Milsoms Kesgrave Hall

About Milsoms Kesgrave Hall

Kesgrave Hall is a Georgian mansion set in around 38 acres of woodland and grounds a few miles east of Ipswich. It was a private house, then a school, and has been run as a hotel by Milsom Hotels since 2008. The approach is up a long drive through trees, but the interior is deliberately informal: no reception desk in the traditional sense, no dress code, and a bar and brasserie that fill up with local diners as well as residents.

There are 27 en-suite bedrooms, split between the main hall and a converted stable and garden block. Styles range from simple, well-priced rooms in the eaves to larger garden rooms with private terraces and outdoor hot tubs. Decor is contemporary rather than country-house chintz, with good beds, walk-in showers and roll-top or freestanding baths in the higher grades. Dogs are accepted in designated rooms.

The brasserie is the centre of the operation, serving all day from an open kitchen with a wood-fired oven and grill. The menu is broad and unfussy, built on Suffolk and Essex produce, with a large outdoor terrace that is heated and covered for most of the year. Afternoon tea is popular, and breakfast is cooked to order. A woodland spa was added more recently, with treatment rooms using Elemis products, a relaxation area and an outdoor hot tub.

It works well for couples wanting a country base without formality, for small groups celebrating a birthday, and for guests using Ipswich, Woodbridge and the Deben estuary. Snape Maltings, Sutton Hoo and the Suffolk coast are all within half an hour by car. Parking is plentiful and free, and the hotel is a regular wedding venue, so it is worth checking whether an event is running when you book.