Heacham Manor Hotel, Heacham, King's Lynn

On a recent visit to the Hunstanton area we had a family outing for both a lunch and a dinner to the Restaurant at the Heacham Manor Hotel.

The initial impression is overwhelmingly positive, benefiting from a curving drive along a pebble road beside the pond in the front garden. The main stone building is lovingly restored with a automatic sliding glass entry door that seems of a different age as it disappears into the side as you approach. The lobby is warm and comfortable with a calm sense of luxury. Dining guests can arrive early and enjoy the bar before being seated.

For lunch we were seated in the light filled conservatory that overlooks the golf course. Our party of ten was seated quickly along the windows, which had been open to benefit from the breezes. Unfortunately it had also covered our table and cutlery with a fine layer of dust. While the bread plates were replaced upon request, the rest remained. The menu was varied including pigeon, duck, steak, chicken and venison. The service was ok, but the server seemed irritated by a few special requests.

Our dinner took place in the side dining room as we were told the conservatory was fully booked. Oddly enough while we were there 6:30-8:30 pm. on a Saturday the conservatory remained no more than half full, so we weren't sure why we were relegated to the side. It seemed like we were relegated to second class service as well. We ordered drinks at the beginning which only arrived about 45 minutes later, about half way through our dinner after several follow up requests. From the time we receive the dessert menu until the food came was over 35 minutes. In general there seemed to be sufficient staff, but were not much interested in our party of 10. The menu remained unchanged from the previous week as well.

The overall food quality -- fantastic -- among the best we enjoyed in the area. In spite of the dodgy service we would consider returning for a lunch in the conservatory to enjoy the view, atmosphere and food.