An Old Fashioned Joy (Swallow Belstead Brook Hotel, Ipswich)

Member Name: paulie1975

Product:	Swallow Belstead Brook Hotel, Ipswich
Date:	04/01/09 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Swimming Pool, beautiful gardens, price, great restaurant

Disadvantages: Can be hard to find your way around, or to find the hotel

This is a lovely hotel, prices are actually really reasonable when booked via a hotel exchange website such as expedia, lastminute or hotels.com.

The hotel is located on the outskirts of Ipswich in an area known as Belstead Brook it used to be tangled around trees and hard to find as it was the outskirts of Ipswich, but now a housing estate has been built close by which kills that quaint appeal slightly.

The estate is surrounded by trees to keep it enclosed and ensure views are of the wonderfully maintained grounds of the hotel, the garden is stunning and is used for weddings and private parties. It is home ot plenty of local wildlife including squirrels and peacocks.

When you enter the hotel, part of the Swallow chain it has an old style touch of class, this used to be one of only two very good hotels in Ipswich and it still has the ambience of being somewhere people want to stay.

The gym is great, with a decent sized pool, jacuzzi and sauna's, there are sunbeds to relax and read, or simply to relax in.

Hotel rooms are handsome, well maintained with an old-school decoration but modern bathrooms, satelite tv and a great room service menu.

The Restaurant is lovely, a fine menu of locally sourced food and drink, the waiting staff are knowledgable, the food looked and tasted great and was served quickly and stylishly.

Overally this is a good place to stay at very competitive prices, close to the A12 and easy for access to Ipswich and the Constable Country.

Summary: A great old fashioned slice of Suffolk at a great price.