Hotels near Pakenham Water Mill, Bury St. Edmunds

The Ickworth gave us the ‘Ick’! It was such a disappointment, a real Halloween halfterm horror. This is the fourth FLH hotel we have visited and was definitely the poorest. Our first disappointment was being housed in an outhouse, a drive away from the main house. It was shabby and uncared for, right from the outside which didn’t inspire confidence. Both house and room had broken doors which didn’t start the stay well. The family room reminded me of student digs. They were nothing like the website. They were dirty, smelly and dated. No hot water on the first morning. Beds and windows were broken. Daily room service was terrible, no hoovering and dusting. By day 3 with of the four of us sharing it was gross but the in-house bugs liked it. Restaurant was chaotic, hot, poor and expensive. It is spread over three rooms so difficult to get any table service. Breakfast buffet was often empty and dimly lit so it was hard to see the food on offer. The staff were very young and untrained. Nothing arrived at the table together and we were always waiting 30-60mins for food. Windows were filthy and the one vase I saw of fresh foliage was full of dead leaves in dirty water. Chairs were faded and covered in food stains, as was the carpet. We stuck it out for half our stay then left. The senior management were very attentive when we complained. They seemed unsurprised and resigned to our comments about the poor state of the hotel. They said it is due a refurb soon but management needs a refresh too. Left feeling robbed, disappointed and sorry for all the families get to get through halfterm there. We were refunded some of our bill at least:(

We stayed here for two nights for my wife’s birthday. We have been here several times before but the last time many years ago. Room was lovely. A heritage room in the wool Hall end of the hotel. Lovely size. Fully equipped with tea and coffee, hot chocolate and biscuits. TV and desk. En-suite bathroom and shower and a built in wardrobe. Huge bed and a sofa and chair along with a coffee table. If you do stay here you are entitled to two hours a day free in the spa. If that’s your thing. We sat in the airman’s bar at lunch time on the first day. We hadn’t eaten so we had sandwiches as a light lunch. My wife had salmon with whipped cream cheese and I had a Ruben, both served with crisps and a side salad. All very nice. The barman Dave is a real find. Very good at his job and very knowledgeable. An excellent asset to the hotel. A real treat for us was honey roast chilli nuts on the bar. We ate far too many but they are very moreish. The only let down was the Gallery restaurant menu. Not a great selection of food. My wife didnt really fancy any of it and I wasn’t bowled over with enthusiasm so unfortunately we didn’t eat in there which was disappointing as we were looking forward to it. We had breakfast served in our room in the morning. There is an extra charge for this so be aware. Breakfast was wonderful. Fill in the menu at night, it’s picked up by the night shift and delivered at your chosen time. Food was really good. Full cooked English breakfast, cereals and juices. Tea and coffee, toast and preserves. All hot food was hot and all very fresh. Our stay was very relaxing and we really enjoyed the experience. The only down side was the restaurant menu. Sadly not our taste at all and we do eat out a lot so maybe a wider selection needed.