Izaak Walton Hotel

The sandwiches we had for lunch after checkout were delicious and came quickly. I also liked our spacious, dog-friendly courtyard room, especially being able to park right outside. The location is fantastic, and the staff we dealt with were helpful, but the hotel seemed far too short-staffed to keep things running smoothly. At breakfast on the first morning there was no cooked food, just toast, cereal and two kinds of strawberry jam, and the tables were still covered in dirty plates. There were loads of wasps. The next morning some cooked breakfast was available and was fairly good, though the wasps were still everywhere. Dinner on our first night took between two and four hours depending on what we ordered. I spent 20 minutes queuing at the bar just to place the order, drinks took ages, and there were missing cutlery and forgotten orders. It’s a lovely venue with potential, but service and organisation need a lot of work.

The room was spacious and clean, with a lovely view of Thorpe Cloud Hill. Cows from the farm came right up to the hotel, and Stepping Stones is an easy walk or short drive away. We stayed three nights in August '25 and enjoyed exploring the area and visiting lots of places. The hotel was fairly busy at breakfast but quiet the rest of the day. We saw only three or four staff, and the same woman seemed to cover reception and the bar in different parts of the building, which made things feel disjointed. There were only two tea bags in the room, but when we asked for more, we got them, thank you. We also bought some and left them by the kettle with sugar. They’d all disappeared by our last evening. We planned to mention it when checking out, but the receptionist just said goodbye while talking to someone from housekeeping. Nobody asked how our stay was or whether we liked the hotel or area, or would come back. A disappointing finish to a pleasant stay.

The building and gardens badly need attention, and the whole stay was a real disappointment. This was once a splendid hotel in a wonderful area, but it now feels like it’s running on empty. Even the biscuits on the tea tray were the cheapest kind. Our so-called luxury room had little furniture and no style. The bar, dining room and public areas felt gloomy and tasteless. The entrance driveway, once grand, is full of potholes, and the signs are shabby, so first impressions are poor. You have to pay for the room when you register, and other purchases need to be paid for straight away instead of put on the room bill. One overworked young woman managed to bring us coffee and, after checking with the kitchen, a sandwich for lunch. Breakfast and lunch availability seemed to depend on luck, and the food quality varied. We risked dinner once, and could hear loud, profanity-filled arguments from the kitchen over the machines. Another young woman did her best taking orders and serving, but seemed untrained and wasn’t getting much help from a man with an unsteady walk and noticeable slur. The Izaak Walton Hotel should be an iconic, graceful and professionally run place. It used to be a lovely, stylish hotel. Now it’s gasping for breath and sliding downhill. Such a sad waste of what was a gem.

The views are beautiful, and the cakes at afternoon tea were good. It’s an amazing place, though it feels a bit worn and run down. There were lots of staff around, but booking a table was still really difficult.