The Lodge Duxford

A boutique hotel that also caters to outside events. We stayed four nights in a Loft (top floor) king bed room that was comfortable and quiet with fun decorating, as has the rest of the hotel, bar, and dining area. A pleasant surprise was an offering of sherry in the room and unlimited filtered water. The bathroom is large, however the tub and sink are so unusual as to be difficult to use. The tub is a DEEP soaking tub with high sides that some may find difficult to board and no shower although it does have a handheld shower. Other rooms in the hotel do have showers. The sink, being narrow, is difficult to use without splashing on the floor. The restaurant food is excellent with a separate cozy bar area where you may eat if you prefer. Bravo to the chef. The staff is pleasant and will do all they can to help and provide what you need.

We have been there for dinner as we were told that it was the only Place in the area where ist possible to have Dinner on sundays…Lucky us - we absolutely loved this Place - the nice Garden, the really delicious Food at a very fair price. If you are around, Make sure to stop there. We are thinking about coming back to IWM and will definitly stop by there again, if Not Even Stay there for the Night.

Night 1 in 'The Courtyard' (or dungeon?). Check in. Reception guy there came fairly quick, restaurant open and FULL, so good food no doubt. Waitress saw us when we arrived (after a 200 mile drive) who looked us up and down like we were riff-raff. I didn’t think my legs in my cargo shorts looked that bad..? Camp bed for our son was effectively broken- missing over half of the necessary springs on the sprung base. Reported to reception and sorted immediately. But…AA 4*…it should not have happened. Rubbish/ litter/ debris in steps down to ‘The Courtyard’; including used coffee capsule. Mentioned to reception guy, hopefully addresses it tomorrow. He seemed totally maxed-out/ tired…restaurant was busy so I figured he was really busy. Not sure when the floor was last swept or more importantly, mopped in the whole room. Trendy looking holiday flat to be honest, but looking tired with chipped paint, greasy marks on the walls, what’s hopefully bolognaise sauce (?!), washing up scourer was “brown”, cupboard handles dirty (the trough shaped ones), cobwebs, dust behind TV (why was I looking there? See below). AA 4*, right? Shower doesn’t drain as fast as it runs which = flooding. Option = turn shower off to allow drainage, but be aware it comes on hotter than you set it. That keeps you on your toes!! Really odd shape bathroom with no shelves/ space- luckily there's a big table in the kitchen for your toiletries. Samsung Smart TV locked in hospitality mode = no screen mirroring/ casting/ settings locked. Terrestrial TV only (I had no idea I had so much in common with the PM…!). Rang reception…call wasn’t answered (busy restaurant?). Didn’t bother chasing it as we wanted to freshen up and rest. Maroon coloured spirit/ aperitif in a wee decanter is a nice touch. No idea what it was- hopefully drinkable and not an oven cleaner. There was no label so I had noi clue what it was. Where’s the stopper? Restaurant is upstairs above the room. Or a stable. Or Cornish clog dancers. Noisy until alte. Next Day. Morning! Why were you up at 0645? Because the clog dancers were shifting the furniture around again. Why do trendy taps + trendy basin = unusable sinks? If you have articulated arms like a Star Wars character you’re in! But if you’re normal (?!), then it’s a manual dexterity test to use the bathroom designer skillet-sink. Washing your face is a particularly good challenge to try and not smash your face on the tap. Dining room/ restaurant. Trick is, find a seat without jam on it. Ignore the unswept floor- but it showed that last nights dinner was good- or there was a food fight. Breakfast items are high quality, but lots of pepper. You select a 'breakfast' + 1 hot drink + 1 cold drink. Coffee...asked for an Americano and got an Americano, but- you don't use filter/ cafetierre grounds in and espresso machine. If they'd just used the coffee in it's intended device it would ahve been fine; but because the cofee (Columbian?) was forced through an espresso

Great hotel - due to our last minute change of plan our family stayed in 3 rooms - all very different in terms of bedroom and bathroom size / space but all clean and very comfortable. Lovely facilities - toiletries, hairdryer, mirrors, tea/coffee and delicious shortbread - and even sloe gin! We were in a large wedding party occupying many of the rooms and it created a really fun and sociable vibe - bar, dinner and breakfast all great. Very stylish spaces and good food - would recommend.

We arrived to a lovely warm and friendly welcome from a young man who also kindly carried my suitcase upstairs. We stayed in main room 3. Comfortable bed, walk-in power shower, and lovely extras such as a coffee machine, biscuits on arrival, and a little decanter of cherry brandy! The evening meals were lovely, although I do agree with a previous reviewer about the stealth service charge. We are happy to tip if a meal or service is worth it, but begrudge it being added without consent. The breakfasts were good, but unfortunately, the chef needs to learn how to cook eggs. Runny "snot" is not appetising at breakfast!

We stayed for one night prior to visiting the IWM at Duxford. This is a quirky but comfortable hotel with lovely clean rooms, comfy beds and friendly staff. Nice little bar and attractive dining room. Dinner and breakfast were very tasty. We would definitely return if in the area again.

Quirky, funky hotel with loads of extra touches - coffee machine, filter water, nice big shower gel dispensers, Bluetooth radio. Lovely supersize comfy bed. Super friendly, young team of staff who couldn’t do enough to help. We had late lunch and breakfast and both were absolutely excellent with a good choice and freshly cooked. The only very small downside was that the room was warm and humid although there was a nice big fan in the room which took the edge of it. I wouldn’t hesitate to use the hotel again if I was in the area. Minutes away from the IWM museum and close to Audley End.

Realising there were no services on the M11, We stopped here just for some coffee and pastries and we were sorry not to be staying longer. Beautiful building and garden, stylish decor, friendly and attentive staff and very reasonable prices. We were late for breakfast but they cooked more pastries freshly for us. Highly recommended.

We loved The Lodge - great room with lots of space and some really nice touches (including home made biscuits), interior design was fab, amazing bath, great breakfast, lovely outdoor spaces. Highly recommended and would definitely return!