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3.5
#1 of 1 hotels in Stoke Holy Cross
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
See why so many travellers make Dunston Hall their hotel of choice when visiting Stoke Holy Cross. Providing an ideal mix of value, comfort and convenience, it offers a romantic setting with an array of amenities designed for travellers like you.
Guest rooms offer a flat screen TV, and Dunston Hall Hotel makes getting online easy as free wifi is available.
You can also take advantage of some of the amenities offered by the hotel, including 24 hour front desk, room service, and a sun terrace. In addition, guests can enjoy a pool and a lounge during their visit. As an added convenience, there is free parking available to guests.
Travellers looking to enjoy some fish and chips can head to Stoke Holy Cross Fish N Chips. Otherwise, you may want to check out a seafood restaurant such as Stoke Holy Cross Fish N Chips.
At Dunston Hall, your comfort and satisfaction come first, and they look forward to welcoming you to Stoke Holy Cross.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Family
Languages Spoken
English
Location
Ipswich Road Golf At Dunston Hall, Stoke Holy Cross, Norwich NR14 8PQ England
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Dunston Hall's charm lies in its picturesque location, appreciated by many guests for its accessibility to attractions and on-site offerings. However, the hotel's allure is frequently overshadowed by its rooms which are often criticized for being outdated and poorly maintained, with notable issues in cleanliness and noise control.
While the breakfast garners positive remarks, opinions on other amenities and dinner are mixed, with some guests enjoying the spa and golf, but others disappointed by the pool and spa area. The service, described as slow and at times unresponsive, along with the lack of character in the hotel's atmosphere, compounds the sentiment that the hotel may not offer good value for money.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Outdated
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Slow
Amenities
Mixed
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Arriving at Dunston Hall is very impressive with a long drive up to a beautiful old house. Check in was quick and efficient with the receptionist very friendly and helpful. Our room was in the newer part of the hotel, the bathroom was fairly new and very clean but the bedroom furniture was looking a bit tired and could do with an upgrade but the room was of a good size and very quiet. We arrived on New Years Eve and went to the gala dinner that evening which was very well organised, the food was of an acceptable standard given the number of guests in attendance. The music was very good, particularly the band who kept everyone going all evening. The cost of drinks was high, which is the norm, although £25 for a decent bottle of Malbec was very welcome. On New Year’s Day evening a buffet was served in the Brasserie, which was fine. The following night was back to the a la cart menu, from which 3 of our party chose the steak option. Having waited about 45 minutes for the main course the waitress came and apologised that she had forgotten to send the order through to the kitchen! We then waited for the food to be cooked only to find that the steak was cold when it was served. Having complained the hotel did waiver the extra cost of the meal and the wine we had ordered and paid for a round of drinks from the terrace bar, so we were happy with their handling of the situation . The men in the party took advantage of the golf course on New Years Day, and we had drinks and coffee in the Bunkers Bar afterward which was a comfortable and friendly place to get warm! Also used the pool, which was lovely and clean with plenty of loungers, although somewhat disappointed to find that robes were not provided, apparently you had to hire them from reception at a cost of £5, not what you would expect from a hotel of this class. However, it went from bad to worse when the girls visited the Lilac Room for massage treatments. I thought it odd when the therapist led me to a treatment room and asked me to undress and lay on the table (I thought maybe she would bring a robe for afterwards) but no, after the massage I had to put my clothes back on covered in massage oil! There was no relaxation room to lay and enjoy the whole experience but was taken back to the spa reception area (which was in the corridor leading to the pool area) and given a glass of water, then before We could drink that the receptionist locked the reception area, turned the lights out and said we were welcome to stay as long as we wanted! A few lessons could be learnt to bring the services up to an acceptable standard.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Â We were in room 605 on the second floor which was very quiet
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from DavidGraham4, General Manager at Dunston Hall
Responded Jan 4, 2020
Thank you stevensj3 for your review following your visit to the hotel. Whilst I was pleased to read you enjoyed our New Years Eve Gala dinner and you found your room to be of a good size and very quiet, I was disappointed to see you were let down in other areas of the hotel. Please be assured your feedback will be discussed with my Management Team so the points you raised can be addressed and the necessary training implemented so we can prevent a reoccurrence. Customer feedback is very important to myself as we use it to assess the level of facilities and service we offer our guests. I hope we have the opportunity to welcome you back. Kind regards David Graham General Manager
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Having the week booked off and nowhere to go due to a holiday to Turkey being cancelled my husband and I booked a few days at Dunston Hall. Having stayed there before we were curious how the current COVID restrictions would impact on our stay.
Check-in. Although done with a screen between us and the reception staff their friendliness shone through. We were handed a letter detailing what to expect during our stay. Lots of signs reminding us to wear face masks and plenty of sanitiser dotted about.
Room. Only major change was absence of throws and cushions. Rather than being serviced every day they are done every third day although if needed extra supplies such as tea coffee or towels can be requested.
Restaurant. Breakfast is served at the table rather than help yourself buffet but still plenty of choice. On each morning it was fairly busy and on one occasion in particular we did wait some considerable time before our cooked breakfast arrived. In terms of quality and value for money this is the one area that I feel does need some improving. Once vacated each table was thoroughly sanitised including chairs and condiments. We ate one evening meal there which was really delicious.
Leisure facilities. The leisure facilities were by booking only and each session was approximately 45 minutes. During our 3 day stay we managed 2 sessions in both gym and pool area. We were pleased to see as well as the pool that the steam room and sauna were available. Like the restaurant as we left we saw staff conduct a thourough clean of the area before the next guests entered.
Spa. My husband had a massage and I had a facial. Some options were limited but our experience was really positive and it didn't feel that compromises were being made.
Overall yes it was a different experience to previous visits but we still had a really lovely time and importantly felt that Dunston Hall were doing everything to make both guests and staff as safe as possible.
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Date of stay: October 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Graham, General Manager at Dunston Hall
Responded Oct 19, 2020
Thank you icemumma for your review following your visit to Dunston Hall. I was pleased to read that despite a wait at breakfast you and your husband enjoyed your time with us in particular our Leisure Club facilities and also the treatments on offer by the Lilac Room. We look forward to welcoming you back. Kind regards David Graham General Manager
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Now to a lot of people £100 may seem cheap but when I book a hotel for that price I expect it to be a certain standard. The facilities at the hotel were great. Due to COVID19 you had to book a slot for the pool, which we only found out through a family member, it wasn’t very clear when booking on booking.com. I thought this system was a bit silly to start with but I came round to the idea. It’s a good system so the pool isn’t crowded and there’s enough space, please keep this once things go back to normal. The food at lunch was a bit over priced & the service wasn’t the greatest, plus there wasn’t much seating inside (rubbish weather so wanted to sit inside). However the food & service at dinner was brilliant. Big shout out to Cameron, our waiter, he was awesome. The food wasn’t badly priced either. For 5 adults having the following; 5x aperitifs 3x starters 2x bottles of wine 5x main courses (3 of those were steaks) 4x desserts The bill came to £261, not too bad at all. We then had a drink in the garden bar before bed, which was pleasant. Our waiter there was a man called Terence. He was again awesome, extremely friendly & knowledgeable about whisky. Breakfast was a buffet but served to you due to COVID19. There was a hot section with the usual English breakfast items, then fruit, cereal & pastries. It was £15 each & I feel we got our fair share. The rooms we had were nothing to shout home about. Both my wife & I said that we have had better rooms at Heathrows Holiday Inn. The beds were comfy though. As much as the rooms seemed to have had a makeover they were not the best. The furniture was old & the bathroom work was done in a shoddy way. Should have taken photos but wanted to spend time with the family. Overal the night was fun with the family but the rooms need a lot more work.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Graham, General Manager at Dunston Hall
Responded Aug 29, 2020
Thank you Sid8775 for your review following your visit to the hotel. I was pleased to read that with the exception of your room, which are due to be refurbished later this year, you enjoyed your time with us finding the facilities at the hotel great and the service from Cameron and Terence awesome. We look forward to welcoming you back. Kind regards David Graham General Manager
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my husband booked a night with dinner bed and breakfast for a child free night for my birthday. on arrival we were impressed with the grounds, staff were polite although were told the earliest table available was 9pm and then heard the people after us get an earlier table. first impressions of the room were ok. clean, little run down, bathroom tiles were covered in orange rusty stains and looked worn. upon trying to have a drink of water we were confronted by bright orange water that then cleared. every single time you turned on the tap the initial water was orange. I then decided to run a bath to be confronted by sand coming from both the bath and shower outlets. we ended up running this water for 45 minutes and still sand was coming out the water was also stained and looked like urine. we complained and were moved to another room just in time to make our dinner reservation. when we got back to the room I ran a bath. again the water looked like pale urine ! (at least there wasnt any sand in it) . pur friend is getting married there in december and we have a room booked but I'm tempted to cancel and have told the other guests staying that night about the issues we have had. for a 4 star hotel I really do think you should be able to use the shower /bath and be able to have a drink of water. the food was amazing and reasonably priced but for our first night away in years I really am gutted and really not looking forward to staying again. If we do stay I will not be bathing my 3 children in the water. apparently it's not on the mains and the water comes from a boar hole.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Graham, General Manager at Dunston Hall
Responded Feb 23, 2020
Thank you larrykins2015 for your review following your visit to the hotel. Whilst I was pleased to read you found my staff polite and the food amazing it was disappointing to read you had problems with the water in your room. Please be assured your comments will be discussed with my Maintenance Manager so he can address the points you raised as although our water comes from a bore hole there shouldn't be any problems with drinking of bathing. We look forward to welcoming you back in the December for your friends wedding. Kind regards David Graham General Manager
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Just came back from the most shocking experience I’ve ever had at hotel. I wouldn’t even rate this hotel 1 star! To start with our bathroom was covered in hairs and clearly hadn’t been cleaned. During a pandemic this is extremely worrying to our health and other guests. The manager promised to have our bathroom cleaned whilst we had dinner, we returned to the room to find it hadn’t been cleaned. The lady on reception kindly offered to come and clean the bathroom at 10pm and gave a full refund. She was the only positive part of the whole experience. The on duty manager was completely untrained to deal with complaints and didn’t know what to say. He was too busy serving in the restaurant and didn’t even check if our bathroom had been cleaned again.
Our afternoon tea was late with no service and I had to go and order our drinks at the bar. The bread served at dinner was stale and steak completely overcooked.
We decided to have breakfast in the room because the idea of queuing at a buffet sounded horrendous. Cooked breakfast to the room was cold and shocking quality. Frozen fruit that wasn’t even defrosted.
Cleaners knocking on our door at 9am when we hadn’t even left a clean our room sign out
Dogs barking in the morning from the room next door was the icing on the cake!
The management must be replaced and serious changes need to be made.
Corners being cut everywhere to try and save money.
I’ve never written a bad trip advisor review before and this was the worst experience I’ve EVER had at a hotel.
It was supposed to be a lovely night away that quickly turned into a nightmare.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Graham, General Manager at Dunston Hall
Responded Aug 19, 2020
Dear J6441MLalexj for your review following your visit to the hotel. I was extremely disappointed to read your comments and please accept my apologies for them. Please be assured I will be discussing your feedback with my team so the points you raised can be addressed and the necessary procedures implemented to prevent a reoccurrence. I hope we have the opportunity to welcome you back. Kind regards David Graham General Manager
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Dunston Hall is described online as a 'luxury' hotel, but I wouldn't say we had a luxurious experience.
On arrival we headed to the bar to order a quick meal for our two year old and were in there for almost two hours. The service was incredibly slow and the macaroni cheese that we received was poor (drowning in oil and the cheese had split). The children's menu had no healthy options available, as is often the case in hotels and restaurants, and the second dish that we ordered (chicken dippers) looked like processed food out of the freezer. No real cooking going on here. The dessert that we ordered never arrived.
We were initially charged for the children's meal, despite being advised on booking our stay that under 4's eat for free. We were refunded but it would have been much less hassle if the bar staff were aware of this.
At the time of booking I noted that we would be travelling with a child under the age of 4, and on check in the receptionist saw our son and asked his age, but there was no mention of a travel cot and we found that there wasn't one set up in our room. We then had to ask for one to be brought up, which we waited around 40 mins for. The lovely lady who set the cot up explained that she was the only member of housekeeping / maintenance on shift despite the hotel being full that night.
There were no bottles of water provided in the rooms, and the tap water wasn't clean / drinkable.
On a positive note, we had a lovely breakfast and the staff here were very attentive. We also enjoyed the pool facilities, although the changing rooms weren't very clean at the time of our visit. I didn't see anyone attending to the pool / changing room areas during our stay.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Graham, General Manager at Dunston Hall
Responded Feb 23, 2020
Thank you Michaela Tart for your review following your visit to the hotel. I was sorry to read of the problems you experienced whilst dining in our bar area and the fact there was no cot in your room on arrival. Please be assured I will be speaking to my Food & Drinks Manager and Head Housekeeper so the points you raised can be addressed with their team. I was however pleased to read you enjoyed our breakfast offering finding the staff very attentive and our pool facilities. I hope we have the opportunity to welcome you back. Kind regards David Graham General Manager
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We stayed for a weekend in a family room and Dunston is our preferred hotel for its location, exterior grandeur and general pleasant experience.
We also stayed at the end of July and there have been improvements in the service such as food provision since then as it adapts to Covid-19. However there could be more hand gel provided at high footfall / touch points such as lifts and stairwells and external access doors, rather than just in reception and restaurant / bar areas.
We were mindful of more recent mixed reviews on here but I have to say these seem unfair overall. Yes, there are faded elements and the hotel needs some updating in decor but you have to appreciate the age of some areas and we had no issues. I see on here there is a refurb planned which will be good.
Our room was clean, spacious, comfortable and quiet. Reception helped us with a faulty fan without issue. The pool was really nice and staff accommodating. We knew that both breakfast and pool needed to be booked so this was neither a surprise nor a problem to us - you have to accept some flexibility is required.
Staff were attentive and knowledgable at breakfast and for managing allergies, the food was very nice, including coffee to the table and alternative milks available.
It was good to see the place busier with groups, families and golfers as this is a key point for the hotel. We have always found it a pleasant place to stay and are pleased to have been here again. Investment in the overall standards of decor and rooms will restore the expectations set by its reputation and 4 star rating but you cannot fault the staff and effort of service, particularly in these testing times for tourism.
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Graham, General Manager at Dunston Hall
Responded Sep 9, 2020
Thank you KentCanary2018 for your review following your visit to Dunston Hall. I was pleased to read you enjoyed your stay with us finding your room clean, spacious, comfortable and quiet, pool area really nice and the staff faultless. My team here all work hard to ensure our guests are looked after and I know will enjoy reading your feedback. On behalf of everyone at Dunston we look forward to welcoming you back. Kind regards David Graham General Manager
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We decided to go away for a night as a joint birthday treat, we entered room and had a nice surprise they had given us a bottle of rose and a big bar of chocolate and note to say happy birthday. Thank you for that x booked through their Winter sale we selected a superior super king room, evening meal and breakfast included. Was a nice clean Spacious room, espa toiletries and very comfortable super king bed and soft bedding, in the room deal we had complimentary items included in the room..wines, beers, cokes, waters ect, but had no bottle opener to open all items that are complimentary (we hunted high and low) I know we could have called reception but feel we shouldn’t of had to. luckily husband knows a trick with with car key. meal that evening had a £25 meal allowance, not a huge choice of meals so we both had the steak, sadly husbands steak (sirloin) was full of tough gristle even waitress agreed when she saw that he had to leave a lot of it, but she did apologies and knock off price for the onion rings, very nice waiting staff in restaurant. I will note my steak was very good and had no gristle. The Pool facilities were nice, with secure digital lockers. the two young Pool reception staff were a little stand offish, and quite aloof. Main hotel reception staff were welcoming and friendly. Breakfast was buffet style, good hot plates to put your food on is a plus, a excellent selection of juices some I’ve never had before, saw Greek yoghurt sign which I love but never saw the empty bowl refilled. also a few gluten free options which is good. All in all was a mixed bag of opinions Some great some not so, but the outside of hall itself is beautiful. Reception area looks good when entering, just some parts of hotel really need a make over clashing Carpets and curtains in some places but I’m sure that will be done eventually.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from DavidGraham4, General Manager at Dunston Hall
Responded Jan 28, 2020
Thank you leeleer77 for your review following your visit to Dunston Hall. I was pleased to read that on the whole you enjoyed your time with us finding your room spacious and clean and our pool facilities nice. I am pleased to confirm that the hotel is due to be refurbished this year so the points you raised with regards to the hotel needing a makeover will be addressed. We look forward to welcoming you back. Kind regards David Graham General Manager
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Old grand hotel, lovely grounds, good golf course, decent leisure club and lovely communal areas for food and drinks. So why does the hotel get below average reviews? Like many hotels, it’s all down to the price you pay and the reflective quality you feel you should derive from that cost. We paid a reasonably price for two nights and were very satisfied with all parts of our stay.
This is an old hotel, some of the bedrooms could do with some renovation but they are still comfortably habitable. If you are paying top dollar then maybe you might be disappointed?? We as a family stayed in the penthouse suite. From other reviews we knew what to expect, but if you were expecting a proper penthouse you would be disappointed. The room(s) were huge but need a makeover, perfectly suited for a family with 2 kids. The sofa is old and needs replacing and some of the finer cleaning details in the suite were a little amiss (mainly dust). Great to have a proper fridge though, and the complimentary drinks were a bonus. The room gives great views over the golf course, particularly the 18th green which was great to watch the players come in.
We ate in the lounge bar one evening, it was ok, but wouldn’t rush back. The breakfast is all served to your table, and we were really impressed with the cooked breakfast as well as the staff serving in here.
Covid procedures were in place, but I would have liked to have seen small sanitizer dispensers on each table in the restaurant and bars rather than just as you enter.
I can imagine this place is awash with weddings in the summer months, I can imagine it being a great venue for this
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Date of stay: December 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Graham, General Manager at Dunston Hall
Responded Dec 29, 2020
Thank you Chris1978 for your review following your visit to Dunston Hall. I was pleased to read you had a good stay with us finding your room comfortably habitable and our breakfast offering impressive along with the service staff. We look forward to welcoming you back. Kind regards David Graham General Manager
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A few days after booking we completed an on line form, type of room required, dinner and breakfast slots etc. On checking in at DH none of the above had been relayed to reception. We did not get the type of room we asked for nor the meal times we had requested. The room was clean but very tatty and in need of decoration. We went down for drinks on the terrace and were asked to find a table and the server would be along to take our order. After 30mins still no sign of a server. The people at the table next to us walked out. When we did eventually get our drinks we asked for the old cups and glasses to be cleared and table wiped. This was never done. We left after one drink. Dinner on first night was ok but my steak was really tough. Dinner on second night was atrocious. Our server was really apologetic as after waiting 40mins for our main course to arrive my Hake was curling up at the edges and completely dried out. I sent it back and because the wait for another was going to be so long I opted for a bowl of soup. My husbands duck was ok but have had better. Breakfasts were ok under the circumstances but they could of had two people serving hot food that way the queue wouldn’t have been so long. I didn’t bother with the pool as couldn’t get a slot time suitable. This is the second time we have stayed at DH but we will not be returning. I quite understand that things are very different at the moment but that is no excuse for poor quality service and food.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David Graham, General Manager at Dunston Hall
Responded Aug 30, 2020
Thank you CAS42 for your review following your visit to the hotel. I was disappointed to read your comments about your stay with us but please be assured I will be speaking to my team about them so the points you raised can be addressed. Customer feedback is very important to me as I use it to continually assess the level of service and facilities we offer our guests. I hope we have the opportunity to welcome you back. Kind regards David Graham General Manager
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There are more places to choose from in the Stoke Holy Cross area.
PRICE RANGE
C$191 - C$293 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
dunston hall de vere hotel norwich, de vere dunston hall norwich, dunston hall norwich, dunston hall hotel, de vere dunston hall hotel
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
De Vere Dunston Hall
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandEast AngliaNorfolkNorwichStoke Holy Cross
NUMBER OF ROOMS
166
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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