Afternoon Tea - The Swan Hotel Lavenham in Babergh

We had our wedding at the Swan in July and had the perfect day we had hoped for. Hannah and Jade were fabulous in the run up to the wedding, answering all our questions and helping to plan the day around our wishes. We went for a tasting meal beforehand and were very well looked after. We felt very confident in advance that everything would run smoothly on the day and our confidence was not misplaced - Hannah kept everything going and responded promptly to a few last minute changes. The food and drink were wonderful, the venue stunning and atmospheric and the staff were all lovely. All of our guests stayed over in the hotel and had a lovely relaxing break.We could not have asked for more and will remember the day with absolute happiness Thank you to the whole team! Julia and Alex

Serving quintessential British cream tea and a savoury alternative which looked delicious. I found the servings generous for 25 quid. Sandwiches were a little dry. Scones and sweets were very good. The buildings are fascinating and the table ware and linens were immaculate. Overall a memorable experience - although the choice of background music which I can try to describe as "medieval accordion" was ...odd.

We stayed here for a couple of nights for a wedding.Good points - Room was large and well equipped. Building is fantastic as is the rest of lavenham, it’s like a living museum. Food is very nice. Spa area is nice if not a little limited. Plenty of staff.Bad points - this is not a child friendly hotel, we have 2 young children who are exceptionally well behaved but we were sent into another area away from the rest of the wedding party to sit down for breakfast, though we were moved after several requests combined with lots of sighs plus huffing and puffing. Some bits of the bathroom could do with a touch of maintenance, such as the grouting, to bring them up to a 4 star standard. The car park is very small. Also told the wrong time for breakfast at reception, as were many of our party, though the correct times are in the information booklet in the rooms.All in all it’s a nice hotel, there are just a few little things that it could do with doing to improve the whole experience.

Fantastic historic and relaxing location, ideally placed within the picturesque village. Staff friendly and helpful, nothing was a problem for them. The character of the hotel and bar was impressive. Price was too be expected. Only observations really was in place furnishings were showing signs of wear and tear and it would have been nice to have unlimited access to the attached spa.That said really enjoyed our stay and came away relaxed and with my a smile on our face.

I took the other half here for lunch, an afternoon in Weavers Spa, dinner at The Great House and an overnight stay; we had a great time!This proved to be an excellent place to stay - for the great location, beautiful Tudor building and friendly service. There were only a few criticisms, detailed below.The lunch (smoked duck and Waldorf salad, leek & potato soup, chocolate brownie and cheese & biscuits) was all very good in the beautiful setting of the gallery restaurant. We had this with a half bottle of Chablis; the wine list was extensive, with a good range of options for most budgets. There was a single misstep where the roll with the soup had to be changed as it was a little frozen in the middle, but this was speedily fixed. The service was excellent, being friendly and attentive.We had a great afternoon in the spa and then checked into our room; we went for a Gainsborough, which was very spacious and well appointed, if decoratively slightly dated. The latter was especially true of the bathroom, where the sink was also slow to drain.I had stated that it was my partner's birthday; I paid a modest fee for a stunning bouquet of flowers and they also provided some complimentary chocolates, which was a nice touch.We went out for dinner in the evening, but returned and had a great night's sleep.Breakfast was also memorably good.We will definitely stay here again!

Interesting stay in a 500 year old building. Worth remembering that, as one or two things are a result of the age of the building. The room are heavily wooded and far from soundproof, internally and externally. We had a room above the kitchen and waste disposal area which was very noisy at times.The staff were all excellent, food was good with a very nice breakfast. The Spa seemed very nice though was unused.Lavenham is well worth a visit as it is incredibly old with a large number of ancient buildings, very well preserved.

A disappointing dinner.We visited for dinner on Saturday to celebrate a birthday with high expectations. We have been to the swan before for drinks and a light lunch and it was very nice.On this occasion though it failed to meet the mark. We were sat in the gallery room for dinner and around 60% of the tables were full. When questioning the menu I asked what cut the lamb was as was given the answer, the young lamb sir, under 12 months old, I then asked the cut again, was is a shank or rump etc, there may of been a miss hearing of my question. starters came and it was very nice, our glasses were removed and another drink brought over but still the empty plates sat for a while.We waited for over an hour between starters and mains and for at least 20 minutes we didn’t see any staff serving our section of tables, neither did we see any food being brought out of the kitchen. When looking around the majority of the restaurant did not have food in front of them and were also waiting. When our food arrived the the sides of chips, fries and and 2 portions of broccoli were cold, the lamb was so tough I just managed to cut it in half with a steak knife and it was so chewy it was inedible it had to be left.I told this to the waitress who apologised and said that she would let the chef and her manager know. I was not offered another piece of lamb so I was left with my cold sides. Upon paying no other mention of the cold food was brought up so we paid and went to the bar where we were then offered a free drink as a good will gesture.I was unhappy that our expectations were not met as we visit for a drink a couple of times a year and it is a lovely place however we felt sorry for the table next to us who were attending a tasting session for their wedding who also waited a very time with little service.I hope that this was just a one off occasion, maybe an issue in the kitchen but I believe it could have been handled better considering the premium prices.

Exceptional service in atmospheric medieval building, complete with every modern amenity. Spa excellent. Food good. Staff superb. If you like to relax in beautiful surroundings then this is the place for you. Thanks for a lovely holiday. Can’t wait to return!

On first impressions, I was a little disappointed with our suite, but once settled in it was comfortable and cozy, and very well equipped with everything you may need or want. The one thing that let it down was the bathroom, which looked dated.The hotel and restaurant staff were very friendly and helpful, especially Amelia, who served us our delicious dinner in the restaurant.The breakfast was very good, with plenty of choices.The spa, is also very nice, luckily the weather was good during our stay and we had a very relaxing time dipping in and out of the out door jacuzzi, you could also help yourself to coffee, hot chocolate and fresh fruit. Personal I would have liked a cup of tea!Overall we had a lovely time at The Swan Hotel, the spa was a real bonus, the food delicious and we can't wait to return.Sort out the bathroom and it's a very easy 5 stars.

Went there for anniversary afternoon tea. Lovely setting and you had a choice of a Traditional Afternoon Tea with sandwiches, scones and selection of sweet treats or a savoury afternoon tea. £25 / head and well worth it. Would like to go back and sample the restaurant at some point.