The Alverton, Truro UK | Hotel Review

The Alverton Hotel in Truro, Cornwall, is Truro’s top boutique hotel. Whilst staying in Falmouth, we took a little bus trip to Truro to see Richard E. Grant speaking about his new book at Hall for Cornwall. Since the show was going to end late, we decided to stay over, and I’m so glad we did. It was definitely the highlight of our trip thus far!

The Alverton Hotel was formerly a convent, and the management has worked hard to retain the feeling of ‘churchy’ spaces – small windows, winding staircases, stone hallways and candles. We booked a regular room including breakfast, but were lucky enough to get a complimentary upgrade, so we ended up with a huge room on the top-most floor. I assume this is because we were traveling in November, truly the off-season, and the hotel wasn’t full, but I really don’t know what prompted this bonus!

Location

Truro, with a population of about 19,000, is the transportation hub of Cornwall. Most bus and train routes will travel through Truro at some point in the journey. This certainly makes it a convenient place to stay. The Alverton Hotel is about a ten minute walk from downtown Truro, all very flat and on sidewalks. Crossing at the roundabouts is always a bit terrifying, but there are cross lights at most intersections. It was also an easy walk from The Alverton to Malpas, a village a little over 2 miles from Truro with lovely views of the river and nice restaurants.

About Truro

Truro itself is perhaps a bit less touristy than Falmouth. The shops are larger, including the big box stores Primark and Marks and Spencer. There are a few more chain restaurants, and a bit more traffic. But the cobblestone streets are quaint, and there are lots of independent coffee shops and boutiques. It is also the home to Hall for Cornwall, the social enterprise and the largest performance venue in Cornwall. it just recently went through a major upgrade, and is now a beautiful theatre space with three tiers of seating and a cafe/bar in the lobby. There will be something on stage almost all times of the year, so if you’re in Truro, I’d recommend checking out what’s playing.

The Alverton

Back to The Alverton – the staff were lovely. We arrived early, having taken the bus from Falmouth. (The U1 and U1A run every half hour Falmouth to Truro and back, and it takes a little less than an hour at £3.50 one-way for an adult). The reception staff gave us lots of suggestions of where to visit while in Truro (though they acknowledged that Falmouth is really Cornwall’s best little town!). They held our bags since our room wasn’t ready, and we were able to come back at 3pm for seamless check in.

The room was absolutely beyond expectations. A very comfortable king-size bed, rainfall shower and separate bath tub, a seating area, a desk by the window to get work done, and coffee, hot cocoa, and shortbread biscuits all in the room. The room felt modern and was very clean, without losing any of the character – and this would be said for the whole hotel. All of the communal spaces felt fresh and up to date, but with a clear sense of the charm of the old convent.

Spending more time in England? Check out the Brighton Arcade Pier in the off-season

Perhaps the most delightful part was how quiet it was. The nuns must have slept terribly well! We were on the top-most floor, so perhaps that had something to do with it. But really it was the quietest hotel room I have ever slept in. You couldn’t hear a thing except some noise from the road which wasn’t at all disruptive.

After arriving on a chilly, damp day, it was so nice to come into a room that was well heated, and had plenty of hot water. When the weather improved the following day, we were able to wander the grounds and gardens. Seeing palm trees amongst the fir trees is still a bit shocking!

Meals

Breakfast was included in our deal, and we could choose from the menu. The eggs benedict were very nice, and though you could order sides of fruit, toast, etc., the eggs didn’t come with any extras which was perfect for us. The restaurant is very highly rated, and if we’d stayed another night, afternoon tea would definitely have been on the menu!

This was a really excellent stay. The whole thing felt really high end without costing an arm and a leg. Our one night with breakfast was £141, which isn’t a steal, but doesn’t break the bank. And it was 100% worth it. I would go back in a second!

Heading to Truro? You can find out more about The Alverton here.

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