Blazing Donkey Country Hotel & Ham Hideaway Luxury Glamping, Grand Marquee photo #2
Blazing Donkey Country Hotel & Ham Hideaway Luxury Glamping, Grand Marquee photo #3

Blazing Donkey Country Hotel & Ham Hideaway Luxury Glamping, Grand Marquee

Location pin

The Blazing Donkey, Hay Hill, Ham, CT14 0ED - 

  • Credit card

    From
    £500 min spend

  • Users

    Up to
    275 guests

  • Table with chairs

    Offers
    catering

  • Delivery truck

    Internal Catering
    allowed

The Blazing Donkey is tucked away quietly in the Kent countryside and only a short distance from the ancient cinque port towns of Sandwich and Deal. We are a little over an hour from London by road and rail and the cross channel port of Dover is a short drive. The magical and thriving cathedral city of Canterbury and seaside towns of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate are also within very easy reach.

OUR VIBE Think 17th century country pub meets boutique hotel meets luxury glamping meets entertainment venue. Within our beautiful acreage we have 22 superb guest bedrooms arranged in coverted stables courtyard, 2 safari cottages (each with 2 bedrooms, lounge & deck) and 3 stunning shepherds huts.

A certain rusticity of surroundings speaks to the natural charm of the ‘Donkey, a place which is quirkily quintessential. All who visit are enthralled with its relaxing and homely feel. And the old-fashioned stuff is really important to all of us here so when you do eventually arrive you may expect to be met with the warmest of welcomes. Events at The Blazing Donkey are hosted on an exclusive basis giving you and your clients/guests uninterrupted use of the extensive grounds and all our facilities.

ACCOMMODATION We have accommodation to suit all your preferences from beautifully appointed cosy ground floor rooms in our converted stables through to suites on the first floor of the main house. Our Ham Hideaway luxury glamping cottages and huts complete the offering.

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR PARTIES & EVENTS 2024 It’s never too early to start thinking about planning your Christmas celebrations! What better place to celebrate the festive season than The Blazing Donkey at Ham.

GOLF The Blazing Donkey has been an Inn since 1763 but in 1995 its accommodation was officially opened by BBC golf legend and late friend of the 'Donkey, Peter Alliss. We are a “drive and a wedge” from Sandwich Bay, home to the wonderful links of Princes and its near neighbour Royal St. Georges. Corporate golf packages can also be arranged with gala dinners and prizegiving.

OCCASIONS Planning is made easy at The Blazing Donkey as we have our very own dedicated event planning team. Whether you are planning a company retreat, birthday or engagement party, The Blazing Donkey has a variety of private event dining and entertainment spaces all of which provide a fabulous setting.

RESTAURANT, LOUNGE & BARS Quite simply creating a place where you come and enjoy great food and drink in relaxing and comfortable surroundings is and always has been our aim. Scrub-top tables, flagstone and wooden floors, ancient beams and a picturesque terrace all combine to provide a relaxed vibe.

Clients can hire all or part of our property for their event. Dry hire and fully catered and staffed events are all accommodated. The Blazing holds a full entertainments license, civil ceremony licence and a 24 hour alcohol licence.

Stunning chandelier-lit, ivory pleated lined marquee with its own bar, lounge, dancefloor, DJ booth, night-club standard sound & light rig. Panoramic windows overlooking grounds. Solid carpeted floor and entrance porch. Full service kitchen adjoining along with optional streetfood booth complete with traditional pizza oven. Ideal for company events, concerts, ticketed events, boxing nights and dinner dances. Also a great setting for product launches, wine tastings and fairs.

Capacity & layout

Standing

Standing

up to 275

Dining

Dining

up to 200

Theatre

Theatre

up to 250

Boardroom

Boardroom

up to 100

Cabaret

Cabaret

up to 250

Classroom

Classroom

up to 200

Catering & drinks

Catering arrangements

Catering arrangements

Catering facilities

Catering facilities

Refreshments

Refreshments

Alcohol

Alcohol

Amenities

Cloakroom

Cloakroom

Disabled access

Disabled access

Heating

Heating

Air conditioning

Air conditioning

Natural light

Natural light

Outdoor / Garden / Beach

Outdoor / Garden / Beach

Stage

Stage

Table / chairs included

Table / chairs included

Tea

Tea

Whiteboards

Whiteboards

Public transport

Public transport

Premises parking

Premises parking

Overnight accommodation

Overnight accommodation

Breakout rooms

Breakout rooms

Space rules

Allowed events

wedding

Wedding ceremony licence

ticketedEvents

Promoted/ticketed events

alcoholLicense

Licensed for alcohol

Cancellation policy

50% refundable 30 days before the event

Location

Reviews

  • Kitty Pole

    May 2024

    I didn't stay so can't comment on rooms. But the food had a lot of effort put into it especially for those with allergys. If you're using a 3rd party to give them allergy advice make sure they hand all the correct information. The wedding planning website/company only gave Blazing donkey half my allergens so Blazing donkey had to make lovely food on the spur of the moment.

  • Frankie Austin

    July 2024

    I got married here this past weekend and I had the best day. I could not fault it at all, the day went so smoothly and that it thanks to Sandra. She made sure our day rang perfect, even though due to weather it had to be inside, in the barn it was perfect. The food was delicious and nothing was too much trouble. We can’t thank the blazing donkey enough for making our day so perfect. Will Defo be returning for a meal.

  • Lauren Walker

    July 2024

    We got married in May 2024 and, although the day itself went smoothly, the lead up to the day and the aftermath was appalling. We booked the hotel package, meaning we get exclusive use of the grounds and all hotel rooms are reserved for our guests. This means we paid upfront (about 1 year before our wedding) for all 20 hotel rooms at £250/room. The idea being that when our guests book their rooms, we get refunded the amount they pay. We were encouraged to do this to prevent non-wedding guests staying the night of our wedding. We chose to ask our guests to pay £120/room and we would absorb the difference. Firstly, one of our guests was charged the full £250. Apparently this was in error but I had seen previous reviews of this happening. Secondly, we found out 2 days before our wedding that they had double booked the hotel rooms, with guests for the next days wedding staying the night of our wedding. They refused to cancel the rooms of the non-guests and instead put some of OUR guests in the glamping site, and canceled 2 of OUR rooms. So some of our guests had to share rooms/beds so everyone had somewhere to sleep, and some people ended up in cramped shepherds huts not proper hotel rooms. So 2 nights before my wedding I was calling our guests to try and organise this- so stressful and embarrassing to explain to our guests! It also meant that we did not have exclusive use as promised (and as we paid for), as the guests of the next days wedding were hanging about and were also sitting having breakfast with us the next morning. Really not on when we paid to avoid this. They offered me and my husband a free meal and hotel stay in the future to make up for it. A bit of a kick in the teeth in my opinion, so we declined. We also chose to use the chiavari chairs. In their photos they looked beautiful, with cream cushions. About a month before our wedding we were notified that these are an upcharge, this was never explained to us when we opted for them months prior. Apparently they source them from another company (they don't belong to them) so we have to pay for them. Fine, we paid. ANYWAY on the day the chairs had bright yellow cushions on them. I questioned this as it clashed with our colour scheme. We were told they had them stored over winter and they had to put those covers on them because they were mouldy underneath. So I guess that means you don't source them from another company? Again, just making money out of us. One the day, the leg on one of the chairs broke and one of our elderly guests ended up on the floor. The floor in the marquee is so uneven and spongy. Our cake was wobbling about because the floor it was stood on was uneven. I was worried the whole thing was going to topple over. The dance floor was also uneven and needs replacing. I would also say that if it rains on your wedding day, their backup plan is for you to get married on the dance floor. When they sold us the package, they said they had a curtain to separate one corner of the marquee to use for the ceremony in case of rain, but after we booked we were told that's not longer possible as they had thrown away the curtain. Not sure what they are telling people these days, so beware. It took weeks of countless emails and phone calls to get out deposit back and the payments for the hotel rooms. Now it's finally sorted I feel like I can share our experience.

  • Annabelle

    June 2024

    Avoid at all costs! - Upon arrival, bin bags, laundry bags, and general cleaning equipment was littered around the site. We had to tidy this up before the rest of our party arrived. - No welcome drinks. - No cocktail-making class (which was an extra £1800!) - The "arrival" afternoon tea hamper was very delayed as staff were not aware of our booking, despite booking 8 months in advance. - Cold dinner with missing condiments. Chipped glassware. - No butler or private chef - dietary requirements were not met! - Numerous comments from staff explaining they shouldn't be catering to us due to a wedding at The Blazing Donkey - Damaged and torn tents leading to a cold and unpleasant night. - No hot water. A true CAMPING experience, I suppose. Nothing comfortable or luxurious about it. - Meat left outside overnight. Very unpleasant to wake up to, poses a serious health and safety risk! Richard (owner/manager) promised a partial refund verbally and via email but has since refused to honour it. Fortunately, we were able to get food and drink off site, and made the best of the situation we were in, but this is really quite unacceptable. Please avoid

  • Katherine Richardson

    June 2024

    The owner is a scam artist! We booked the Hen do packages of Accommodation, food and cocktails but it was complete shambles and wasn't worth the money. No Drinks on arrival as promised. No cocktail class was given. Accommodation was the only decent thing but no hot water. We was left to ourselves with no dedicated staff to look after us. The poor staff (must have been young 20s) tried their best to help but the owners left them to pick up the mess. Nothing got cleaned up so all the food and drinks were left outside. Owner said he would refund cocktail making class but has since gone back on that promise. Alot of money was taken for the package but the service wasn't worth the money and the event was ruined because of them. Over promising with no care. AVOID AT ALL COSTS