Canterbury Cathedral Lodge Hotel
Canterbury Cathedral Lodge Hotel has a perfect city centre location, in the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral, with cheap room rates which include breakfast and free admission to the Cathedral.
The Canterbury Cathedral Lodge Hotel has the best hotel location in Canterbury. It doesn’t merely have a city centre location, but is actually within the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral itself.
In fact the hotel is owned by Canterbury Cathedral, which makes it a direct descendant of the original hotels that offered lodging to pilgrims who came to shrines like Canterbury. The very first hotels grew out of these pilgrimages, and the pilgrims who needed somewhere to stay. We certainly felt very privileged when we entered the Cathedral grounds through the Postern Gate and found the hotel’s entrance right across from the Cathedral.
Our Room at the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge Hotel
It was a privilege too to have a room that overlooked the Cathedral – quite a sight to wake up to in the morning, and to see last thing at night. Our room was number 210, and the rooms were described as 4-Star guesthouse accommodation. That seemed about right, as they were fairly simple, and perfectly comfortable, but more akin to a guesthouse room than a 4-Star hotel.
The room was spacious, with a wide hallway and a large wardrobe recess, more than enough for two people’s cases and clothes. There was a TV, a phone, and , in theory, free wifi. We couldn’t pick up the signal, though, and had to use the Library next to Reception. It seemed to be a temporary fault and the guy on the desk was very sympathetic and helpful, and reported the fault right away.
City Centre Location
It was probably no more than 2 minutes’ walk from our hotel room to the entrance to Canterbury Cathedral. Another minute and we were listening to buskers in the bustling Buttermarket, next to Christ Church Gate. One minute more and we were on the High Street. It is a 10-minute walk or a 5-minute taxi ride to either Canterbury East or Canterbury West train stations. Perfect.
Hotel Facilities and Breakfast
The hotel has a guest library/lounge to relax in peacefully, a private Campanile Garden also overlooking the Cathedral, and offers conference and events facilities too.
The complimentary breakfast is served in its Refectory Restaurant, a bright and pleasant room with lots of light through its large picture windows. Breakfast was a buffet with a choice of juices, fruit, yoghourt, pastries, croissants, and a hot selection of sausages, mushrooms, hash browns, tomatoes, beans, bacon, black pudding, and scrambled eggs, with tea or coffee. It was good to see the room well-staffed with friendly waiters and waitresses, which isn’t always the case at hotel buffet breakfasts.
Parking
The down side of the great location is the car parking, if you’re planning to drive to Canterbury. Because of the fantastic setting within the Cathedral precincts, there is very limited parking and you need to reserve a parking place in advance. You can only park after 3pm on the day you arrive, and must leave by 11am on the day you check out. In addition, the gate which allows access for cars to the precincts is closed at 6pm. You’ll find full details about all this on the hotel website, with driving directions, as it is a little tricky to find.
When we checked out, we had to move the car to a public car park on the other side of Canterbury, and pay the parking fee, so that we could spend a few extra hours in the city. We don’t normally write so much about parking, but in this case it’s a consideration if you’re driving. If you plan to take the bus or train to Canterbury – no problem! Stay in this great city centre location.
Cheap Room Rates
Given the location, this is a real bargain for a city centre hotel in Canterbury, especially as the rates include full English breakfast. There are also simpler ‘value rooms’ available in an adjacent building which are even cheaper. These have no Cathedral views but the rate still includes breakfast.
Free Cathedral Admission
A bonus is that the room rates include a complimentary admission to Canterbury Cathedral. If you’re staying as a couple and going to be visiting the cathedral anyway, then that’s a decent saving, and not bad at all for that wonderful location.