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Spring has Sprung upon us!

Despite the recent cold spell we are counting down the days to Easter, and I can hardly believe we are almost through a third of the year already.

Not only is the White Lion perfect for an Easter break with a loved one or as a family , I am pleased to say that due to its popularity last year you can also enjoy the Suffolk Coast throughout Spring with our special offer incorporating 2 tickets for Aldeburgh Cinema, Dinner and a pre dinner drink.

We look forward to some Spring weather too!

For the families this year, our 2nd annual treasure hunt this Easter Sunday is a must to keep the children entertained with a special family show, an easter egg hunt on the beach and around the hotel, face painting and of course a visit from the Easter Bunny.

Whatever you decide to do this Easter, have a great break and we look forward to seeing you here very soon.

White Lion in the press

Good to see Aldeburgh being put on the map by Janet Street-Porter! Okay so we are not a 'pub' but a good mention nonetheless.

We are proud of our Benjamin Britten links and are looking forward to the various centenary events taking place around the area.Including the Grimes on the Beach Opera in June - look out for our Pop-up restaurant on the beach, 100.

Why not visit us, walk the same Benjamin Britten trail as Janet and take advantage of our upcoming Spring and Summer offers - including a special Benjamin Britten hotel stay.

Love is all around...

Here at the White Lion we have a big heart. We don’t just celebrate Valentines on February 14th… we like to extend the celebrations through to the weekend.

Cupid had landed in our James Cable Room for our Valentine's Ball. Guests enjoyed a delicious 4-course meal and live music as part of our ‘It Takes 2’ romantic break.

Special home-made cookies were baked for the evening by our super talented chefs. And a Valentine gift from us was given to all the ladies on the night.

Awww...

Happy New Year!

It’s the party night of the year and everyone at the hotel is busy preparing for tonight’s celebrations. As well as the fine food, fantastic wines and fun and friendly atmosphere, I’m particularly looking forward to hearing the Piper bring in 2013 and the annual release of the lanterns on the beach – a truly magical sight as they drift across the sea carrying with them our wishes and hopes for the coming year.

Yes, it’s time to make those resolutions! Whatever you decided to stop doing/start doing make sure a visit to the White Lion is one you will keep! We have a packed events calendar for 2013 with a great mixture of themed food weeks, romantic Valentine breaks and family events. Including; celebrations of the Benjamin Britten Centenary and an exclusive, first for Aldeburgh – a Beatles Night in April with the Fab Beatles taking to the stage and playing all the Beatles classics.

So as another year comes to an end I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year from myself and the whole team at the White Lion Hotel and we look forward to seeing you in 2013.

Season of Joy...and Parties!

We’ve decked the halls, trimmed the trees and the mince pies are cooling on the side. Christmas is in full swing at the White Lion.

The gentle jingle of Christmas carols can be heard in the background as festive lunches are served in the Bar and brasserie, complete with crackers and novelties.

We have a fantastic new Christmas card this year, courtesy of Jake Firman from Aldeburgh Primary School. Earlier in the year general manager Peter Osborne set the pupils at Aldeburgh Primary the challenge of designing this year’s White Lion Christmas card. The designs were all fantastic but unfortunately there could be only one winner. Congratulations Jake, the finished cards look brilliant.

The party season has started with our ever popular party nights being enjoyed by many and this week looks to be the busiest yet. Last week we welcomed over 150 people to the hotel who enjoyed a delicious 4 course meal before hitting the dance floor, relishing the festive hits spun by our resident DJ. The atmosphere in the hotel was amazing and everyone was up for having a good time.

Next on the agenda are our Santa Sundays where the man in red himself will be popping in to deliver presents to the children after dinner.

Winter at the White Lion

If the drop in temperature has you feeling festive, come along to the White Lion and find yourself surrounded by feelings of good will with our new festive menu in the brasserie and the welcoming smell of mulled cider and warm mince pies in the bar.

We have a packed events calendar making the White Lion the place to be seen this autumn and winter.

Starting with the spectacular Aldeburgh town Christmas lights switch on event on Saturday November 24th. Switching on the lights this year will be TV favourite, comedian Lenny Henry, very exciting!

On the day, general manager of the White Lion, Peter Osborne and head chef Jason Shaw will be holding a master class in Christmas Cookery Made Easy at the street fair with plenty of seasonal goodies on sale at the White Lion stall from irresistible roasted chestnuts, yummy warm mince pies to hot seasonal baps crammed with turkey, cranberry and stuffing. Washed down with the popular Aspall Mulled Cider – perfect for keeping warm on this winter’s day celebration.

A ‘White’ Christmas

Start the party season early and join us for our Winter Wonderland Dinner Dance on 30th November. Our James Cable Room will be transformed in to a magical winter wonderland complete live music. The fun begins with drinks in the bar at 7pm.

But the entertainment doesn’t stop there! If you can’t make the Winter Wonderland evening, you can still party with the White Lion at one of our popular party nights being held throughout December – but book fast as spaces are now limited!

We’re delighted to announce Santa will be visiting us early, making time in his busy schedule to visit us on Sunday 16th December – make sure you have those last minute lists ready for him!

So, whatever your age and whatever your taste we have something to suit all this holiday season and we look forward to welcoming you to the hotel for a perfect ‘White’ Christmas.

Rainbows, sea and fishermen

What a lovely review we received from London Underground blogger Fiona Maclean, who came up to stay with us as part of a visit to the Aldeburgh Food Festival.
Check it out to see what you might be missing - we can certainly promise a fantastic location, food and service but not sure we can guarantee the double rainbow on the beach. But then again with Aldeburgh you just never know!

National recognition for our White Lion Star!

We’re all totally thrilled that our Food & Beverage Manager Juliet Stone has scooped a major national award for service excellence at the prestigious Academy of Food and Wine Service (AFWS) 2012 Annual Awards for Excellence.

Amongst other winners from the likes of Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck and the famous Brasserie Blanc, we were delighted to see her receive the very hotly contested Pub Dining Food Service Award.

For those of you that don’t know Jules she is the very heartbeat of our buzzing Bar & Brasserie. We’ve always knew she delivered some of the very best service you can find anywhere – but now we have the trophy to prove it!

Well done Jules we’re all so proud of you.

Festival Highlights

What a fantastic weekend of fun, gastronomy and local produce the Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival 2012 provided.

The crowds came out in force to enjoy what is fast becoming one of the country’s most exciting and must do events. As you’d expect with all things culinary the White Lion team were in the thick of the action for the duration and a fun packed event left us all with some very special memories, not least…

Our Head Chef Jason Shaw coming runner up in the Battle of the Chefs after a brilliantly and closely contested final. Congratulations Jason – you’ll always be our winner!

General Manager Peter Osborne working with both Valentine Warner and Thomasina Miers as the fantastic on stage compere at the cookery demos - watch your jobs John Torode and Gregg Wallace!

And on the Monday evening we were particularly privileged to host the suppliers dinner for all those wonderful local producers who played such an active part in making the event such a success and Suffolk such foody mecca.

We can’t wait until next year!

Freewheeling Through Summer

Can our Suffolk Summer of Celebration get any bigger? Hot on the heels our of Proms by the Sea to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee and our Olympic Torch Relay celebration we’re delighted to hear that Aldeburgh will be hosting a stage of the Tour of Britain.

100 of the world’s top cyclists will be wheeling through the town on Sunday 9th September and naturally enough we’ll be celebrating in style with lots of fun.

Keep an eye on our website for more details. For more details of the route check out the tour website and please do come along and join us at the hotel on the day.

Moules et Boules

The now annual (well for the last two years at least!) Moules and Boules challenge took place on 21st July with teams from the White Lion and various other businesses from Aldeburgh.

Festivities kicked off at midday with a beer tent and barbeque, and the boules competition starting at 11am culminating in the grand final between Golden Key, Snape & Old Mill, Aldeburgh later that evening.

The highlight of the day was the Brudenell verus White Lion play offs.

Congratulations to the winners from the Golden Key. Maybe next year for us! The whole event was fantastic fun and was attended by no less that 12 teams. Most importantly of all we raised over £300 for local charities East Anglian Air Ambulance and Aldeburgh United Charities.

Thank you everyone for your fantastic support and make sure you get your practice in for next year. Oh and yes quite a lot of very delicious mussels were consumed too!

Bastille Day Celebration

What a wonderful night we had celebrating the very best of Gaelic tradition and classic French cuisine. Our guests enjoyed Kir Royales at the bar before a delicious dinner created by our head chef Jason Shaw, which included coq au vin, moules and steak frites. For dessert there was a choice of French fromage from the cheese trolley, Crème Brulee and live cookery theatre from Jason as he flambéd Crepe Suzettes (with more than a little extra Cointreau!!

With the team all decked out in French attire the night went with a swing, with entertainment from Can Can Girls and an accordionist playing French classics, both of which got the guests up and enjoying the atmosphere! Viva la France!

And if you missed this years, we will be doing it all again next year.

The White Lion Hotel Live on BBC Radio Suffolk!

We were really excited on Friday 6th July as Peter (GM at White Lion Hotel) and Fred Sirieix (BBC2' Michel Roux's Service and General Manager at Galvin at Windows) were invited to speak on BBC Radio Suffolk.

Talking on the Lesley Dolphin Show (Georgina Wroe was sitting in for Lesley), Peter and Fred both shared their journeys into the hospitality industry and their experiences gained along the way.

It was clear to listeners that Peter and Fred take customer service extremely seriously and that they strive to provide "the wow" factor on a daily basis.

You can now listen to Peter Osborne and Fred Sirieix's radio interview that took place Friday 6th July. Check them out here http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/p00trhvz and they are on between 2.34 to 3.05.

BBC’s Fred Sirieix to work at White Lion Hotel

If you’ve been glued to this year’s apprentice, you may have noticed that the winner, Ricky Martin, spent some of ‘week 10’ talking to Fred Sirieix – the General Manager at Galvin at Windows and co-star of hit BB2 series “Michel Roux’s Service”. The popular series focused on Michel Roux Jr and Fred Sirieix’s mission to train eight young people as front-of-house superstars.

Incredibly passionate about quality service and staff training, Fred Sirieix embodies everything that hospitality should be. So we are extremely excited and proud that on the 6th and 7th July, Fred Sirieix is visiting The White Lion, where he’ll be joining staff on shift and providing some invaluable training and team development.

Always keen to exceed our guests’ expectations, we hope that Fred Sirieix’s wealth of knowledge and experience will motivate and inspire everyone at the White Lion to not only continue providing first class service to all of our customers but to go above and beyond.

The White Lion awarded Certificate of Excellence by Tripadvisor

Recently Tripadvisor contacted me to congratulate the team on a year of exceptional traveller reviews on their influential travel review platform.

The team have worked so hard over the last 12 months transforming the 'old' Best Western White Lion into the vibrant, fun and welcoming hotel it is today, no one has had any time to reflect so when moments like this happen it really validates what we do and makes our passion stand out.

With 222 reviews The White Lion remains #1 hotel in Aldeburgh with an average of 4.5 / 5

A huge thank you to all of our guests and the team who made it all happen.

Click here to view our certificate.

Proms by the Sea

What a weekend!! The whole of the UK joined together to help the Queen celebrate her Diamond Jubilee. Despite the weather we saw concerts, street parties and a general sense of community spirit, something we excel at here in the UK.

Suffolk itself held a host of activities from street parties in Saxmundham to huge family picnics in Ipswich. Here in Aldeburgh, home to The White Lion Hotel, we hosted our very own Proms by the Sea event. Our General Manager, Peter Osborne, had the idea months ago and set about make this event a reality whilst managing a busy hotel and brasserie.

The turn out was incredible, with over 2,500 people attending to watch a whole host of local talent.

The Stagecoach Company in Ipswich kicked the Proms off with a montage of dancing and singing, followed by the super talented multi instrumentalist Rachel King, then the glorious sound of The Festival Orchestra who played twice once as a 12 piece and then as 20 piece. We were lucky enough to have a local supremely talented young opera star, Stephanie Coombes perform at the event. All this with a Spitfire demonstration by Caroline Grace.

We can't thank our sponsors enough and also the residents of Aldeburgh, for supporting the event and for helping to make the Spitfire demonstration a reality.

We hope you had a lovely weekend however you chose to celebrate.

Please click here to read about it in the EADT and to watch a video.

June's Jubilant Jubilee Celebrations! Join Us

The sun is out, spirits couldn't be higher and Proms By The Sea is almost upon us. Are you joining us? This will take it's place in Suffolk's rich event history.

Can you think of a better place to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee? The glorious Suffolk coast, the charm and character of Aldeburgh, Suffolk's rising stars, the only female Spitfire pilot in the world and Pomp & Circumstance being played to a spectacular fireworks display. We can't, in fact every member of staff at The White Lion is feverish with excitement.

It's all happening on 3rd June 2012.

A huge thank you for all the support from our sponsors Best of Suffolk, East of England Co-op, Radio Suffolk and EADT and the residents of Aldeburgh who kindly donated money to make the Spitfire Display work.

In true White Lion Style the fun doesn't stop there.

Join us for our Black Tie Dinner Dance for the Proms on 2nd June 2012, call us on 01728 452720 to book

Lastly we have our Diamond Jubilee Street Party on 5th June 2012 in the James Cable Room where we will be watching the celebrations and toasting Her Majesty the Queen.

Happy Jubilee!!

Iceni Tours

After a fun but busy Easter we are getting prepared for the rest of the year including our Jubilee Street Party and Proms by the Sea.

We are pleased to say that we can now arrange tours around Suffolk and it's glorious heritage coast, through Iceni Tours. It really is a beautiful county and no other guide offers this level of service or knowledge.

The wildlife and scenery is exquisite and the tours are highly sought after. We will give you a price on enquiry and booking through The White Lion will guarantee best rate.

Check out Iceni Tours here.

Feast in the east

We are delighted to be featured in The Guardian Online, Suffolk truly is Foodie heaven, it's a true passion of this glorious county. We're proud to be included in a list of recommended places to eat & drink.

Bring friends and family to enjoy our seasonal local produce and mouth watering dishes from Jason Shaw and his passionate team.

Click here to view article

A special Mother's Day at The White Lion

What a fabulous Mother's Day this year, we hope you pampered your Mothers and made them feel special.

Our Mother's Day lunch was a delight, we hosted 160 Mothers and their families, they all left happy and very spoilt. Thank you to everyone who chose to spend their special day with us, a huge thank you to Aga from our restaurant for arranging and decorating the presents from us to the lucky Mums.

We are still busily planning Proms by the Sea, the website will be coming soon. In the meantime please follow the Proms Twitter here

In fact it will probably be one of the busiest Junes in the history of the hotel, we also have our special Jubilee 2 night break, where you can enjoy the Proms and being looked after by our friendly team. See more here

We are all set for Easter, hard to believe that its been a year since our doors opened after the refurbishment. Check our Easter offers out here

We're looking forward to the lovely Emma Crowhurst joining us for ladies lunch on 28th March 2012, Sweet and Simple is the theme. Just to let you know we are fully booked now.

Easter is on the way

Fed up with the fickle nature of this weather? Well the good news is that Easter is on the way, and hopefully the nicer weather with it. Aldeburgh is lovely all year round but it really sparkles during Easter and the Summer months.

To celebrate the arrival of spring we have some fantastic Easter offers for you to enjoy with your partners or your family. Here's a reminder of the offers; click here to view

Our Head Chef, Jason and his team are planning a new menu for mid-April, even more reasons to visit us over the Easter season.

Talking of Jason, he and Thomas Scrivens, our Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, will be attending their cross training at The Goring in April - they will talk about their experience in the next blog. So keep a look out.

Our Good Food Guide nominations are going well, but we still need your support, please click the Good Food Guide advert to the left or click here

Vote for The White Lion - Good Food Guide

We love Aldeburgh, we love food, we love our guests and our hotel. This potent mixture coupled with a year of hard work from the team is the reason we feel ready to enter The Good Food Guide Readers' Restaurant of the Year Award.

If you genuinely love The White Lion, have enjoyed one of our many themed nights or enjoyed our locally sourced produce with a french twist, please vote for us.

There are a number of ways that you can do this, either by clicking here or by clicking the button on our homepage. When you dine with us make sure that you ask for an official entry form.

For voting, The Good Food Guide will enter you in a draw to win dinner for 2.

This would be a great achievement for our head chef, Jason Shaw and his kitchen brigade, who are responsible for producing the fantastic dishes and sourcing fresh produce from the likes of fish from Dean's Shed, smoked fish from smoked Pinneys at Orford and not forgetting pork from Dingley Dell.

We appreciate you taking the time to vote for us and hope to see you soon in the future.

Peter

A great evening

First off I would like to thank Emmanual Lagrave and Fanny Sucre from Plaimont for hosting the Wine Dinner on Saturday.

It was a huge success and a thoroughly enjoyable evening and after the weather we have just had, the setting in front of a roaring log fire could not have been more perfect.

With each delicious course Emmanual and Fanny took us through the perfect wine to compliment it. A particular favourite was the confit duck, delicious.

Jason, our Head Chef, spent alot of time souring a special Ewes milk cheese from The Pyrenees... which was exceptional.

Exciting start to the year

A huge congratulations to Janka, one of our team members in the restaurant won the award for achiever of 2011.

She won a night at the Goring, where Kate Middleton stayed the night before her wedding and the royals enjoy many afternoon teas there, Dinner BB and a bottle of wine. Lucky Girl!! A well deserved prize.

Which brings me onto another exciting event that will hit Aldeburgh in June... Proms by the sea, we're very excited and in the middle of finalising details with Aldeburgh Town Council and various key members of the community. Watch this space for our website. Check it out and follow is on twitter.

Anyway the snow hasn’t stopped us moving, in fact it's the perfect time for you to drop in, get warm & cosy with us and then enjoy some food or a hot drink before enjoying the beauty of Aldeburgh.

Looking forward....

We're now into 2012; me and the team have no time for reflection instead we have a fantastic array of events for you all to look forward to.

Here is a little flavour of what's to come, but you can click here to view the entire events calendar.

I'm currently working with Aldeburgh town council on an exciting event to celebrate the Queens Jubilee on 3rd June 2012. Watch this space.

The week of love is almost upon us and we are celebrating it at The White Lion like never before with our Valentine's ball and a variety of romantic celebrations.

Visit us, join in and take some great memories with you.

Looking back...

What a year 2011 was! Since The White Lion was refurbished in April we have become Aldeburgh's number 1 restaurant and hotel, we have had so much fun (and success) with our Moules Boules, Bastille day and a whole host of other events.

We even had The General Manager, Fred Siriex, of the Michelin starred Galvin at Windows visited us and a festive season full of fun and frivolity.

I hope that you come and join us during 2012 for an explosion of fun events. Don't forget to keep checking our special offers page, you never know what you may find!

Christmas has officially arrived at the White Lion

Well, who says it's too early to put up the Christmas decorations??? We've been going for it big time, so for all our customers that want to really get into the festive spirit, the White Lion is the place to be. And really, can you have too many decorations! Come and spend some Yuletide time with us, rumour has it that Santa will be paying us a visit soon.....

Team visit to the Goring Hotel

Sean and Jules visited the famous Goring hotel in London for 2 days in November, and what a great time they had. Their focus was very much Front of House with the Goring's reception and reservations team, and Clive Bullock (Front of House Manager), John Andrews (Head Concierge) and Oliver (Reservations Manager) were really helpful. They came back with lots of ideas on making the customer's experience really special when they visit the White Lion in Aldeburgh.

Halloween Dinner Dance... a ghoulisly good success!

On the 29th October, we hosted a ghoulishly good Halloween dinner dance in the spooky themed setting of the James Cable Room. The evening was a sell out and most of our guests had gone to a real effort to make the evening as fun as possible by arriving in fancy dress. It wasn’t just the setting that was themed. Head chef, Jason, had created an eye popping menu, which included bewitched pumpkin soup with garlic breath croutons, painfully skewered vegetables marinated in smoked olive oil and crushed herbs with black rice and tomato coulis and goblin’s gooseberry crumble with vanilla eye-scream.

Great fun was had by all and we hope to repeat this event again in 2012. In fact, we are currently working on our 2012 events calendar, which should be complete and ready for you to download at the end of November. Watch this space!

Trafalgar Night Celebrations

To celebrate Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the White Lion hosted a spectacular Trafalgar Night Dinner last Friday, in the themed setting of the James Cable Room.

Our head chef, Jason Shaw, had prepared for the event by doing some research into Nelson's favourite food, which included macaroni cheese and rum babas, and created a special menu for the evening.

We were fortunate to have Stephen Saint as an after dinner speaker, who gave a fascinating insight into the Battle of Trafalgar and how Nelson's strategy of focusing on boat speed won the war.

The evening was toasted with a tot of rum and £250 was raised for the Aldeburgh Lifeboat charity. Due to the popularity of this event, a sell out this year, we hope to toast Lord Nelson's immortal memory next year.

There's plenty going on at the White Lion this Autumn

As the days gradually get shorter and the temperature starts to drop, it doesn't means that you have to close the curtains and hibernate at home. Whilst it's nice to curl up on the sofa with a good book or watch a favourite film, what could be better than treating dark evenings as a good reason to go out and have a good time... the perfect antidote to keeping the winter blues at bay.

During the next few weeks, our general manager, Peter, has been planning some fantastic events, including a wine dinner with Rob Chase, Adnams' Fine Wine Manager and Buyer on the 26th October, a very British celebration on the 21st October with a charity Trafalgar Night Dinner and a fancy dress Halloween Dinner Dance on the 29th October.

To find out more about these, and other events, visit our Bar & Brasserie Events page. Bring friends and family, and meet new friends too. Whatever your company, you'll be sure of a warm Suffolk welcome from us all at the White Lion.

The White Lion narrowly misses out on top tourism award

The White Lion narrowly missed out on winning Best Small Hotel in the recent Tourism in Suffolk Awards.

Running for the prize alongside two other finalists, the Crown in Southwold and the Olde Bull in Barton Mills, the latter won the accolation.

Despite losing, general manager, Peter Osborne said 'Having gone through to the finals was testament to the enormous amount of hard work and dedication which my team have shown since the hotel re-opened in April this year. We have an extremely strong work ethic, where customer is always king, and we thrive on ensuring that our customers have an enjoyable stay as possible'.

We would like to take this opportunity of congratulating our sister hotel, the Swan at Lavenham, which won Best Large Hotel at the awards.

Local primary school children given a French treat

Aldeburgh Primary School's very first Year 5 were treated to rather a different French lesson at the White Lion recently. Skipping cornflakes and toast at home, the children and their French teacher were treated to a Gallic breakfast of croissants, pains au chocolat and orange juice, all freshly prepared by head chef, Jason Shaw. To add to the occasion, our waitresses dressed up in French outfits and berets.

Our collaboration with the Primary School is ongoing and the children will come to the hotel for French food themed lessons every quarter. They will return next January for a French lunch, with coq au vin and boeuf bourgignon on the menu.

The White Lion has long played a important role in the community, so by working closely with the school, this bond is strengthened.

ENTER THE COMPETITION! Follow, Re-Tweet, Win!

Tell all your friends and help us reach 300 followers! And, in return we will randomly draw Twitter usernames for one of our fabulous prizes.

WIN an amazing lunch or dinner for 2 at the White Lion's new Bar & Brasserie.

We have 2 lunches and 1 dinner prize to give away so hurry up and follow and re-tweet and get a chance to win an indulging 2-course lunch or a delicious dinner in the stunning coastal town of Aldeburgh, Suffolk.

Click here to enter the competition! Click ‘follow’ and you are in!

Terms and conditions apply.

Tweet your sweet...

We are pleased to announce that we have finally launched our tweet spot!

The tweet spot is there to remind you to tweet and share those amazing holiday pictures with your family and friends.

Follow our Twitter and Facebook page to be up-to-date with the exclusive news and offers. Also, share your experience with us - fantastic prizes await you if you post your pictures onto our Facebook page.

See you online folks!

White lion’s amazing French week…and many more to come!

Yes, of course we were celebrating the Bastille night on the 14th of July in our fabulous Bar & Brasserie which turned out to be the most fun and memorable night ever… With a fully-booked Bar & Brasserie we were all prepared to sing the Marseillaise! Started the evening with delicious Kir Royales at the Bar followed by a fantastic dinner and entertainment - we do hope that all of our guests had a blast, we certainly did! We would be very happy if you could give us your thoughts on how we can improve Bastille night for the next year (if it is possible :) …Follow the link below to our facebook page and give us your thoughts by writing on our wall. Santé!

Click here to view our facebook page


The same week we got a lovely visit from the one and only Fred Sirieix, the TV personality and founder of the board game ‘The Art of Service’. The Frenchman truly enjoyed his stay and said “I was very impressed with the hospitality of the White Lion and by the kindness and generosity of all staff… I can't wait to be back!” Click here to read more.

What a beautiful day for Britain…

After a wonderful first opening week, what other way could we have celebrated it than by hosting a wonderful Royal Wedding Special?! Our Head Chef, Jason Shaw provided a delicious buffet ....fit for a newly married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

We had around 50 people in our James Cable Room who turned up to watch the wedding of the year on the big screen. Once the ‘I do’s’ were completed the happy couple were toasted with glasses of Pimm’s. Our guests included our coach party who had specially changed their itinerary so that their passengers could watch the wedding before heading home to the Midlands. Many of our other viewers treated themselves to a bottle of Champagne and really got into the spirit of the event. There was a wonderful hushed atmosphere during the service with management taking an interest in the wedding too... What else can we say… Viva la Britain!

The re-opening weekend was a big success…

The sun shone on the opening of the White Lion over Easter holidays. After such a long time the hotel was once again buzzing with locals and guests staying overnight and dining in one of Aldeburgh’s best-loved hotels.

We must admit - our new innovative Bar & Brasserie with focus on delicious coastal flavours and locally sourced products stole the show. The food was beautifully presented and our guests could warmly relax in contemporary and informal surroundings with an impeccable service from start to finish. We could not be more proud of our mouth-watering cuisine created by the amazing Head Chef Jason Shaw and his talented team.

Thank you for staying with us…

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that made our re-opening night happen. A big thank you to all the staff, designers, builders and management. And, a bigger thank you to our guests. Thank you for staying at the White Lion and spending Easter with us. Hope to see you soon and keep in touch!

We would also like to invite those who have not yet visited us, to pop in and have a look around at the changes that we have made. Why not come and stay a night, dine or just grab a quick drink in our Bar and Brasserie. We are looking forward to welcoming you soon.

Let’s countdown together!

Our makeover is almost complete! Only 10 days to go to our fantastic re-opening at the White Lion Hotel in Aldeburgh. There is no doubt that the new White Lion is now lighter, trendier, and jazzier and we think that we have created the most relaxing and casual place on the coast of Suffolk.

With our fashionable bar, a new inviting brasserie and original bedrooms we definitely think that we have made sure you have a perfect stay from start to finish. We want to inspire you and ensure you relax and stay in modern but yet idyllic surroundings by the beach in a picturesque coastal town.

We will open our doors next Thursday on the 21st of April and we want you to come and celebrate together with us. If you are the first 100 guest to dine in our brasserie you will get a complementary glass of bubbly…and many more surprises…so… we shall see you there!!!

Towards new exciting times!

We have now closed the doors to the White Lion for an amazing renovation. There is no doubt that it is going to be a glamorous transformation - so you just have to be patient these two months so that we can bring out the very best of your favourite White Lion.

Looking at our previous years we had been through fantastic journeys together and now we are heading towards another one, a serious makeover one.

As you know, we are constantly improving our hospitality services. With this new exciting project that we have ahead of us, we know that we are going to enhance your experience and stay to its full potential. By incorporating ‘outside the box’ design and expanding on our fantastic North Sea that we have in front of us, we are going to open up the restaurant and bar in order to improve the sea views and ambience of the hotel. On top of this as well, new exciting events, innovative à la carte menus, tasty bar menus, original Sunday lunch menus and outstanding wine selection to look forward to! We are so excited to welcoming you back to our new impressive White Lion.

Just a quick note - during our refurbishment, our reservations department will be based at our sister hotel Thorpeness Hotel & Golf Club and will be answering your calls and emails as normal. The number for all your requirements is: 01728 452 720 or email info@whitelion.co.uk

See you soon!