The best restaurants serving British food in Lympne and Stanford Shepway South East

Our visit to Port Lympne today was excellent, until a deeply disappointing experience at the gift shop, which left us feeling frustrated and disrespected. Our group consisted of 10 disabled adults and 4 carers, all with concession tickets, and we tried to visit the shop around 4pm. When we arrived, the doors to the shop were abruptly closed in our faces by a staff member, who explained that it was “too dark” for us to enter so the shop was closing after three separate doors were closed on our faces. However, we noticed that one member of our group was allowed entry through a side door with the instruction to “be quick.” Confused, the rest of the group attempted to follow and were met with rude shouts that the shop was closed. A carer asked why only one person from our group was allowed in, while the rest were turned away. The staff member’s response was dismissive and rude, claiming that everyone could enter but needed to hurry. This response completely disregarded the fact that our group consists of adults with disabilities who require additional time and support—rushing them was simply not feasible. The overall tone was unhelpful and insensitive, leading us to decide to leave the shop entirely. We understand that there may be operational challenges, but treating disabled visitors with respect and understanding is essential, especially when they are paying customers. This experience was not only unpleasant but also alienating. We hope Port Lympne will consider how to better accommodate all visitors, particularly those who need extra time and support, in a more respectful and accessible manner in the future.

We popped in for lunch. We were not staying at the "hotel" so cannot comment on the rooms. The food is excellent, if a little overpriced. As are the drinks. An example is a pint of lager shandy was priced at £6.35 and noted as a pint of Birra Moretti on the bill. I raised this but they said they "could not change it". And the larger used was not Birra Moretti! That is disappointing and, for me, that's a deal breaker.

Slightly limited menu because the head chef was on holiday. Very friendly and helpful bar staff. Food was standard pub grub but very nice. I will go back again just because the staff were so friendly. Shout out to Morag and Camilla. Great job ladies!