What Our Guests Say

If you are considering a short break walking holiday, you won’t go far wrong with ‘Walk the Milsom Way’ – a ‘posh’ walking holiday!

Our three-day hike started at the flagship hotel, Milsoms, in Dedham, a luxurious but informal hotel which really set high level standards.
We had a Deluxe room which boasted an extremely comfortable bed and nice countryside views from two windows, along with quirky furnishings. The bathroom included an overhead shower and bath with complementary toiletries.

Following an al fresco drink on the (undercover) terrace, we were shown to our table in the buzzing, very friendly restaurant.
Our three course dinner was cooked to perfection. We chose fillet steaks for our mains, which were delicious, and the selection of wines was brilliant.
The atmosphere was very upbeat (although the ordering process bizarre and rather at odds with the hotel generally).

The next day, following a great breakfast with plenty of choice (including home-made vitamin shots!) we set out for a fifteen mile hike to Ramsey complete with our bag of water and goodies supplied by the hotel.
The walking was varied, mainly flat and pretty easy, but we took our time! The trail took us through beautiful countryside including idyllic Flatford Mill, along sandy beaches, through quaint villages, across fields, meadows and woodland. (It’s worth checking the state of tide because some of the beach routes are not accessible at high tide.)  There are places to stop for lunch along the way, and the Castle Inn at Ramsey, the finishing line for us, was friendly with outdoor/indoor seating, where we were picked up by Milsoms and driven four miles to The Pier at Harwich.
Our luggage was waiting for us in the room when we arrived.
The Pier is very different from Milsoms Dedham, much smaller and to be honest not so luxurious, but with similar quirky touches. The view from the restaurant across Harwich is expansive, with ships and other vessels passing regularly.
Our three course dinner was very nice, plentiful and again, excellent choice of wines.

Breakfast was not as extensive but still fresh and plentiful. Another goodie bag and we were handed pre-booked tickets to cross the Orwell via Harwich Harbour Ferry (literally across the road from The Pier) to Felixstowe.
About a ten minute boat ride and an experience in itself! (Take a jacket!)

The walking was very different – a 12 mile hike along Felixstowe promenade, and a lunch stop at The Ferry Inn. We then followed the River Deben for miles along the sea wall, which can be a little ’sloggie’ but the views are well worth it!
We had very fine, dry weather, but in some places the paths were under water and high enough to go over the top of your walking boots, so maybe not so good after a lot of rain.
We were picked up from the Maybush Inn in Waldringfield, by taxi, which took us to Kesgrave Hall where our luggage was again waiting for us.
This hotel nestles in impressive grounds and we were shown to a lovely cottage just along from the hotel, which was enormous with again, a large comfortable bed, all the trimmings, some quirky touches and an amazing bathroom.

Our three course dinner didn’t quite reach the standards of Milsom or The Pier, so choose your meals wisely.

Breakfast included a good menu of options, but the service was not quite ’there’.

Our car was waiting for us and as we drove away, we both agreed that this was one of the best holidays we have had for a long time.

At every hotel nothing was too much trouble, the staff were friendly and everything was arranged meticulously, from the pick-ups, to the transporting of luggage, to the goodie bags and ferry trip.
Very well worth the money and thoroughly recommended!

PS: We were a little concerned about making the (total) 27 miles, but we were assured that we could stop and be picked up at any point along the way. Don’t be put off if your fitness levels are dubious – this is a great break even if you only walk a few miles.

PPS: Very informative map booklets are provided, but ideally you need your mobile and an Ordnance Survey map too – some of the signs have disappeared and in a few places you could get a little lost.

A really big thank you for our time at Mr G’s last Saturday night. The whole evening was perfectly organised and a truly lovely menu provided. All of the waiting team provided excellent service and our family feedback certainly reinforced this. It was just a wonderful experience and memory of our Golden Wedding anniversary.

With all our best wishes,

M & M S

I was a guest along with my partner at the Wedding of D & M on Friday 2nd August.

What a beautiful venue, the rooms were amazing, the beds were so comfortable.

The food was exceptional, and your staff are absolutely amazing, I know it’s their job but they truly are amazing always had smiles on their faces, even joined in for a dance near the end of the evening.  One of the staff was even making pots of tea at the end of the evening.

Thank you again for making my Niece and her Husband’s day so special.

Marie (sister of M’s mum)

Sorry this is a little late but wanted to say a big Thank you for another wonderful lunch in Mr G’s on 20th. My dad had a lovely time celebrating his 80th, lunch was superb and the service from Callum and the team was fantastic again!

We now need to find something else to celebrate so we can book in again!

So until next time thank you again.

Hengrave & Talbooth combined are a phenomenal duo that create a wedding day you can only dream of. From arrival to departure, the service was attentive and seamless. The staff were always on hand working tirelessly in the background to make sure things went exactly as planned but they do it with finesse and stealth, they are everywhere but you wouldn’t know it, they make it look effortless. Big shout out to Izzy, Tom & Lauren who guided us through our day and were always on hand to assist. Extremely professional, friendly and well-versed in managing a wedding day. It’s all the little things; escorting guests to their rooms, setting out the decorations you bring with you to the venue, managing your supply chain, holding your dress off the floor in the rain but crouching down so that they can’t be seen in the photos, holding your things during photos, making sure you have a glass of champagne and a canapé amongst all the meet and greets, guiding you to a quiet retreat so that the newlyweds can get a couple of moments to themselves, making sure the microphones were in the correct hands at the correct times and jumping behind the bar when things get busy, the list goes on. As a Project Manager myself I find it very hard to relinquish control of any situation but these guys are something else! Masters in their field and not for one second did I need to worry about a single thing. Before the wedding day, Hengrave were always on hand to answer questions and welcomed us to the venue more than once so we could make our plans, and the meetings with Talbooth to plan the more finite details, including the food tasting will put your mind at ease. You will soon realise your wedding day is in very safe hands. We had 100 people at our Wedding Breakfast and the food was just superb! Cooked to perfection! Our guests were so complimentary. Not to mention that Hengrave, the grounds and their private chapel are just the most beautiful venue you could imagine. We highly recommend using Hengrave’s preferred supply chain, they know that venue like the back of their hand and you reap the benefits when it comes to your church service & photos etc. We cannot stop reliving every single moment, we are in awe of how absolutely perfect our day was, and we cannot say Thank You enough! I could go on and on but there is not enough words to express how absolutely fabulous this venue and their staff are! Thank you so much xx

I wanted to pass on my thanks to you and your team following my husband John’s 70th birthday dinner in Mr G’s on Saturday 29th June 2024. We often eat at Milsoms and had both my 60th birthday and retirement celebrations in The Library a while back.

With Gemma Edwards’ assistance in planning John’s event, and Yolanda, Harry and Chef Tim’s help and expertise on Saturday, the evening was a great success. Yet again your high standards of personable staff and service; rural location; locally sourced excellent cuisine; contemporary decor and customer-centric approach provided unrivalled stand-out.

In all the times we’ve visited over some 25 years those key hospitality elements never waver.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all staff at The Pier Hotel & Restaurant for making our stay with you over the weekend, to celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversary, so perfect in every way, making lasting memories.

All staff from the time of booking to checking out were so professional, caring and friendly. They were amazing and they are all a credit to your company.

The dining experience and food was excellent, the breakfast 1st class too. We are regular customers for dining but would not hesitate to stay again and would certainly recommend your hotel and services.

Please pass on our sincere thanks to all staff involved in making our stay with you such a wonderful occasion. Looking forward to our next visit sometime very soon.

I wanted to write to say thank you so much for facilitating our fantastic stay at Milsoms in Dedham.

It was my husband’s birthday while we were there. We had the best time.  As with Milsoms Harwich, the staff are just brilliant.  From check in to check out and everything in between, they give wonderful service, always with a smile. I don’t know what the winning formula with training staff in customer care is but Milsoms is definitely doing it right, every time.

We dined in the restaurant one evening and the food was gorgeous.  My husband had fish, I had vegan.  Both of us agreed the food was really, really, good quality. The wine was excellent and reasonably priced.

The room was great, we really appreciate that you gave us the discount.  We loved the decor, we loved the view, we loved it all.

So, again, thank you.  It was such a memorable few days.  In fact, if someone told me you had laid on the good weather especially for us, I would have believed them. Milsoms just went the extra mile again.

I have just spent a wonderful weekend at The Pier in Harwich. Where the food was excellent and the staff went above and beyond to make our stay perfect. We had a house party there for 14 of us. It was wonderfully organised and nothing seemed to be too much trouble.

We booked the Milsoms Walk starting at Milsoms, Dedham, walking to Ramsay and staying at the Pier in Harwich. Then onward walking to Waldringfield and staying at Kesgrave Hall. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and were so impressed by the organisation and hospitality. We were made so welcome and the service was excellent. Nothing was too much trouble and apart from walking around 30 miles over 2 days, it was effortless. The hotels are lovely as was the food. The walking is very different over the two days and takes in lovely Constable country and then the seaside and wild marshes. Particularly enjoyed the ferry across the river. Excellent value for money and couldn’t recommend it highly enough.