We had the most delightful stay at the Victoria Inn. The staff were so helpful and attentive. The ladies at Reception gave us sound recommendations on where to go and what to see. I was given a parking voucher to use at various car parks free of charge. The room and bathroom at the attic were spacious and wonderful. The hotel's location was great too - on one side was a lovely walk to the sea front and on the other to the beautiful Holkham estate and Holkham Hall. The breakfast was excellent in terms of quality and quantity (basically have as much as you want if it's included in your room rate). To top it all up, everything in the room's fridge (including two Processo bottles and a Rose bottle, all 200ml) were also included in the room rate, something I have not experienced in any other hotel.

My wife and I had an enjoyable weekend at a pop-up camp on the Holkham estate. We walked from Holkham to Wells during the day and on our return to Holkham we thought we'd pop in at The Victoria for a glass of wine and take a look at the menu. Our intention was to then try and book a table for dinner later.
On entering The Victoria, which was very quiet at 3pm, we encountered a member of staff who asked if she could help. We said we would just like some drinks. Her response was, in rather a snobby and pretentious manner "We don't do 'just drinks', we are a hotel and restaurant".
We were both taken by surprise by her response and the tone it was delivered, so we left feeling somewhat annoyed and patronised.
The last time I checked, and I have considerable experience, most hotels are happy for people to have a drink in their establishment.
Needless to say, we didn't return for a meal in the evening and we made other arrangements.

Before I wrote this review, I checked Tripadvisor for reviews. I found other people have had almost identical experiences. I also note, The Victoria has provided a concise and reasonable explanation to these reviews, as to why they 'don't do just drinks'.

The real issue here isn't that The Victoria 'doesn't do just drinks', it's about the abruptness and rudeness of its staff. Surely any professional establishment understands that a customer's experience (including potential customers) has an impact, not only the establishments reputation but also any future return custom