The Maids Head Hotel

It claims to be the oldest hotel in the UK. So, that was a good enough draw to visit this more expensive than most Norwich hotels. I didn't disappoint, with a friendly welcome and intriguing walk through the communal seating areas, restaurant, courtyard and bar. The rooms are a good size with an impressive mural on the wall of the bathroom. The location is excellent for visiting the older parts of Norwich, and the restaurant provided a very good dining experience as well.

We recently spend four nights at the Maids Head Hotel in mid July for a family wedding. The location is excellent and is really close to the centre of Norwich, with lots of pubs and restaurants close by. The train station is only a 15 min walk away. We booked an Executive Double room, and were allocated 403 on the top floor. The room itself was very large, didn't overlook the noisy pub at the front, and had air conditioning - a welcome relief during 29 degree heat, as was the mini fridge! I'm pregnant and found the bed was huge and very comfortable - two singles together so we had plenty of room.There is also a pillow menu. All the staff were lovely, and when I requested additional bath towels for my long hair, the duty manager promptly delivered them. We really appreciated the signs requesting do not disturb the room with the tickboxes to request additional refreshments and toiletries. We paid £150 a night for the room, not including breakfast. We did pay for the breakfast buffet one morning, which cost £15 each and was very nice. However, we spent all other mornings having breakfast at Olives across the room which was phenomenal. The only real negative was our room had a connecting door into the next door, and we had very noisy neighbours for the first two nights that went on very late. There was no real soundproofing, and not only could we hear their conversations, but also every word from their television. We were not aware the hotel had connecting rooms at the time of booking. The hotel was fully booked so it was not possible to move. It was a bit disappointing to pay £150 (not including breakfast) for a bad night's sleep and for future visits we would possibly consider other hotels for this reason.

The Positive A beautifully designed hotel in a great location, with plenty of inviting seating areas and a fascinating, characterful building. The Negative The bed – without question, the worst night’s sleep I’ve ever had in a hotel. The mattress was rock-hard, more like concrete than something you’d want to sleep on. This was in a suite, which I booked under the assumption it would offer a superior level of comfort. Unfortunately, that assumption was very wrong.