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The Red Lion

3.0 star property
Bed & breakfast in Dorchester with a coffee shop and a restaurant

Choose dates to view prices

Photo gallery for The Red Lion

Exterior
Miscellaneous
Restaurant
Exterior
Double Room, Ensuite
The Red Lion Hotel serves free breakfast and has a cozy bar for guests to unwind. The on-site restaurant offers special kids' meals, and the cafe provides coffee all day. Previous visitors praise the attentive staff for creating a homey atmosphere.

Reviews

8.4 out of 10
Very good

Popular amenities

  • Bar
  • Free WiFi
  • Restaurant

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 3 of 3 rooms

View all photos for Double Room, Ensuite

Double Room, Ensuite

Double Room, Ensuite

9.6 out of 10
Exceptional
(4 reviews)

Highlights

Heating
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Heating
Hair dryer
Coffee/tea maker
Pet friendly
Highchair
  • 10 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Double Room, Ensuite

Double Room, Ensuite

Double Room, Ensuite

Highlights

Separate sitting area
Heating
Heating
Separate bedroom
Shower/tub combination
Detached private bathroom
Hair dryer
Coffee/tea maker
  • 17 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Family Double Room, Ensuite

Family Double Room, Ensuite

Family Double Room, Ensuite

Highlights

Separate sitting area
Heating
Hypo-allergenic bedding
Premium bedding
Heating
Hair dryer
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
  • 15 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Double Futon OR 1 Double Bed

About the neighborhood

Map
A352, Winfrith Newburgh, Dorchester, England, DT2 8LE

What's nearby

  • Monkey World Ape Rescue Center - 7 min drive - 5.5 miles
  • The Tank Museum - 10 min drive - 5.7 miles
  • Lulworth Cove - 12 min drive - 4.7 miles
  • Durdle Door Beach - 12 min drive - 4.0 miles
  • Durdle Door - 16 min drive - 4.2 miles

Getting around

  • Wool Station - 7 min drive
  • Bournemouth (BOH-Bournemouth Intl.) - 58 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Hurricane Terrace & Bar - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Orchard Tea Room - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Lulworth Cove Inn - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Monkey World Cafe - ‬6 min drive
  • ‪Frampton Arms - ‬7 min drive

About this property

The Red Lion

Bed & breakfast near Lulworth Cove
Take advantage of free to-go breakfast, a coffee shop/cafe, and a garden at The Red Lion. Free WiFi in public areas is available to all guests, along with a bar and a restaurant.
Other perks include:
  • Free self parking
  • Smoke-free premises

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  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
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9.4 out of 10, Exceptional, 534 reviews
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Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Free self parking on site
  • Wheelchair-accessible parking available

Food and drink

  • A bar/lounge
  • A coffee shop/cafe
  • A restaurant

Family friendly

  • High chair

Guest services

  • No housekeeping service

Outdoors

  • Garden

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • No elevator
  • Well-lit path to entrance
  • Wheelchair-accessible parking
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk

More

  • Smoking not allowed

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:30 AM

Pets

Pets allowed for an extra charge of GBP 25.0 per accommodation, per stay
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Pet fee: GBP 25.0 per accommodation, per stay
  • Service animals are exempt from fees

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards
This property is professionally cleaned

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
A car is recommended for transportation to and from this property
This property welcomes guests of all sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+ friendly)

Property is also known as

Red Lion Inn Dorchester
Red Lion Dorchester
Red Lion
Dorchester
The Red Lion
The Red Lion Hotel Dorchester
The Red Lion Hotel Bed & breakfast
The Red Lion Hotel Bed & breakfast Dorchester

Frequently asked questions

How much is parking at The Red Lion?

Self parking is free at this property.

What time is check-in at The Red Lion?

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM.

What time is check-out at The Red Lion?

Check-out is at 10:30 AM.

Where is The Red Lion located?

Situated in Dorchester, this bed & breakfast is within 6 mi (10 km) of Durdle Door Beach, Man Of War, and Weymouth Bay. Mill House Cider Museum and Monkey World Ape Rescue Center are also within 6 mi (10 km).

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The Red Lion Reviews

Reviews

8.4

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 119 out of 238 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 74 out of 238 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 22 out of 238 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 16 out of 238 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 7 out of 238 reviews

8.8/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Jevgenia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Most welcome I’ve ever felt anywhere! Great food and lovely atmosphere.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

6/10 Okay

Mike

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Lovely staff and great location for our activities. Price was great value, but reflective of the age and condition of the property. Included breakfast was good, and the lady serving breakfast on the 4th August was lovely. Thank you 😄
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Disliked: Room comfort

Road noise a problem

The road noise was a serious issue for us, particularly as we had requested a quiet room. But the service at the hotel was mostly fine.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Laura

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I definitely liked having on-site dining options and that the parking was close by.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Benjamin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great place to stay. Alan perfect owner.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Adrian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Super nice staff, very helpful in getting us a cab.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Joe

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
even though i was staying above a very busy pub i could not hear anything once in my room. the food was well cooked and speedy.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Dasa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Loved our stay

A lovely small hotel with a lot to offer! The staff was welcoming and attentive, making our stay enjoyable. Breakfast was delicious, with a nice variety of cereals that our kids loved. Our room was spacious, clean, and comfortable, and it was great that they provided a dog bed for our pet, which made us feel very welcome
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2024

10/10 Excellent

Joe

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Staff very helpful and friendly
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024

8/10 Good

Jennifer

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
A wonderful welcome from Jay. Breakfast was excellent and a great location to visit local attractions!
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

timothy

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Great food, excellent bar. V comfy room, very clean and well appointed. Excellent Car Park. Staff were brilliant. I picked this for closeness to our client's premises and will do so again. A real littel gem of a find. can definitely recommend the Red Lion lager!!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kushal D

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Our stay at the Red Lion Hotel was very pleasant. The room was cozy, vibe in the Pub was full of energy in the evening watching sports games, and the morning breakfast was lovely. Our car broke down nearby and the owners were very supportive and helped us in every way they could to find alternatives. We really thank them for their help and appreciate their kindness.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024

8/10 Good

paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

A warm welcome

The Red Lion is now a family business, and what a lovely family they are. From first welcome to final farewell, they couldn't have looked after us better.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2023

6/10 Okay

Nithin

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Not worth the money.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Lauren

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff were very polite, helpful and hospitable. Breakfast was top notch! We felt very looked after and would definitely recommend this B&B is you're visiting Lulworth, Durdle Door or weymouth! The rooms are comfortable and clean. Thank you to all staff at the Red Lion! <3
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Marcin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Wonderful and relaxing

Amazing.Comfy beds.Clean.Relaxing.Everything was so good and the food was delicious.Loved my stay!!!:)
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Edward

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
What a lovely place to stay, lovely staff and food, 1 of our boys has an eating disorder (ARFID) which can be restrictive and cause issues, and sometimes stress for him, but so happy to say not here, requested just some bacon for breakfast and the owner was happy to do this without questioning why or complicating things,such a pleasant change. Thankyou so much, set the day up for a good one. Hopefully will be back again !!!
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

AKSHAI

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Kettle should be checked before guest arrive
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Matthew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It's hard to know where to start but the owners and staff are a good place to start. Extremely friendly and personable, attentive without being overbearing and they make you feel comfortable immediately. The room was small, clean and the bed very comfortable with a lovely view of the countryside. The pub was extremely comfortable and welcoming and within minutes it felt like a place I would be at a couple nights a week if I lived locally. What was really unexpected was that for a small pub with rooms above was that they were extremely knowledgable about food allergies. I'm celiac (very much so) and I was going to miss the beer and food. Except I didn't, they have very good gluten free beer and do an excellent gluten free beer battered fish and chips (with the best chips I've had in years, crisp and fluffy inside) and an English breakfast. They were so careful on what was safe to serve and what not and I had no contamination issues at all. This was easily the best hotel experience I've had in at least two decades and it's not even close. I would vacation here again with my wife just to stay here.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Matthew

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I've stayed here multiple times and it is a gem. Located close to the Bovington Tank Museum it has cozy rooms and a wonderful pub with a solid menu, including being extremely good for people with food allergies. I have celiac disease and having several gluten free options (e.g., starters, entres, deserts, beer, etc) at a small hotel is unexpected. The staff is also extremely nice and helpful and even put together a gluten free tradiitoonal breakfast to go since my train left before they opened breakfast.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025

8/10 Good

Vicky

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Double room was clean and pleasant. Restaurant menu had lots of options and was served quickly and piping hot. Breakfast was lovely and my poached egg was perfectly cooked. Large parking area and gardens and the atmosphere in the bar in the evening was very pleasant. Quite isolated so not possible to walk anywhere in the evening. I was made very welcome by everyone.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Christine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We had a great time, the staff were attentive and friendly. The food was good and the room perfect. We could highly recommend a stay at The Red Lion, you won't be disappointed.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

nicola

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A great one night stay as a family with 2 children. Staff were all helpful and friendly and food was good for both dinner and breakfast. Would stay again and would definitely recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Samuel

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Family run pub/ campsite

Run by a friendly family. Room was small but nice funiture/ equiped. An old house bur cosy
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kimberleigh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff was absolutely lovely. They helped with everything and were so delightful. Im definitely staying there again!
Supercute room
Charm of an old English Inn.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025

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