I'm writing this from my comfy bedroom in this pleasant hotel. Working for a humanitarian agency of the UN, I live in Switzerland - the recognised capital of the hospitality industry - and spend around 5 months of the year away from home, so I have developed a firm idea of what I expect from my hotel. This one is a small independent hotel in a dormitory village of Ipswich. Not the kind of place I'd usually pick but a special event this weekend meant hotels for miles around were fully booked so I was desperate. Guess what? My prejudices were swiftly swept away. It is true breakfast options are limited, and dinner must be ordered by 7.45pm(!!), but I arrived to a warm, unhurried welcome from a busy, lone receptionist and subsequently the night porter has really gone the second mile for me despite having a full bar to attend to at 1.00am. His smiling "can do" attitude, and obvious pleasure in working with people are remarkable. Both of these team members are great ambassadors for the hotel. Add to the mix an immaculate room and bathroom, comfortable air conditioning and you have the ingredients for a happy stay in quality surroundings! Slight niggles? The lack of power points, especially near the bed for charging the phone, and the rather niggardly number of towels - even for a solo traveller. All in all though, this one gets a definite thumbs up from me!!