An independent hotel reviewer has crowned a Suffolk hotel as one of the best in the country.

The Good Hotel Guide, which has been reviewing venues for more than 40 years, has placed The Bidleston Crown in their top ten ‘pubs with rooms’ category.

The company rates hotels all over Great Britain and Ireland - The Bidleston Crown was the only Suffolk venue to make the list.

Owners of the award winning establishment, Hayley and Chris Lee, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be named by The Good Hotel Guide as one of its ten best pubs with rooms in the country.

“The Bildeston Crown has received many awards over the years for its great food and so it is extra special that our rooms have now also been recognised.

“Our twelve en suite bedrooms are described are as ‘characterful and colourful’, and so we really appreciate The Good Hotel Guide recommendation that we are the Suffolk inn to come to for great food and a relaxing stay.”

The Good Hotel Guide described the hotel as ‘full of character’ in their review. It reads: “In a peaceful village near Lavenham, this 15th-century former merchant’s house and coaching inn is full of character, warm, intimate, relaxed. It is run as their own business by Hayley and Chris Lee, manager and head chef. After a super-friendly check-in, guide inspectors were shown to a room on the second floor, where the low ceiling has lots of beams and the warning “Duck”. Fresh milk was brought in a glass bottle. A good-sized bathroom had a large bath and separate walk-in shower, with strong water pressure, stylish soaps.

“All rooms are characterful and colourful, with perhaps a playful touch – doggy wallpaper, a tartan carpet, one has an antique four-poster. In the candlelit restaurant, Chris Lee’s interesting menus include such dishes as local pheasant Kiev; fish stew with aïoli; chargrilled Red Poll rump steak; Nedging lamb supplied by the building’s owner, James Buckle, local farmer and businessman. A light, fluffy banoffee pie was the highlight. At breakfast a bread basket arrived with a small, warm doughnut in the middle. Fresh orange juice was brought to the table. Eggs Florentine was delicious.”