We have stayed at the Victoria some time ago and loved it. We have eaten there several times and loved it.
We travel around Norfolk regularly but with no bookings nor itinerary and in the past 5 months have several times attempted to get a room there. I always get an answerphone message, and a call back the FOLLOWING day! Not a lot of use.
I then recommended it to friends who were staying at The Hoste for Christmas as a good place to go for a change at Lunch time. They arrived and though there were a group of staff talking at the bar, they were completely ignored. They sat alone (I have rarely ever been able to sit anywhere near the fire in the past, there have been so many people) by the fire in the reception/bar area and waited. They wondered if the place was closed. Nothing happened so they left.
This is very embarrasing: to highly praise a place then to hear this.
I have since discovered that the place has changed hands, and that the new owners are changing the fabulous interior. I know people want to put their own touch to a place, but in these days of tightened belts, why not focus on the staffing and food rather than changing something for the sake of it.
Such a shame.

Made a snap decision to book 2 nights for New Year's Eve based on a friend's recommendation, then became extremely worried after reading TripAdvisor reviews... However our expectations were totally exceeded. Clearly the Victoria is in new hands and emerging from some strange bygone Raj induced decoration theme. Firstly the team at the hotel (all of them) are charming and nothing is too much trouble. Yes this can be a very busy hotel due to its (totally amazing) near the beach location - so depending on the weather the hotel can be full to the rafters. Therefore a little patience is required - but we didn’t wait too long on a mobbed NY Eve (daytime and evening) or NY Day. Secondly it is unfair to say anything negative about the new downstairs decor (certainly the comment about Costa Coffee is wrong, indeed rude!). It is tasteful and modern in a Farrow & Ball way, whilst touching to the place's heritage. Thirdly the food; was very impressed! We ate 2 x breakfast, 1 x arrival lunch, 1 x NY Eve gala dinner and then dinner on our last night; so we tasted a lot! Each time it became better and better; certainly dinner (much quieter) on 1 Jan was better than most locations in London. It was accomplished, modern yet traditional, and with the best ingredients – well done those chefs! Any complaints about pricing is unjustified - the value for money at this place is spot on. Could the service be a little more 'together'? Yes, but the youthfulness, charm and real care makes up for the occasional waiting to grab someone's attention. Was impressed with Adnam's shortish but well put together wine list - this is really good and the best thing about it is its pricing! Their Adnams White Burgundy (£23 - brilliant!) is as good as the Wine Society's - and that is their best seller.... Finally; the bedrooms; yes, they need to do these but some have and ours wasn't; but as we were travelling with our pooch and took their last 2 rooms I didn't have high expectations. However it was immaculate, small, with a strange Raj design that is clearly being wiped out by Adnam's management, but good value for money. I did peek into other rooms and they looked refurb’d. I would definitely return as this hotel is gradually being transformed by the excellent new management team - and finally, there can be nowhere better in the UK for a walk (on a decent day) than their beach at Holkham. That beach without The Victoria (as it currently is) would be very sad; a 2+ hour walk needs a quality and hospitable welcome!

we went to the victorai for boxing day lunch after a good walk on the beach from wells. ive driven past it and liked the look of it but not visited. it didnt disappoint - very welcoming and warm feel to the bar and restaurant. i liked the get up although the chairs were a little difficult. the menu was varied and seemed to have something for everyone. the service was very attentive - a little brisk if anything, but they seemed to be quite busy and i suspect they were keen to get everyone in and out! the food was very good although my daughters potted shrimps had far too much butter and far too few shrimps, and had been left in the fridge until the last minute so it was impossible to spread the mix onto the soda bread. the cauliflower soup and chicken pate were delish. the fish and chips main was perfect, but the venison suet pudding, whilst very tasty and tender was a little dry - it needed more sauce in the pudding itself for my liking. the sticky toffee puding was to die for and my selection of cheese was great. we had a beautiful bottle of argentinian malbec and a lot of coke, and it was £100 which i thought was very good. only let down was the fact that upon arrival, our booking for 3 had become 2 and it took a few minutes for them to do some "jiggery pokery" but all was fine in the nend. a very enjoyable meal.
a tip for first time walkers from wells is to follow the line of the trees along the beach and not to get caught on the sea side of the lagoon - its hard to get across to the land and path up to the hotel!!

As Norfolk residents and regular visitors to the Holkam coast, we pass by the Victoria regularly, but have never eaten there. It always looks busy and popular, so it was with much anticipation that we planned a birthday lunch there.

I am a vegetarian, and while I do not expect an amzing choice, it would be good to not have Hobson's choice. My heart sank when I saw that the one choice was that good old tried-and-tested favourite, risotto, that the ingenious chef had devided for the veggies. When we pointed out that the sample menu on the website had more veggie choices, we were given a dismissive answer by the staff. This was not the only disappointment; the welcome was not great, we weren't given a menu each to start, and the initial service was slow. When we enquired of the whereabouts of our drinks order, 20 minutes after ordering it, the excuse was a faulty printer! The waitress tried to clear our plates before we had finished. When we tried to pay, the portable card machine was broken and we were asked to go to the bar. Fine, but when my elderly mother, whose treat it was, went to do this, she was ignored for a good five minutes. When my husband asked if we could pay, the response was quite terse.

My impression was of an overpriced, full-of-itself establishment, that has managed to fool its mainly London-based customers than it is more special than it actually is. I wish we had had egg and chips at a 'caff' in Wells instead.