Everything was great for my stay. Not sure why the overall score isn’t much much higher. Maybe rooms vary?! My room was pretty much perfect other than it being too hot & me not knowing until the next morning that I could have turned it down or off during the night. My own fault. (After a pub crawl though so…) Very comfortable bed. I guess it’s slightly noisy-ish on the main street but it didn’t bother me at all. I wanted the old/historic room with the low ceiling and that’s exactly what I got. Shower was perfect for me too. Very clean bathroom and very nice amenities for shower use. I ate lunch on arrival before check in and it was delicious. I had dinner towards the end of my pub crawl & the fish and chips here were so good. I have had bad fish & chips in England a lot in the past and felt lucky that wasn’t the case here. I had my 3rd meal here for breakfast the next morning. It was very fitting to hear ABBA “Waterloo” somewhat blasting when I got to breakfast after 9 am and then Tom Jones right after that. The staff was always friendly and helpful too. The breakfast woman was a character & working with two fun people hanging up Santa hats for Xmas decorations. The woman who checked me in and answered many questions was also great. Sorry I don’t remember names. She and her husband who also works there were very kind. A new staff member who had lived in Australia for two years and was new to Saffron Walden showed me to my room and she too was great and very personable and seemed to be a good fit with the others. The young guy who closed the pub area and restaurant was also awesome. He recommended places in town for what I was looking for and all recs were fun. I’m not sure how people can dock them points for insufficient parking options within the beautiful walking district within Saffron Walden. Seems a bit strict and unnecessary to be honest.

Nothing to dislike. It was pretty perfect for me. I think there is some confusion about the breakfast choices. The menu shows prices and apparently they have to have menus with prices for customers who just show up for food but if you have breakfast included you can just select anything off of the menu and other solo travelers around me seemed confused by that for their first few minutes there. The full English breakfast was delicious! I didn’t fall for the “pudding” though. I remembered to ask them to leave it off. Thought it was chocolate “pudding” the first time years ago and haven’t really warmed up to it since.

The staff were so kind and happy to make us comfortable. My daughter asked for boiled eggs, which weren’t on the menu, and they made it special by putting the eggs in cups for her. My daughter also bumped her head walking into the glass entry door and she was made to feel so important and looked after. My son loved the tiny window in his room and the age of the building, he wants to have the same room again! My father was visiting from America and loved everything. Would highly recommend!

It took a while for the water to turn hot in the shower but this was the only inconvenience and a minor one.

Lovely hotel just a short and direct walk from the Swan Meadow car park. Checkin was smooth, room lovely and clean with tea/coffee and biscuit which was nice. Evening meal was exceptional (minted lamb pie, fish n chips, pecan pie for desert) and cooked breakfast was excellent too, The staff were lovely and a credit to this establishment. This was our first time staying at Cross Keys but would definitely return. The town is also delightful. We downloaded a walking tour that included the Cross Keys Hotel so we started right outside the door :)

We did experience some noise from some late night revellers outside, but this is to be expected in the centre of town and would not put us off returning.

Lovely old building with plenty of character , staff were very welcoming on arrival and its l in a great location for exploring the Town with plenty of parking only a short walk away. Evening meal in the restaurant was good and they had a nice menu. Breakfast was excellent and great value for money again staff were very friendly and welcoming. Our room in the barn conversion was great , the heating worked well and was big with a vaulted ceiling, interesting bathroom facilities which we liked but that's perhaps not for everyone so a screen is provided. Overall a great overnight stay and very happy.

If I'm going to be picky my starter was over cooked for my liking... didn't bother to complain so wasn't that bad . The Pub closes at 10 o'clock so we took a drink to our room which does seem to be the trend now.

Hotel is easy to find from Swan Meadow car park, easy 5min walk on level ground. Only one busy road to cross - but has lights to pause traffic. Building is everything you expect with a traditional English pub - uneven floors, oak beams, etc. Staff were warm and helpful, and the included breakfast was a nice touch and a good start to the day. Room 3 was lovely and quiet for the most part.

The stairs are a bit steep (not the fault of the pub, it's an OLD building), which was a little precarious for my older Mum. Unlabelled coffee pods were a little awkward, as wasnt sure which one was which.

We nearly booked the Holiday Inn and so glad we didn't, what was a overnight stay before an early meeting turned into a lovely break. The hotel dates back to 1579, it's beautifully maintained our room was up a spiral stair case beautifully designed free standing bath in the room lovely comfortable bedding with crisp luxurious bedding. The food in the restaurant was excellent a quick bite to eat turned into 3 courses and finished with Irish coffees. The young staff were so friendly and helpful, when I asked for the kitchen to change my order the dish arrived with the request sauted fresh spinach with just a hint of garlic not on the menu but happily supplied. Cannot rate the place highly enough. Fantastic breakfast cooked to order with all the items I asked for Again thank you.

Charm , fantastic food, and exceptionally friendly and helpful staff.

Room lovely, venue lovely and breakfast lovely and reception/ breakfast lady very pleasant. Although we really enjoyed our evening meal we has a problem getting our starters and ended up not having any. Also was told it was shutting earlier than previously told.

Although we really enjoyed our evening meal, we had a problem getting our starters and ended up not having any. Also was told it was shutting earlier than previously told so felt a little rushed. I understand this was because of the weather and they had had cancellations. Our last stay was fine with no complaints so would definitely come again.

Arrived for lunch which was excellent,after we explored the area a quaint little town with lots of interesting shops. Booked for an evening meal staff were polite professional and once again food delicious reasonably price. Our waitress was smiley polite and helpful. Down for breakfast in the morning,everthing you could want a beautiful well cooked breakfast and the lady that welcomed us on our arrival and served breakfast was delightful and helpful. We all had a very enjoyable time and will be back

Nothing everything was perfect

The hotel is central for the town and market. The staff were very helpful and the food very good.

No Wi-Fi in pub or bedrooms.the pub was very cold and not a comfortable seat anywhere if you wanted to spend time out of your bedroom that only had a wooden chair. The bedroom was adequate but small, very limited space , and the wardrobe door could only open half way as the bed was in the way. No parking on site, you have to park in the nearest paying carpark

Lovely hotel & pub, full of character! We stayed on Friday night and had a really nice time. The team were very friendly and also very responsive prior to arrival which was great. The room was great, all very clean and the bedding & towels were really great quality. One thing to note, if you’re tall then watch your head, my husband walked into the lampshade in our room a few times, and some of the doorways are a little low. We also chose to eat in the restaurant for dinner, and the food was absolutely incredible! We started with the Frickles and Sausage Bites, the frickles were delicious, not too much batter and big chunks of pickle. For main we had the steak, which was cooked perfectly, and the pie, which I would 100% recommend. The dauphinois potatoes were amazing, and the things we were most looking forward to from dinner, and they did not disappoint. The breakfast was great in the morning, and the fact it was included in the room rate was brilliant! I would definitely recommend, it’s also great as a little pit stop if you’re on a big drive down the A1, which is the reason we picked Cross Keys, as it was a nice looking and reasonably priced hotel that had some character, and wasn’t just a run of the mill chain hotel.