De Vere Dunston Hall Hotel
, Norwich, United Kingdom
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De Vere Dunston Hall Hotel
, Norwich
Rooms: 130
Ipswich Road
- Norwich - England - NR14 8PQ - United Kingdom
Hotel Website |
| 44 01508470444
352
Traveller
Reviews - De Vere Dunston Hall Hotel
Read 352 additional reviews of De Vere Dunston Hall Hotel at TripAdvisor.
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Historical Traveller Reviews of De Vere Dunston Hall Hotel
5/10
from Claire111
I stayed for 1 night at this hotel feeling safe that it was a De Vere hotel. I was a bit apprehensive after reading all the negative reviews, but decided to risk it. I found check in very quick and the reception staff were very polite..so far so good. I made my way to my room, and discovered that the hotel have major renovations going on and my room overlooked a building site and it was so loud. I immediately went back to reception and asked if there were any other rooms, and after a few minutes I was met by a very lovely housekeeping manager who escorted me to my new room. It was much better, and no loud diggers in sight. I felt this was handled very professionally by the reception staff, but was baffled why they originally put me in that room? Also it would have been good if I was advised there were renovations happening when I booked the room!
I walked around the hotel and did not see any other guests, I thought it was very strange and seemed to lack atmosphere so I decided to head into Norwich for a bite to eat. I didn't eat dinner in the hotel, but the a la carte restaurant looked very nice.
The bed in the room was very comfortable, with comfy duvets and pillows.
Breakfast was a bit disappointing as they were having a refurb, a marquee has been set up in the grounds were you walk to for breakfast. It was quite a long walk and a cold one too, although it was undercover, it wasn't fully heated. So on arrival at breakfast, I was taken to a table, then the waitress called her friend and asked where we should sit, the other waitress came along and was unsure where to seat us so in the end we just sat at a table..bearing in mind the marquee was quite big and there were only 3 other people in there! She then asked if we had given our room number in a very bitter tone. The waitresses were very rude and unprofessional. They didn't even ask if we wanted any tea or coffee. We made our way up the the buffet and there was various cooked breakfast options available, and a few croissants, but no plain croissants just chocolate or almond. The chef was helpful and pleasant.
The food was pretty good, just no ambience and the waitresses clearly couldn't be bothered. I had to get up and try to find the waitress to ask for some tea.
Overall we had a good stay and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I think this was because we didn't have high expectations to begin with, after reading the previous reviews.
The best part about the hotel is the reception staff, but the breakfast staff need to improve as they are letting the hotel down and giving the hotel a bad name...
I walked around the hotel and did not see any other guests, I thought it was very strange and seemed to lack atmosphere so I decided to head into Norwich for a bite to eat. I didn't eat dinner in the hotel, but the a la carte restaurant looked very nice.
The bed in the room was very comfortable, with comfy duvets and pillows.
Breakfast was a bit disappointing as they were having a refurb, a marquee has been set up in the grounds were you walk to for breakfast. It was quite a long walk and a cold one too, although it was undercover, it wasn't fully heated. So on arrival at breakfast, I was taken to a table, then the waitress called her friend and asked where we should sit, the other waitress came along and was unsure where to seat us so in the end we just sat at a table..bearing in mind the marquee was quite big and there were only 3 other people in there! She then asked if we had given our room number in a very bitter tone. The waitresses were very rude and unprofessional. They didn't even ask if we wanted any tea or coffee. We made our way up the the buffet and there was various cooked breakfast options available, and a few croissants, but no plain croissants just chocolate or almond. The chef was helpful and pleasant.
The food was pretty good, just no ambience and the waitresses clearly couldn't be bothered. I had to get up and try to find the waitress to ask for some tea.
Overall we had a good stay and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I think this was because we didn't have high expectations to begin with, after reading the previous reviews.
The best part about the hotel is the reception staff, but the breakfast staff need to improve as they are letting the hotel down and giving the hotel a bad name...
Nice Hotel - Shame About The Staff
from simongee
My wife and I booked a couple of nights away with our two boys and my brother and his family.
This is a spectacular looking hotel - from the outside. Unfortunately we arrived in the middle of a substantial refurbishment which meant that mechanical diggers and building noise were common place.
Upon arrival (slightly early) we were shown to our rooms. Our first room was ready, the second not. Certainly of a reasonable standard - nothing amazing.
We went off to the bar area to order a snack lunch. Of the six main dishes ordered, four were wrong. Hamburgers were all cooked well done despite being ordered medium rare, another problem with a club sandwich. Service was very slow and only when we asked to see the manager did anything really get resolved. A small bar-type snack took up over 2 hours to get served correctly. The manager did the right thing and charged us only for drinks, but not a great start to our holiday.
The evening meal (and breakfast) took place in the marquee in the garden as work was being carried out in the restaurant. They offered an OK carvery. If you want food more upmarket, there is an all a carte restaurant on site. It didn't seem that busy.
That night, the real problems started. My brothers room which he occupied with his wife and two daughters (aged 2 and 6 months) had no heating. By the time anyone realised this, it was approaching midnight. The engineer arrived at the room but could not get it started. They were not offered an alternative room and all 4 of them slept in 1 bed huddled together to keep warm.
Although our room was OK, although the double bed was very small, we were awoken at 5am by very loud vibrating pipes (this noise lasted 30 minutes) and then woken again at 7am by the mechanical diggers outside our window.
That morning, we all requested a move and despite some tooing and froing, were eventually moved.
As we sat around the breakfast table discussing our bad night amongst each other, one waitress decided to put her oar in and basically told us to stop complaining. We weren't speaking loudly so what's it to do with her?
We utilised the on site health club and pool which was great and our wives had some beauty treatment which went down well.
Our second night was much better. The only complaint we had was that the rooms do not have climate control and you can't open the windows. The rooms were either very hot or very cool.
De Vere has gone down market. Do not book on the pretence that this is a good 4/5* hotel group. It isn't. If the rating people came around now to reassess, they would probably classify them as 3/4*.
We stayed at The Belfry hotel last year and that wasn't great either. Most of the De Vere staff are very young and inexperienced. The hote group have great sites and fantastic looking hotels but that in itself isn't enough to see them through.
Reception knew were were likely to complain about the noise from our rooms yet they didn't advise us about this before they allocated the rooms. They waited for us to complain. There were plenty of other rooms available at the time we checked in. This type of lack of foresight does nothing for their reputation.
Would we go back to this hotel - probably not. Would we stay in another De Vere - having not had overly successful stays in two of their flagship hotels - probably not either.
This is a spectacular looking hotel - from the outside. Unfortunately we arrived in the middle of a substantial refurbishment which meant that mechanical diggers and building noise were common place.
Upon arrival (slightly early) we were shown to our rooms. Our first room was ready, the second not. Certainly of a reasonable standard - nothing amazing.
We went off to the bar area to order a snack lunch. Of the six main dishes ordered, four were wrong. Hamburgers were all cooked well done despite being ordered medium rare, another problem with a club sandwich. Service was very slow and only when we asked to see the manager did anything really get resolved. A small bar-type snack took up over 2 hours to get served correctly. The manager did the right thing and charged us only for drinks, but not a great start to our holiday.
The evening meal (and breakfast) took place in the marquee in the garden as work was being carried out in the restaurant. They offered an OK carvery. If you want food more upmarket, there is an all a carte restaurant on site. It didn't seem that busy.
That night, the real problems started. My brothers room which he occupied with his wife and two daughters (aged 2 and 6 months) had no heating. By the time anyone realised this, it was approaching midnight. The engineer arrived at the room but could not get it started. They were not offered an alternative room and all 4 of them slept in 1 bed huddled together to keep warm.
Although our room was OK, although the double bed was very small, we were awoken at 5am by very loud vibrating pipes (this noise lasted 30 minutes) and then woken again at 7am by the mechanical diggers outside our window.
That morning, we all requested a move and despite some tooing and froing, were eventually moved.
As we sat around the breakfast table discussing our bad night amongst each other, one waitress decided to put her oar in and basically told us to stop complaining. We weren't speaking loudly so what's it to do with her?
We utilised the on site health club and pool which was great and our wives had some beauty treatment which went down well.
Our second night was much better. The only complaint we had was that the rooms do not have climate control and you can't open the windows. The rooms were either very hot or very cool.
De Vere has gone down market. Do not book on the pretence that this is a good 4/5* hotel group. It isn't. If the rating people came around now to reassess, they would probably classify them as 3/4*.
We stayed at The Belfry hotel last year and that wasn't great either. Most of the De Vere staff are very young and inexperienced. The hote group have great sites and fantastic looking hotels but that in itself isn't enough to see them through.
Reception knew were were likely to complain about the noise from our rooms yet they didn't advise us about this before they allocated the rooms. They waited for us to complain. There were plenty of other rooms available at the time we checked in. This type of lack of foresight does nothing for their reputation.
Would we go back to this hotel - probably not. Would we stay in another De Vere - having not had overly successful stays in two of their flagship hotels - probably not either.
Excellent - A Fine Hotel
from DACSS
Everything was excellent. The room, the facilities, the food, the service, the location. I have stayed at this location twice on business trips and I have not got a bad word to say about it. One of the most impressive hotels I have stayed at.
lovely hotel
from mi-boo
My husband took me to Dunston Hall for the night of my birthday. The plan was that we would go into the city for the evening and then taxi back to the hotel. Reception booked the taxi for us and it was only £10 each way. ALthough we didn't have an evening meal there we did have the breakfast which was delicious. All the usual items (bacon, hash browns, cereals, croissants etc) plus beautiful fresh fruits. The room was good, even though we booked only a couple of days prior to our stay and had to accept an interior room as the rest of the hotel was full. There were 3 weddings being held at Dunston that day. In fact, had I not already been married I would have seriously considered holding my wedding there - the marquee looked fantastic. The room was extremely hot though, and the overhead fan didn't really do its job. I also found the lack of natural light a bit strange - but then to be expected in an interior room. I would definately go again, hopefully later in the year and would plan to make use of the leisure facilities this time.
Very lovely relaxing break
from loobyloo10
I was a bit worried about arriving at Dunstan hall as I had heard mixed views about it, however, as I drove down the long driveway towards the hotel it looked very impressive and I started to hope it would be the same inside. I wasn't disappointed as we were welcomed by the friendly staff and we found our room. We did pay slightly extra for a room with a view which I think is definately worth it as we had gorgeous views over the terrace, golf course and beyond. There are some rooms facing a brick wall which you could end up in if you do not specify you would like one with a view.
We ate in the a la carte restaurant which was very posh and the food was absolutely fantastic, and although expensive, worth it if you want an extra special meal.
The swimming pool and other facilities were excellent, in fact, I couldn't really fault it other than it would have been nice if the room had air conditioning as it was a very hot night.
We ate in the a la carte restaurant which was very posh and the food was absolutely fantastic, and although expensive, worth it if you want an extra special meal.
The swimming pool and other facilities were excellent, in fact, I couldn't really fault it other than it would have been nice if the room had air conditioning as it was a very hot night.
Exterior is lovely...
from Samiantha
Stayed for just one night - the drive to the hotel is impressive. The Exterior is georgeous..looks just like a haunted house. After a long drive (and a hot one at that at 30c!) was looking forward to getting into a 4* room.
Got the key...and went into the room. It was slightly disappointing. Needed a good re-vamp - paint coming off of the walls. It was a stuffy room...don't know whether it was just the heat..but the ceiling fan would only go at one speed and only one of the three windows would open! However the shower was nice and the bed dead comfy!
It you are staying here for one or two nights then fine...but an extended break think you would get fed up. Not great value for money!
Stuck for somewhere to eat....try Pedro's...a Mexican in the town centre...great atmosphere and food about £10 in a taxi from the hotel.
Got the key...and went into the room. It was slightly disappointing. Needed a good re-vamp - paint coming off of the walls. It was a stuffy room...don't know whether it was just the heat..but the ceiling fan would only go at one speed and only one of the three windows would open! However the shower was nice and the bed dead comfy!
It you are staying here for one or two nights then fine...but an extended break think you would get fed up. Not great value for money!
Stuck for somewhere to eat....try Pedro's...a Mexican in the town centre...great atmosphere and food about £10 in a taxi from the hotel.
v poor food
from ACBROY
we were at Dunston hall early this year.
Lovely exterior of building. Rooms are functional and staff friendly.
We ate in the main bar and had a 2 course meal. We chose food that was not complicated or hard to cook moderately well.
The food that arrived was really bad. My friend had gnocchi in herb oil - rock hard lumps in a bowl of pure oil! mine was no better, salad dry and very old, over salty main course - everything seemed to be packet food- Smash for mashed potatoes with hard lumps in. Order took ages to arrive and part of it was wrong, they also forgot to charge us for a couple of our drinks.
Cooked breakfast no better.(deep fried mushrooms, deep fried plastic black pud etc)
I am not a fussy eater, but would expect basic bar food/breakfast standards from a 4 star hotel.Would definitely not recommend Dunston Hall for its food.
Lovely exterior of building. Rooms are functional and staff friendly.
We ate in the main bar and had a 2 course meal. We chose food that was not complicated or hard to cook moderately well.
The food that arrived was really bad. My friend had gnocchi in herb oil - rock hard lumps in a bowl of pure oil! mine was no better, salad dry and very old, over salty main course - everything seemed to be packet food- Smash for mashed potatoes with hard lumps in. Order took ages to arrive and part of it was wrong, they also forgot to charge us for a couple of our drinks.
Cooked breakfast no better.(deep fried mushrooms, deep fried plastic black pud etc)
I am not a fussy eater, but would expect basic bar food/breakfast standards from a 4 star hotel.Would definitely not recommend Dunston Hall for its food.
unhappy weekend
from A TripAdvisor Member
We went to Dunston Hall for a weekend get away because of the availability of Spa treatments advertised by the hotel. However, all treatments were fully booked. Once we got there they managed to book us in for a massage treatment at 9:30 on the saturday morning. The massage wasn't professional or relaxing and only 25 minutes long instead of the hour it was supposed to be.
The service at the restaurant was terrible and once again unprofessional. The couple next to us were shown to a dirty table. The staff were very stressed, giving us no time to choose from the menu.
The room was not up to standard with shabby fittings. The milk on the tea tray service was rotten and the bed badly made.
The final insult was the burnt toast at breakfast the next morning and again the poor service.
On check out we were not even asked if we had a good stay, probably because they already knew we haden't.
These are the things we can actually remember!! All for 212 Pounds for the night............
We will not be staying at this hotel again!
The service at the restaurant was terrible and once again unprofessional. The couple next to us were shown to a dirty table. The staff were very stressed, giving us no time to choose from the menu.
The room was not up to standard with shabby fittings. The milk on the tea tray service was rotten and the bed badly made.
The final insult was the burnt toast at breakfast the next morning and again the poor service.
On check out we were not even asked if we had a good stay, probably because they already knew we haden't.
These are the things we can actually remember!! All for 212 Pounds for the night............
We will not be staying at this hotel again!
Never again
from A TripAdvisor Member
Stayed at the Dunston Hall for most of March and should still be there now. Dunston Hall is an imposing building in a beautiful setting. It has a mixture of old and new rooms and good swimming pool and gym facilities.
I only stayed in the rooms in the old part of the hotel once. The room I was given only had a shower (no bath). The bathroom was very long and narrow and didn't have any place to store cosmetics etc.
All of the modern rooms I stayed in (for more than 3 weeks) were of a good size and had bathrooms that are standard for a 3/4 star hotel.
My main problem with the hotel was the apparent lack of cleanliness. For example, one week I was there I decided not to clean off the hairs I found on the edge of the bath on day 1. They were still there on day 5 when I checked out. Also, walking along the carpeted corridors from the bedrooms to breakfast there often seemed to be evidence that the floor hadn't been hoovered recently and one morning I managed to get a lump of used chewing gum stuck to my foot while walking back from breakfast.
On my last visit there I was booked into a non-smoking room that absolutely reeked of cigarette smoke. To add to my delight the toilet hadn't been flushed after the previous occupant had left. I was supposed to stay for a week but decided to move on after one night. The receptionist didn't even enquire why I was leaving early and whether I'd enjoyed my stay.
I only stayed in the rooms in the old part of the hotel once. The room I was given only had a shower (no bath). The bathroom was very long and narrow and didn't have any place to store cosmetics etc.
All of the modern rooms I stayed in (for more than 3 weeks) were of a good size and had bathrooms that are standard for a 3/4 star hotel.
My main problem with the hotel was the apparent lack of cleanliness. For example, one week I was there I decided not to clean off the hairs I found on the edge of the bath on day 1. They were still there on day 5 when I checked out. Also, walking along the carpeted corridors from the bedrooms to breakfast there often seemed to be evidence that the floor hadn't been hoovered recently and one morning I managed to get a lump of used chewing gum stuck to my foot while walking back from breakfast.
On my last visit there I was booked into a non-smoking room that absolutely reeked of cigarette smoke. To add to my delight the toilet hadn't been flushed after the previous occupant had left. I was supposed to stay for a week but decided to move on after one night. The receptionist didn't even enquire why I was leaving early and whether I'd enjoyed my stay.
Pleasant but disappointing
from martinw
If you are visiting the Dunstan Hall for its Elizabethan charm you might be a bit disappointed. The grounds and exterior are impressive and its interior is of a high standard but there are no 'original features' to speak of.
The bedrooms, situated in a 1990s block, are very clean and comfortable but you could be in any hotel chain anywhere in the world.
The carvery restaurant (where you also have breakfast) is a disaster. It looks like a 1980s service station. The tables are in curtained booths, there are brass lanterns and a suspended ceiling.
On the plus side - the health club is very good. The pool is a very good size and there is a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. The gym is also large and well equipped.
The bedrooms, situated in a 1990s block, are very clean and comfortable but you could be in any hotel chain anywhere in the world.
The carvery restaurant (where you also have breakfast) is a disaster. It looks like a 1980s service station. The tables are in curtained booths, there are brass lanterns and a suspended ceiling.
On the plus side - the health club is very good. The pool is a very good size and there is a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. The gym is also large and well equipped.
Top Local Tips for Norwich
Delightful Country Pub about 20 mins south of Norwich Lovely pub that we know of about 20 mins south (on the A140) from the hotel. If you have a car, not a problem. Details: The Swan Inn, Hoxne 01379 668275. Its in a middle of a quaint little village, pub/restaurant with huge fireplaces, old beams, lovely food and great selection of ales. We've only been a few times but it is so welcoming and has a homely feel. Honestly you wont be dissapointed!
Seal Watching Seal watching was a really pleasant and cheap (£7.50) half day excursion at Morston.
park and ride use the park and ride on the outskirts of norwich, its easier and cheaper than finding parking
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Other names for De Vere Dunston Hall Hotel
- dunston hall norwich
- dunston hall hotel
- de vere dunston hall norwich
- de vere dunston hall hotel
- Address: Ipswich Road - Norwich - England - NR14 8PQ - United Kingdom
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