White Lion Hotel - Aldeburgh

Breakfast was the biggest letdown. On the first morning, despite booking for 9:15, we waited 20 minutes without anyone acknowledging us or offering tea or coffee. Someone finally came at 9:35, asked about drinks, then went to prepare them before taking our food order. Breakfast arrived at 9:50. The next morning our booked table wasn’t set. We were seated by a dirty window table, and the staff member only brought napkins and cutlery without cleaning it. We brushed away the crumbs ourselves. There were no cups or side plates, and the tea and coffee came before the cups and saucers, with no milk. We couldn’t get anyone’s attention, so we took milk, butter and jam from a nearby table that was properly set. The food itself was really nice, which made the poor breakfast service a shame. The hotel is right across from the beach, with a nice walk up to Thorpeness. There are free parking bays right outside, with no restrictions, so parking was easy. The outside looks shabby, but inside was fine, a little tired in places. Our room and the shared areas were clean, though there was a large dark stain on the bathroom floor from what looked like a major leak. The room was adequate, the bed was lovely and comfortable, and we slept well both nights. It was quiet and peaceful. We’ve just got back from two nights here. We ate at the attached Indian restaurant on the first evening. The food and staff were nice, but their bread oven had broken, so no naan of any kind was available. It was a nice stay in a good location, but breakfast service let it down, and it was expensive for what we got.

They even left tea, coffee and biscuits in the room, and there’s a well-stocked bar. We found the lounge comfortable for relaxing, and the food was very nice. The staff gave us a genuinely warm welcome. A lovely place to stay, definitely a golden tick from me!

We enjoyed both dinner and breakfast here, and the staff were lovely and attentive, especially with Buddy. The hotel is right in the town centre and parking was easy to find. Our room was very comfortable, and our dog Buddy was welcomed with his own bed and treats.

The room was extremely well presented, and the bathroom had a very effective rain shower head. The White Lion is a traditional hotel with excellent food served throughout the day. There’s a lovely lounge for relaxing, reading or playing board games if the weather turns bad. It’s also ideally placed for a quick walk into the centre of Aldeburgh. I was very impressed.