Milsoms

Our second stay at Milsoms & no real complaints apart from, for anyone elderly or disabled, there are a large number of steps between rooms to look out for. The gardens are delightful & the hotel is justifiably busy. Food & staff are exemplary.

After reading the good reviews for this hotel, I was rather underwhelmed with the customer service. Upon arrival and checking in, I visited the bar for lunch and a drink. The drinks took well over 30 minutes to arrive (I was shown a number of bar cheques and was told there was a backlog but my order was in the queue). The food arrived with cutlery (again with quite a wait from ordering to being served). There was no welcome at breakfast service and I even had to request a hot drink as none was offered. The ground and decor are amazing but the hotel and its facilities are let down with poor customer focus and service. Finally the room was only fit for a midget - it was in the attic with sloping and very low ceilings and was quite dangerous to move around without striking your head.

We stayed for 2 nights. They were 2 wonderful nights. The hotel is super comfortable. Our room was just lovely. We really enjoyed walking around the hotel admiring all the interior decor. It’s clear that great care is taken with each of the hotels. Staff couldn’t be kinder, more welcoming or more professional. They all seem to love working at Milsoms. We dined in the restaurant one evening. 10 out of 10 on every front. Our stay at Dedham echoes our experience when we stayed at Milsoms in Harwich in May. We are now officially hooked on Milsoms!

We went as part of a 50th birthday treat. Firstly, the restaurant (although lovely and staff were great) they served my soup with a hair in it. When replaced it was cold. Then the hotel was badly cleaned and dated and kept the fire door open between our rooms - which is a safety and security risk. The rooms are not soundproofed as the noise from the rooms upstairs throughout the night kept us awake. There was no room service and when we finally had breakfast the next morning, it was only the warm plates that heated a poor breakfast. We complained and was promised a partial refund. However, after more than 6 weeks and several chasers, we're still waiting and therefore feel obligated to let everyone know how bad the whole experience was.

I've visited Milsoms on numerous occassions for lunch and business meetings and am always impressed by the warmth of welcome and excellent service. The food is always impressive, well presented, with a varied and interesting menu. It's been a few years since I stayed overnight and I was still impressed by the accommodation. I'd suggest a room on an upper floor and away from the bar area if you want a quiet night. Well appointed with an excellent shower and comfortable bed. Overall, very good hotel, relaxed and informal.

I’ve been to Milsoms many times and the food is always excellent. You do have to take your own order - write it down on the paper supplied and take it to the bar but I don’t have a big issue with this. As a waitress myself I can understand the reasoning especially for larger tables. It allows you to order at your own pace and you never feel rushed. It does, however, take away from the dining experience somewhat as you’re unable to build any rapport with your waiting staff. The food is excellent, although, over the years the prices have increased while the portion sizes have decreased. Again, as someone in the industry, I can appreciate the increase in suppliers costs however as the prices increase I would’ve appreciated a step up in service (having someone take your order would be nice) I will still leave 5* as the service we did receive from bar staff and attentiveness of the wait staff when clearing is brilliant. My only complaint is that you can’t book a table and I find myself arriving earlier than I’m really wanting to, just to secure a table for the evening. Overall very happy evening and I will continue to dine at all the Milsom restaurants

Friendly and helpful reception staff. Spacious car park. Room was clean, adequately appointed and sufficient for our needs during our one night stay. Enjoyed the full English breakfast the next morning.

We have been coming to Milsoms for many years, and always enjoy it. We had fathers day lunch here today, and it was a lovely relaxed lunch, but felt a few things need tweaking, especially at this price point. The waiting staff are (in the main) pretty sullen, and the service standards have dropped. There was a really long wait for starters (all cold) and between courses, which was fine but for anyone with you g children could be tricky. The starters and side dishes seem to have shrunk... 3/4 spears of tenderstem broccoli for 4.95...!? The food itself is lovely, and it's a great relaxed setting. We always enjoy coming, but feel it just needs a bit of attention to make it great!

Like all the Milsoms places it is a really nice venue. Well kept and smart. My complaint is the service, or lack thereof. You have to write your own order, take it to the counter, wait at the counter, once you get someone's attention you can also order a drink. The food is good, but as there is no real waiting staff the dirty plates just sit there in front of you. I understand that it's cheaper to not have waiting staff but it's damaging your excellent brand. Also, don't suggest a tip on payment when you have had to do everything yourself (unless I get the tip).