Brown and immortalised in Turner's paintings.