The Red Lion Hotel

Conveniently sited next to a mainline station - this old coaching inn is like a home from home - great pub downstairs and cosy rooms upstairs. What sets this place apart is the amazingly friendly team - Hannah makes the best hot chocolate - food is good too … great breakfast included from early which is perfect for business travel - recommended

Great place to stay lovely atmosphere and nice quirky environment. Food was really nice and good choice gardens were lovely great for watching the planes

I stayed at The Red Lion Hotel from September 27 to 29 for a wedding, and my experience was unfortunately marred by several significant issues. On my last day, while packing, I discovered a bed bug in my sheets. This was alarming and concerning, given the potential health risks associated with bed bugs. Upon reporting the issue to the cleaning staff, I was met with a dismissive response that only added to my frustration. I also noticed excessive dust on surfaces like the TV and lamp, which is unacceptable for any hotel, especially one that should uphold high cleanliness standards. After checking reviews, I found that other guests had similarly reported issues with cleanliness and pests, indicating that this may be a recurring problem. While I received a refund for one night of my stay, the response from management was defensive and unhelpful. Instead of acknowledging the seriousness of the situation and taking responsibility for the cleanliness issues raised in reviews, the hotel insisted that guests should report problems immediately and deflected blame. However, if past reviews have gone unaddressed, it raises questions about whether reporting issues would even lead to meaningful change. Overall, my experience at The Red Lion Hotel has been disappointing. I urge potential guests to be cautious, as it seems that concerns regarding cleanliness and pest control may not be taken seriously by management. Additionally, it would benefit the individual handling reviews and customer feedback to take a customer service class to better address and empathize with guests' concerns.

I am chairman of my local history society and I spoke casually to a person who described himself as the manager about the possibility of a visit to this historic building with some of my members. As the hotel has been isolated from the village by the construction of a new road I thought it an excellent opportunity to reconnect with the village population for the hotel. I then met a most strident and officious young woman who told me that the first person was not the manager and that I had to deal with her. My inclination was not to, because I found her to be somewhat unfriendly. I called in for a coffee two weeks later whilst waiting for a train and asked whether the first contact was in. I found myself assailed by the officious one telling me that I was remiss in not providing her with dates. I found her attitude to be aggressive and once again telling me that the first person was not the manager and that I was to deal with her. I refused to do so. I asked for the phone number of the real boss “Alex” and she told me that she wouldn’t give it to me. I held out the hand of friendship to a local business and was clearly rebuffed. The visit will not now take place. I am astonished that a business in hospitality could be so inhospitable.

The Red Lion is a little hidden gem, next to Whittleford Parkway station and beside the 13th Century Duxford Chapel. The restaurant has a limited but very tasty selection on the menu. We dined there twice this week and on the first night my husband had Lincolnshire sausages served with a creamy mash and I had traditional fish and chips. On the second night, we had a selection of the small plates including prawn crevettes, BBQ chicken wings, smoked salmon brioche and smoked haddock gratin. All were served hot with appropriate sauces and salad trim. The bar is well stocked with a good selection of non-alcoholic drinks available too. My only criticism would be the lack of a printed dessert menu and the limited dessert options. However, the ice cream was delicious. Various coffees are available including decaffeinated. There is a large car park shared with the nearby Holiday Express, but with a bay for the Red Lion that provides free parking. If that is full, there are 2 free hours permitted in the rest of the car park with fees applied after that time. It has recently been taken over and is under new management so has a feel of a work in progress that has great potential. The staff are friendly and seem determined to make The Red Lion a success.

A room was booked but as it was to be a late arrival the instructions were to call and make arrangements to get into the room. No one answered our calls so it was impossible to know which room it would be or how to get into it. This forced us to book another hotel in the area. The Red Lion refused a refund and lied about not receiving any calls. Will certainly not use again.

13th century character inn full of nooks and crannies. The bar area and dining space is particularly interesting. It has some modern additions such as the breakfast room. Breakfast is very good and prepared to order Staff are very attentive and efficient. I only saw one bedroom which was an attic space so not much room. However this is a character hotel and not a big standard type so common these days. We did eat at the hotel for one of our 3 night stay and the food was very good 'pub grub' style. We used the hotel as a base to visit Cambridge and used the excellent rail connection which is just a couple of minutes walk from the hotel.

Party evening for saffron walden private school, 3 course dinner with live acts followed by a dj set! Amazing food and busy bar, great selection of wines and beers too !! Parking was available too , and the train line handy to get back to saffron walden

Working away at weekends is not always ideal, but what we do look for is nice accommodation with great food and staff that are very accommodating. And on my first experience at the RED LION. this ticked all the boxes. Staff had a can do Attitude. And the chef’s evening meal was fantastic. And a Hearty full English breakfast in the morning was not too much trouble, even though we were early. Would highly recommend this venue whether it would be business or pleasure to the local Aerodome museum close by 🙌 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️