Bell Hotel Sandwich
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Hotel Details
Location
Bell Hotel Sandwich · Sandwich, United Kingdom
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Key Highlights
- ✓Dining: The on-site restaurant and bar are frequently mentioned for their excellent food, wide range of choices, and good quality breakfast.
Expert Review: Bell Hotel Sandwich
Bell Hotel Sandwich: A Charming Michelin Key Selected Stay in Historic Sandwich
The Bell Hotel Sandwich, a Michelin Key Selected property, consistently earns high praise from guests for its superb location, exceptional staff, and a successful blend of historic charm with modern comfort. With an overall rating often described as "Very Good" to "Excellent" (e.g., an average score of 8.0 on some platforms from over 1,000 reviews, and 8.3 on others), it stands out as a top choice for visitors to this picturesque Kentish town.
1. Overall Rating & Sentiment
The general consensus for the Bell Hotel Sandwich is overwhelmingly positive, with an average rating around 8.0 to 8.8 across various booking platforms. Guests frequently describe their stays as "wonderful," "charming," and "superb," highlighting a very good overall experience. The hotel successfully offers a relaxing break and a blend of comfort, elegance, and historic appeal.
2. Key Highlights
Guests consistently laud several aspects of the Bell Hotel Sandwich:
- Location: Its prime position in the heart of Sandwich, right beside the river, is a standout feature, providing easy access to the historic town, local attractions, and scenic views.
- Service & Staff: The staff receives exceptional feedback for being friendly, helpful, professional, attentive, and genuinely caring. Many guests specifically commend individuals for going "the extra mile."
- Dining: The on-site restaurant and bar are frequently mentioned for their excellent food, wide range of choices, and good quality breakfast.
- Atmosphere & Design: The hotel is praised for blending vintage with contemporary in a warm and welcoming way, retaining its historic charm while offering updated interiors.
3. Room Quality
Rooms at the Bell Hotel Sandwich are generally described as lovely, spacious, very quiet, and spotlessly clean. Guests appreciate the comfortable mattresses and the thoughtful design. Some rooms offer captivating views. While the renovation has brought the rooms up to date, maintaining a stylish and sumptuous feel, some minor points of feedback include occasional mentions of small TVs for the room size and inaccessible connectors, hard pillows, or bathrooms that might benefit from upgrading. Amenities typically include a private bathroom, flat-screen TV, telephone, radio, electric kettle, and free WiFi.
4. Dining Experience
The dining experience at the Bell Hotel is a significant highlight. The attached restaurant and bar are highly rated, offering a wide range of choices for both breakfast and dinner. Guests frequently describe the food as "wonderful" and "excellent," with breakfast being consistently praised for its quality and variety. The cuisine is often characterized as upscale-rustic farm-to-table cooking. Some guests have noted issues like soggy croissants.
5. Service & Staff
The service and staff at the Bell Hotel Sandwich are consistently rated exceptionally high (e.g., 9.1 and 8.8 for staff performance). Guests frequently use terms like "wonderful staff," "friendly and helpful," "exceptional, always professional, considerate, helpful and served with humour and energy." Many recount instances of staff going above and beyond, making them feel very cared for.
6. Location & Accessibility
The hotel boasts an "unbeatable" location in the heart of the historic town of Sandwich, earning an outstanding rating of 9.3 to 9.6 for its location. It is situated right beside the river, offering picturesque surroundings. Guests have easy access to local attractions like The Salutation Gardens, Sandwich Bay, Royal St George's Golf Club, and Richborough Roman Fort. The hotel is also conveniently located a short walk from Sandwich train station, making it easily accessible.
7. Value & Pricing
The Bell Hotel is often considered to offer "good value," with its official 3-star rating often feeling higher in standard. While specific pricing fluctuates, an average room price around $180 has been noted, which is considered exceptional value compared to the city's average. Guests often find the inclusive breakfast to be a significant value addition.
8. Common Complaints
While overall feedback is largely positive, some minor recurring criticisms include:
- Parking: Limited parking spaces (only around 3 for a large hotel) can be a challenge, though staff do their best to assist.
- WiFi Speed: While free WiFi is available, some guests have reported it not being the fastest.
- Bathroom Facilities: A few reviews suggest that some bathrooms and showers could benefit from upgrading, and some older fixtures like separate hot and cold taps are present.
- Room Comfort Nuances: Occasional mentions of hard pillows, small TVs, or rooms being a little cold due to curtains covering radiators have appeared.
- Lack of Lift: Some guests mention that a lift would be helpful for upper floors.
Sources
Points to Consider
- •While overall feedback is largely positive, some minor recurring criticisms include:
Google Reviews
1,010 reviews
Recent Guest Reviews
Matt Linehan
Lovely little hotel that does great food and drink. Prices are a bit touristy but hey ho. Met up with 3 old pals and had a very pleasant time. Extremely tasty salmon sandwich, could have done with a few more chips. Might make a regular event of it!
Andrew Hutchings
Absolutely loved it!! Room was lovely overlooking the river. Restaurant on Saturday evening was great, service spot on. Special mention to Becky who checked us in on Friday and looked after us in the restaurant. Great choice at breakfast. Ideally located for the town and railway station. Thankyou to all the staff. Loved the place, cannot wait to return .
Heidi Luck
Just popped into the Bell today for a quick sandwich and drink, staff were so helpful especially as I wanted a vegan sandwich which they kindly created for me! How lovely was that, thank you so much, great service and good as always.
Steven Noad
Well, lets start with the location of The Bell Hotel – it could not be a more attractive and prominent spot in Sandwich, right by the historic toll bridge and riverside car park. It’s historic and an attractive building with a large patio area should the weather be nice to sit outside, the dining area is that of an elevated conservatory with a lower bar level. A table had been booked for two well...
Paul Sherman
Nutless nut roast. Had a vegetarian Sunday lunch today at the bell, the meal was very poor, the nut roast had no nuts and consisted mainly of rice. The gravy had large lumps of onions in it, it wasn’t enjoyable. We have eaten there in the past and the meals were of a good quality, now they seem to be using cheap ingredients. Such a shame. When we told the serving staff she was disinterested.
katy hartmann
Fantastic hotel with really good food, really good service and really good rooms with a very good TV- selection of programs. Front desk service is outstanding. Give everybody a raise. 10 stars ! ( This is not a fake review:)
