The Best Hotels in Norfolk
By Guest Writer
2 years ago
Where to stay in the picturesque East Anglian county
Cromer UK, by Martin Toye
Filled with sandy beaches, sleepy towns and sweeping countryside, Norfolk makes the perfect staycation. Planning a trip there this summer? Here are the best hotels in Norfolk, from grand Georgian houses to cosy pubs with rooms.
Sustainable Things To Do in Norfolk
Best Hotels in Norfolk
These reviews of hotels in Norfolk are taken from the Great British & Irish Hotels Guide. You can read the full reviews online or purchase your print Hotels Guide here.
The Gunton Arms – Thorpe Market
Art dealer Ivor Braka’s recreation of a particularly delightful 19th-century coaching inn, with the help of interior designer Robert Kime, has been wowing guests ever since it opened in 2011. ‘In the words of Dolly Parton,’ Ivor says ironically, ‘it took a lot of money to look this cheap.’ Inside, the 16 bedrooms are decked out with sumptuous furnishings, printed wallpaper and traditional dark wood furniture, contrasting with the edgy, sexy art on the walls by all the big names: Tracey Emin, Damian Hirst, Lucian Freud… the list goes on. In the bathrooms, the marble was sourced in Egypt by Robert Kime and came out of derelict mansions in Alexandria. The hotel’s eclectic look is helped by the quirkiness of the gabled flint building itself, which sits inside vast, deer-filled Gunton Park.
BOOK
+44 (0)1263 832010 / theguntonarms.co.uk
Cley Windmill – Cley-Next-The-Sea
Cley Windmill is one of the most memorable and enchanting places to stay in Britain. The singer James Blunt used to live here and Elizabeth Taylor filmed Conspirator at the property in 1949. In the late afternoon, when the wind whips across from the sea, there are few greater pleasures than stowing away hats, coats and binoculars (it’s bird-watching country) as you come home to this beautifully restored windmill, complete with sails. Echoes of children’s adventure stories flood back as you climb higher and higher, finally mounting the ladder to the Wheel Room.
BOOK
+44(0) 1263740409 / cleywindmill.co.uk
The Norfolk Mead – Coltishall
Three cheers for this sophisticated yet gentle address, brilliantly placed for exploring both the Norfolk Broads and Norwich. With a lovely walled garden, perfect for afternoon tea and summer dining, a wildflower meadow that borders a pretty tributary of the River Bure and a private lake, this fine Georgian house set in eight acres of grounds is a haven. It comes with its own boat, in which you can explore the Broads with a delicious picnic; add a massage or facial in the hotel’s treatment rooms and you have the ingredients for a delightful yet affordable break.
BOOK
+44 (0)1603 737531 / norfolkmead.co.uk
The Victoria Inn – Holkham
One of the great pleasures in life is walking on the beach at Holkham, an unspoilt and beautiful stretch of sand, memorably featured in the closing scenes of Shakespeare In Love. Behind it stands fabulous Holkham Hall and its 25,000-acre estate, seat of the Earl of Leicester and rich in history, architecture and wildlife. Just a few minutes from the beach at the gates of Holkam Hall, stands the Earl’s gorgeous brick and flint inn, The Victoria, affectionately known as The Vic. It has never looked better: a series of lovely sitting rooms, bar and dining room with an airy conservatory extension where delicious, locally sourced, seasonal food is served.
BOOK
+44 (0)1328 711008 / holkham.co.uk
Blakeney Hotel – Blakeney
Loved by generations of the same families, the Blakeney stands in prime position on the charming quayside of one of north Norfolk’s prettiest coastal villages, with wonderful views across the estuary and out to Blakeney Point, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The family-owned hotel, built in the 1920s, has been sensitively modernised in recent years and now has 60 rooms, all unfussy and seaside-fresh, with crisp white linens on comfortable beds. Many have balconies, or look out onto the south-facing garden; others come with their own patio. Panoramic vistas of the stunning salt marsh landscape can be seen from the bar, terrace and restaurant.
BOOK
+44 (0)1263 740797 / blakeney-hotel.co.uk
Congham Hall – King’s Lynn
This calm and handsome Georgian house, beautifully cared for by owners Nicholas and Ruth Dickinson, has a special feature: its acclaimed herb gardens, containing several hundred varieties, plus orchards and a kitchen garden. Inside, a lovely stone floor graces the elegant hall with its grey-green walls, antique furniture, sofas in front of the fire and vases of fresh garden flowers. To either side is a drawing room and library, and there’s also a slick bar. The Samphire Kitchen restaurant is airy and relaxed with locally sourced dishes like pressed beetroot with goats curd followed by baked hake with parsnip velouté and rhubarb crumble tart.
BOOK
+44 (0)1485600250 / conghamhallhotel.co.uk
Bank House – King’s Lynn
Overlooking King’s Staithe Square and the River Great Ouse in the fascinating historic centre of King’s Lynn, Bank House is a glorious Georgian townhouse built by a wealthy wine merchant who shipped imported wine downriver to the Cambridge colleges and the Bishop of Ely. It was here in the 1780s that Joseph Gurney, later a founder of Barclays, set up his first bank; converted into a stylish, relaxed and exceptionally good value hotel in 2008, it is now run by Michael Baldwin of South Quay Hotels. Upstairs, 12 chic, individually decorated bedrooms comfortably blend old and new with antique furniture and modern art.
BOOK
+44 (0)1553 660492 /Â thebankhouse.co.uk
The Dabbling Duck – Great Massingham
In picturesque Great Massingham, The Dabbling Duck is a successful village pub, run with great warmth by experienced, hands-on manager Mark Dobby and his wife Sally, a professional photographer, whose prints decorate some of the walls. As soon as you walk in, you’re struck by the cosy, rustic decoration: wooden floors, tables and bar, hops hanging from beams, and shelves of books. There are eight bedrooms plus the newly refurbished Duckling Cottage, a few doors away, which sleeps six.
BOOK
+44 (0)1485 520827 / thedabblingduck.co.uk
The White House – Burnham MarketÂ
In the heart of the North Norfolk countryside yet just a few miles from the sea, The White House is a secluded, serene retreat. The renovated Georgian house has 12 tranquil, individually designed bedrooms – many with freestanding baths and all with a Roberts radio, crisp white sheets and natural 100 Acres products. The reception rooms are decorated with rich colours, sumptuous velvet sofas and specially commissioned work by Norfolk artists.
BOOK
+44 (0)7785 439727 / stayatthewhitehouse.co.uk
The Gin Trap Inn – Ringstead
In the pretty village of Ringstead this charming 17th-century coaching inn has been welcoming guests for 350 years. A stone’s throw away from the scenic north Norfolk coast – a designated area of outstanding natural beauty – it’s perfectly positioned for exploring the region’s best sights, from Holkham Hall and the dunes of Holkham beach to the crab huts of Brancaster Staithe. Known for its flavour-packed seasonal food and sun trap garden, diners can delight in its ingredient-led menu – a celebration of local produce, much of which is foraged from the coast.
BOOK
+44 (0)1485 525264 / thegintrapinn.co.uk
The Harper – Langham
Located in the pretty village of Langham, a mile inland from the coast at Blakeney, The Harper is a laid-back, contemporary country escape. Housed in a brick-and-flint barn that was once part of Langham Glass, unfussy yet refined interiors nod to its industrial past (and the story of Stanley Harper Cutmore, the owner’s grandfather who was a mechanic) with flashes of iron, copper, oak and slate. Rooms (choose from Big, Bigger or Biggest) come with modern four posters, leather armchairs, underfloor heating and lovely touches, from proper coffee in compostable pods by Roar Gill to pre-mixed house cocktails in the fridge.
BOOK
+44 (0)1328 805000 / theharper.co.uk
The Rose & Crown – Snettisham
If you love to be cosy, to snuggle down in a cloud-like bed dressed in crisp white linen and listen to the wind as it whips along the coast, knowing that in the morning a famous Great British Breakfast awaits, then you will surely love The Rose & Crown in Norfolk. Upstairs, the bedrooms are full of uncomplicated charm, yet lack for nothing – even Molton Brown toiletries in the en-suite bathrooms. Downstairs, this quintessential English inn, drenched in character, is full of hidden corners, old beams, log fires and pamment-tiled floors.
BOOK
+44 (0)1485 541382 / roseandcrownsnettisham.co.uk
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