Barnham Broom: the golf, and everything else

Barnham Broom sits on Honingham Road, NR9 4DD, about ten minutes from Norwich — close enough to the city to be convenient, far enough out that the view from the terrace is uninterrupted Norfolk valley. The hotel runs two 18-hole golf courses, a spa with pool and gym, a brasserie, a sports bar, and a lounge that does afternoon tea daily from 12.30pm. It is, in other words, a resort in the full sense of the word: the kind of place where you can arrive on a Friday, not leave until Sunday, and have filled the time without trying.

What's on offer

The hotel describes itself as 4-star, and the facilities bear that out in scope if not always in granularity. Rooms are furnished in a neutral palette — wooden furniture, patterned headboards, soft lighting, cosy blankets — and the overall register is country-house-adjacent without being fussy. Golf is the anchor activity: green fees start at £49, with 18 holes available year-round and the full 36 across both courses open in summer. Stay-and-play packages run from straightforward overnight deals to multi-night itineraries that bundle in dinner, breakfast, and rounds across both courses. The spa operates alongside the golf rather than in competition with it — spa days include tailored treatments, access to the pool and gym, and the option of afternoon tea or a light lunch. The health club adds tennis and squash courts, plus fitness classes ranging from Zumba to Aqua Fit and Pilates.

The packages

Barnham Broom sells its stays primarily through bundled packages, and the pricing is specific enough to be useful. A one-night Relaxation Escape — overnight stay, three-course dinner, breakfast, afternoon tea, and full spa and gym access — starts at £207. The Classic Midweek Stay stretches to two nights (Monday to Wednesday) with the same inclusions from £269. For a shorter commitment, the Lazy Sunday Dine and Unwind offers one night with a three-course dinner and breakfast from £105. The Luxury Romantic Break, at £269 for one night, adds an ESPA treatment, cocktails, and robe hire to the standard dinner-and-spa formula. A Two Night Getaway starts at £242 and includes breakfast each morning and a brasserie dinner on the first night. These are the headline rates; booking direct is advertised as the route to best prices.

Afternoon tea

The afternoon tea runs daily between 12.30pm and 3pm and is served either in the lounge or on the terrace. The standard sitting is £32.95 per person and covers finger sandwiches, warm scones with preserves, and handcrafted patisseries. There is also a Champagne Afternoon Tea, which adds a glass of champagne to the same spread. The terrace faces the golf courses and the valley beyond — it is the most obvious place to sit if the weather allows, and the view is the main reason to choose it over the lounge. The afternoon tea is frequently packaged into the hotel's overnight breaks, which means many guests encounter it as part of a stay rather than as a standalone visit, though walk-ins can book a table directly.

The sports bar

The sports bar is positioned as the informal end of the food and drink offer — open to hotel guests, golfers, and locals alike. The venue's own description is direct about what it is: a place to wind down after 18 holes, or to watch the Six Nations with a pint. Seating is described as comfortable and spacious, and the menu runs to freshly cooked meals rather than bar snacks. The views from here also look out over the golf course, which gives it a slightly more considered setting than a standard hotel bar. It is not trying to be a destination in itself, but it functions well as the kind of place you end up in on a weekday evening when you don't want to commit to a full brasserie dinner.

Weddings and events

Barnham Broom is licensed for wedding ceremonies and holds outdoor ceremonies on a private sun terrace with views across the golf courses and the valley, alongside what the venue describes as an iconic willow tree. The site also operates as a conference and events venue, with meeting rooms described as ten minutes from Norwich — a detail that explains why the hotel draws a midweek corporate crowd alongside the weekend leisure guests. The combination of golf, spa, and meeting facilities makes it a common choice for company away days, which gives the place a slightly different energy Monday to Wednesday than it has at the weekend.

The setting

The hotel sits in the Yare valley, and the landscape is the thing that distinguishes it from a city-centre spa hotel. The golf courses are the most visible expression of that — two 18-hole layouts that shape the grounds and provide the view from almost every public-facing space in the building. The terrace, the sports bar, the lounge, and the wedding ceremony space all look out over the same fairways and the valley behind them. It is not a dramatic landscape by any measure, but it is open and quiet in a way that Norwich itself is not, and that contrast is part of what the hotel is selling.