The Bell Hotel, Saxmundham

Comfortable room - Netflix on the TV!

All good.

Lovely rooms , great staff and excellent food!

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Had a lovely stay. The food was amazing, especially dinner and breakfast. The room was comfortable and clean, and all the staff were friendly, welcoming and attentive. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and would happily stay again.

The location was not ideal but that is a matter of personal preference and not something that can be changed. Other than that, everything was excellent and I have no complaints at all.

Friendly and helpful staff

There was an intermittent pump or fan like noise all night long audible in our room #1 that kept me awake

Dinner and breakfast were excellent. Very nice obliging staff. Very nicely decorated and appointed room.

My room was a little noisy from the outside bar area and had a spotlight shining outside all night

Staff were friendly and helpful, good shower and comfy bed.

The ambience of the hotel was nothing like reviews, which suggested that its recent refurbishment put it amongst the best new boutique hotels in the UK. It is located on the noisy corner of a fairly rundown town, and despite the upgrade, it still looks somewhat dull and shabby.

Location and good size room

On arrival even though food was advertised to be available and we had waited all day to eat there rather than eating elsewhere as that was one of the attractions of the place we were told the kitchen was closed. On entering the room the bin was full and it looked like the bed had been used dirty sheets and not made correctly. Couldn’t find anyone to discuss this with and we had to go out to find another location to eat.

Goode location clean comfortable rooms

Staff have been fantastic, the room was very spacious and clean. The staff member Sylvia was so attentive and friendly. She made our stay very welcome. Our 2 year-old with SEN was very welcomed and felt very at ease being there. Would love to say thank you to her for being very welcoming and attentive.

Nothing all was fantastic

I stayed while working at the Thorington Theatre- and my sister and friends also stayed to see me in the show. Dan the manager actually ran my friends to the theatre and picked them up, so they didn't have to drive and could have a drink! Also he kept the bar open late so I could also have a drink when I finally got back at 11pm. Thank you Dan. Sylvia was also very nice to us all. Dinner was delicious. The risotto was great.

I do think the price was high per night for a quiet hotel without any spa facilities or extras (based on having stayed in a few similar ones in the Norfolk/Suffolk area)

It was clean but very over priced.

We paid just under £200 per night for a tiny room with a bathroom with no bath. Breakfast was not included and we were put in one of the 2 rooms allocated for guests with dogs. We did not have on. There was a standard double bed not a king. The breakfast was expensive and we were not offered toast. The coffee was like water and the drinks in the bar were city prices in a backwater. We asked one of the staff if they could get us a taxi for our return from a wedding. He said it was difficult and we heard nothing back. Overpriced and very disappointing

Lovely hotel for attending concert at Snape Maltings. Friendly and accommodating staff. Really enjoyed the stay.

Excellent stay. Staff brilliant.

A fridge in the room would have been useful for us to keep water cold (as extremely hot weather).

Helpful staff, comfortable room

Breakfast not included

Wonderful staff, well appointed rooms, brilliant location

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Great sized room, although we did go for the largest they had. breakfast was good value for the money

Right on the main road, so is pretty loud and windows don't keep much out as they are old sash ones

Breakfast was really good, though could possibly have been a little larger.

Nothing I didn't like

Staff very friendly and very helpful

Really comfortable room. The staff were fantastic and the location is great whether you are driving or using public transport. Loved it!

Everything was great.

Staff really helpful , friendly and welcoming . Easy to park . Good directions as to where parking was before visit Great location. Nice coffee bags in room!

Loved the decor. It’s recently been refurbished beautifully. It’s a gorgeous and characterful hotel.

Fabulous hotel with the friendliest staff and incredible restaurant.

No negative comments.

Very good- they made me lovely porridge every morning

Room check and tidy was supposed to be daily and it didn’t happen, likewise the bathroom was not checked regularly. The General Manager apologised for this and will rectify this issue.

The rooms were very large and comfortable and exceptionally clean.

The staff

Did not get a parking space

Not much. Smilyness of staff does not compensate for other shortcomings.

I think it's got a bit of an identity crisis: a handsome building trying to do a modern take which looks good but is but is not well maintained: furniture worn, room carpet stained, both in bedroom, and breakfast room. Had to point out that for two of us we needed two hand and bath towels, although quickly remedied. Staff very well-meaning but amateur - the single lady staff member was really struggling to cope with breakfast service, as well as doing checkouts. We had dinner one night and two breakfasts - just not up to standard - fine for a small country pub but not for c£430 for a two-night stay (room only). Clearly not a place for locals either - the bar and restaurant on Friday night were funereal. With minimal spend but better housekeeping, front of house and more careful chef (no need for the menu to be more ambitious but just get it right) it could do so much better.

Central location, lovely bedroom, nice bar and restaurant, delicious food and fantastic team of friendly and accommodating staff.

Slight noise from the road.

Staff,location, private car park 100m away, menu and drinks. Rooms, lift available. Could not fault anything, Old building with modern comfort..

Not able to park outside the hotel, but OK for offloading luggage. Half hour across the road by shops but not a problem as car kept for long periods in private car park close by.

Friendly staff. Good food. Comfortable bed.

Parking is arkward and can be an issue - it was all full on our arrival. Our room was at the front and was very noisy overnight (single glazed windows). Our toilet handle broke on our third day. We reported this but nothing was done to fix it nor were we offered an alternative room so we had to remove the wooden cover to access the cistern and flush it by putting our hand in and pulling up the lift rod. We were very disappointed with the complete lack of response or help from the hotel staff. When we asked we were simply told "well it is Sunday". Some items in particular seemed over expensive eg a 175 ml glass of Sauvignon Blanc at £11.10. Breakfast is not included in the room rate which was as we expected but we didn't expect to have to pay for tea and coffee at breakast as a further additional item - £9.00 for a pot of tea for two seemed a lot. Our room was very clean but some minor consumable items were not replenished every day.

That it was close to my training venue. Central to shops etc

Bed uncomfortable. Water was tepid, but they did rectify that issue. Restaurant closed. Parking off the premises. Certainly not £150 worth. I find it so hard to justify this price.

Very pleasant hotel. Great bathroom and shower. Very comfortable bed.

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Breakfast was not marvellous. Room size was excellent. We were comfortable enough. Shower was poor. Wouldn't say that cleaning after first day was terrific but I know they were very short staffed. So was ok.

The room was quite newly refurbished and tidy.

It was a bit haphazard , the room that we were checked into was all over the place and not made up , however it was sorted within an hour and a half .

Location

A bit noisy as floor boards creak in old building

Staff, food and comfy room.

Expensive drinks. Charges for dog and parking short distance away. Ok if sunny not so good if raining.

Centre of town location walking distance to all facilities and transport. Clean, warm and comfortable rooms. Friendly staff.

Lovely room, good location, free parking and restaurant was better than expected and reasonable value.

£16 for a cocktail and no happy hour for guests!!

Very friendly staff. The room was cosy and the bed so comfortable. Shower was hot and powerful. Definitely would recommend.

Room very comfortable and staff were amazing - everyone went out of their way to be helpful and sort out anything we asked for.

My evening meal was a little disappointing

The staff were amazing so friendly and helpful. Beautiful spacious room and a wonderful hotel

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Location to restaurants and amenities Parking Lovely sized rooms Comfortable beds

Lounge area could be bigger to accommodate guests

The staff were excellent as was the location, was also very comfortable.

We stayed in a premium room which just happens to be above the service area of the hotel, at 05.30 on a Monday morning the bins are collected and the noise for a few minutes is pretty loud , made even worse becouse the area around the hotel is so quiet.

Room nice but bathroom v small & toilet too low

room cold until requested extra heating

We were not keen on the Sunday evening menu options so the chef knocked us up an amazing dish of filleted sea bass with a langoustine reduction, samphire and new potatoes - all delicious! The front of house guy Matt was really helpful and passionate about the history of Saxmundham which made our stay very interesting. Also, there was the lovely lady at breakfast - the attentiveness and kindness of staff was exceptional.

Staff helpful friendly

The staff were all amazing, nothing was to much trouble for them and they went out of their way to make our visit as enjoyable as possible.

Excellent breakfast

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The hotel is great! Good location, convenient parking very close by. Nice bar and friendly staff. We didn't have dinner there, but the breakfast was fabulous. The gentleman on duty during our stay was super lovely - nothing was too much trouble and he made us feel exceedingly welcome. I also liked the fact he thanked a member of his staff for the simple gesture of opening and holding the door for us when we were exiting. Now that's a good boss!

I couldn't fault our stay at all. All perfect!

Central, nice bar, good food

Expensive

Friendly staff

Great dinner and breakfast- room was clean and spacious. The staff were superb and friendly

Slightly pricey but in a town with little or no competition

Excellent staff. Well appointed room, comfortable bed. Friendly bar. Tremendous potential in young staff.

Better not to offer a Sunday evening meal than a poor meal very early. Taps in bedroom did not function adequately and should be attended to by a plumber. Pelmet fell down when adjusting blind. Whisky on offer in the bar - a range of malts would, I think, appeal to some clients staying here.

The check in and staff were brilliant, they really couldn’t have been more helpful. The room was really comfortable and clean although a little tired in some areas. Outside my room was a busy street and an off license that seemed to draw attention from visitors until gone 11:30pm! Drunk and rowdy people stood outside and smashed bottles woke me up on a couple of occasions.

Lots of choices for breakfast, generous portions for cooked breakfast too! Very nice dinner menu, delicious crab linguine and Caesar salad

No shaving mirror in bathroom. Poor lighting for ladies (applying makeup etc). Stuffy room due to hot weather and being in the attic, fans helped a bit but not great for sleeping on this occasion

From the moment we arrived and were met by a very friendly receptionist until we left, we felt that we were being 'looked after'. Nothing was too much trouble for the Bell hotel team and in particular the manager who not only was very efficient but also told us the history of the hotel and the surrounding area. He also recommended trips out and we are considering a repeat visit so that we can explore more of the lovely local Suffolk countryside. We had dinner in the restaurant on our first night and were very impressed at the quality of our meals. I had the special which was cod with a sumptuous lobster sauce. Compliments to the chef indeed! We also had cooked breakfast each morning of our stay and both the service and quality were excellent. A further plus was that on one evening, we arrived back after the hotel doors were locked, but we let ourselves in with the key provided. The manager was still on site and without hesitation agreed to open the bar so that we could have a night cap. We will return!

Parking is available a two minute walk from the hotel. This was not a problem as one of the team accompanied me to the car park, but perhaps a heads up in advance of this would be useful as the front entrance of the hotel is on a busy road and it was initially a little confusing.

The room was very nice and the bed was extremely comfortable. I can't comment on the food as we were there for just one night and didn't eat. So thankful for the fan in the room.

The off-site parking wasn't great, especially as my husband is on crutches. It was difficult to work out the controls of the shower. The markings had faded - and who wears their glasses in the shower! Got there in the end.

Staff amazing but would not rate hotel a high standard, rooms were not serviced daily, staff asking what we needed done? Carpets still had glitter from last residence and there were stains on carpet, just hanging room for clothes no drawer for other clothes. Room to hot and was provided with fan. Room situated at back of hotel kitchen and seating area under window could hear every conversation sometimes not the politest.

Clean rooms. Food in the restaurant was really spot on.

Charm and scale

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Beautiful room - super bathroom

Very helpful staff

Staff were extremely helpful and friendly. Dinner in restaurant was good, Bed was very comfortable.

Shower room very poorly appointed. Minimal shelf space for toiletries. Mirror too high on the wall for my wife to use. Poor lighting in shower room. No towel rails for wet towels Bedroom was suffocatingly hot all the time, despite a fan. Only one chair in bedroom

Rooms were spotless and decor and furnishings were really pleasing

Friendly staff and very accommodating of our allergies. Nice rooms and there was even a fan already in there to help battle the heat.

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Nice and clean and comfy. Manager was a lovely guy.

Drinks rather expensive as was the food - but it is Suffolk😊

The staff were, without exception, friendly and helpful and the atmosphere in the hotel was a very happy one, everyone was very hospitable, which is what matters most in a hotel. The bar was excellent and our lunchtime "snacks" were 5-star. The hotel parking was close by and free. Our room was comfortable and the bathroom was spacious and had the best shower of any hotel I can remember and with lots of thick white towels.

The only downside but relatively minor, was the road noise while we had the windows open in the hot weather.

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The room was unbearably hot, because the weather was so hot and it had only a fan which had little or no effect and a smallish window through which no breeze came. That said, the manager had already appreciated this problem and had asked for air-conditioning units. And everything else about the room was great.

Ideal base for exploring Suffolk. High standard hotel.

Room rate should include breakfast

The staff were fantastic, in particular Matthew who was more than happy to help with any request! The hotel has recently been revamped and has been somewhat modernised but retains its classic look!

Breakfast wss limited and disappointing.

It was very comfortable. Our room was over the beer garden, so a bit noisy early on, but everyone had gone by the time we went to bed

Room was well maintained as well as neat and tidy.

View out the window but that's not the fault of the hotel.

The bar and dining room

The drains smell in our bathroom, the bed too short for a tall husband

From arrival to departure this stay was excellent. Friendly welcome . Room - spacious with exceptional attention to detail - best tea tray of the year.:) Very comfortable bed and pillows just right too.. Shower only which was very efficient and towels generous. Dinner - well would go out of my way to eat here and Breakfast equally as good with the bonus of smiley friendly table service. Practical note - car parking is off site a few yards away - easy walk and town must be very safe - forgot to lock my car and all was safe and sound on my return the next morning.

Fabulous room! Refurbed. Large. Lovely big bathroom

A truly amazingly warm welcome from Matthew, the manager. Could not have done more to meet our needs. Good to see a lift has been installed in this beautiful property since our last visit. Our room was lovely and the shower was fantastic!

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