Dormy House Hotel

We both had such a lovely time here, and can’t recommend the hotel enough for anyone visiting Sheringham or Cromer. My family lives in Sheringham, just a five-minute drive away, and I’ve been coming to the area with my family since I was a toddler. The people running the hotel were kind, welcoming, funny, and looked after us so well. Our room was clean, comfortable, disability friendly, and had a marvellous sea view. The food was sensational too. I hadn’t realised it was dog friendly when I booked, so next time I hope we can bring our four-legged daughter along. A huge thanks from me and my wife.

Our nervous pup settled in straight away thanks to the manager, and the two of them ended up becoming friends. Everyone was so welcoming and happy to help. The room was spacious, spotless, quiet, and comfortable, with a balcony looking out to the sea. It was especially lovely in the morning. A perfect spot before heading out to explore nearby, and we’d gladly return to Dormy House.

The response when we complained summed up the experience: staff said “it is what it is, we won't be changing anything, but will take it on board.” We won’t be back for a carvery at £20 a small plate. There was no turkey or chicken, which has been a basic part of every carvery I’ve had, and no alternative for my wife, who doesn’t eat pork or gammon. We asked about sausages and were told there weren’t any. The carrots were nearly raw, and the vegetables were limited to carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower cheese, with no peas, beans, plain cauliflower, or sweetcorn. Roast potatoes were average at best, and the Yorkshire puddings were much the same. As other one-star reviews have said, the gravy wasn’t good either. Dessert at £9 was ridiculous. The apple crumble we saw at the next table came in a large coffee cup with a little pot of custard, and one of the four dessert options had already sold out. Premium prices should come with premium quality. We’ve had a much better carvery at the local Stonehouse for £8.99, where you get what you pay for.

We stayed for three nights at the end of January. The hotel is being refurbished, and our updated room was warm and more than adequate, with a very comfortable bed that suited my bad back. Staff were friendly and welcoming, and Mandy, the general manager, worked tirelessly between checking in guests and serving tables despite the small winter team. The location was lovely, about a ten-minute walk to the beach and five minutes by car to Cromer. We had our dog with us. The hotel bar menu was fairly basic, but the couple of evening meals we had there were cooked excellently. I’ve taken off a star because breakfast came as a hamper in the room, with muffins, DIY porridge, yoghurts and the like. I prefer a cooked hotel breakfast. One morning, the front-door code kept failing when I came back from walking the dog, and I was lucky my other half answered her phone and came down to let me in.