Best Hotels In East Anglia 2024
By CTH Editors
3 months ago
Where to stay in the picturesque county
Filled with sandy beaches, sleepy towns and sweeping countryside, East Anglia makes the perfect staycation. Planning a trip there this summer? Here are the best hotels in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, from grand Georgian houses to cosy pubs with rooms.
Best Hotels In Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex
Reviews are taken from this year’s Great British & Irish Hotels Guide – here’s where to buy your copy.
The White Hart Inn – Mersea Island, Essex
This pub with rooms reopened after a nine- year closure in June 2022 following a seven- month refurbishment. It is part of the same family as The Sun Inn, Dedham and Church Street Tavern, Colchester. On England’s most easterly inhabited island, it sits opposite the church green and minutes from the beach. Six cosseting, colourful rooms (one has a sea view, others look over the green) all have super king beds, huge walk-in showers and contemporary local art. The seasonally changing menu features local ingredients: oysters and seafood, fruit and vegetables grown on the island and meat from East Anglia. Highlights are day boat Mersea skate with samphire, Jerusalem artichoke, caper and butter; wild mushroom ravioli with black cabbage; wild duck with mulberries; and Sunday roasts. Relax in the snug or head out to explore, from beach strolls to a circuit of the island (around four hours), boat trips to watersports and bird watching. There also bikes to borrow and car charging on site. Do check the hotel website before setting off – high tide cuts the island off from the mainland once a day.
BOOK
Doubles from £ 185
+44 (0)1206 583212; whitehartinnmersea.co.uk
Talbooth House & Spa – Dedham, Essex
Overlooking Dedham Vale in Constable country, Talbooth House & Spa (formerly Maison Talbooth) has established itself as the ‘go-to’ spa in Essex. This lovely Victorian house is a super sophisticated place to stay and includes Jack’s Bar plus the spa facility (complete with Elemis products) with a swimming pool, hot tub and outdoor sauna and six treatment rooms. The hotel is an oasis of calm, where you can step back, relax and indulge. Its 12 literary-themed bedrooms act as the accommodation arm of their nearby restaurant, Talbooth Restaurant. Both are owned by the Milsom family, who have run the restaurant since 1952, and whose portfolio also includes milsoms Dedham, Idle Waters, The Pier at Harwich, Deck 1853, and Milsoms Kesgrave Hall. As with all their properties, dogs are welcome to stay. Breakfast can be served in your room or at milsoms Dedham, while a courtesy car whisks guests to and from the three AA Rosettes Talbooth restaurant, a half-timbered building with a film set location on the river Stour. In all, the hotel, spa and restaurant make for a winning combination – and just 55 minutes from London to nearby train station Manningtree.
BOOK
Doubles from £360
+44 (0)1206 322795; milsomhotels.com
The Sun Inn – Dedham, Essex
The Sun Inn on the Essex-Suffolk border is a charming base from which to explore pretty Dedham Vale. Rent a boat on the River Stour or borrow bikes from the pub – staff will even make you a picnic to take with you. The bright yellow façade of this handsome old coaching inn beckons you to an interior that manages to be airy, spacious and properly pub-like with beams and wooden floors, open fires and an elm bar that’s usually lined with locals and their dogs. There are magazines and travel books to read, board games to play, and deep sofas to sink into, plus seven individually decorated bedrooms with centuries-old character and sumptuous beds – the perfect place to unwind. The restaurant’s seasonal food is big on flavour and inspired by great local produce: think homemade pasta, excellent fish from east coast day boats, local meat, fruit and veg and game in season. Plus, local ales and an eclectic wine list brimming with rare treats. In 2023, the inn celebrated its 20th anniversary under the ownership of Baker Hospitality, which also owns The White Hart Inn on Mersea Island.
BOOK
Doubles from £185
+44 (0)1206 323351; thesuninndedham.com
Husk – Thorington, Suffolk
Three years ago, chefs Joey O’Hare and Katy Taylor bought a farm on the outskirts of Thorington village and began running a Friday and Saturday-night supper club for 16 guests in a converted barn (it’s usually a sell-out). Then, at the end of last year they added four rooms, so that after tucking into a three-course feast inspired by the landscape (think local game, foraged flavours, fermented, pickled and preserved fruit and vegetables) paired with organic wines, guests can simply stroll across the courtyard to a renovated cow barn to bed. Original beams, exposed bricks and stable doors are teamed with upcycled second- hand furniture finds, mid-century and contemporary artwork. Arrive early, in time for a dip in the natural pool, a stint in the eco-sauna, and perhaps a stroll to local pub, The Star at Wenhaston. In the morning, the Scandinavian-influenced breakfast is a ‘Suffolk egg plate’ with just-laid eggs from the pair’s rescue chickens, sourdough, and organic yoghurt with a damson and apple compote, made using fruits from the farm. A glorious foodie stay in rural Suffolk.
BOOK
Doubles from £275
+44 (0)7733 262797; huskthorington.co.uk
The Harper – Langham, Norfolk
Located in the pretty village of Langham, a mile inland from the coast at Blakeney in Norfolk, The Harper is a contemporary boutique hotel that serves as a peaceful 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 with flashes of iron, copper, oak and slate. The spacious rooms come with modern four-poster beds, leather armchairs, underfloor heating and lovely unique touches, including complimentary pre-mixed house cocktails in the fridge on arrival. At the heart of The Harper is The Yard, for al-fresco dining and evenings around the fire pit. There’s also a speakeasy- style bar for drinks, Ivy’s lounge with arched windows and a wood-burning stove, and Stanley’s restaurant for fine dining without the frippery. Head to the on-site spa for a massage or book an exclusive-use pool slot to luxuriate in blissful solitude. At The Den you can unwind with its pool table and film screenings. Alternatively, pre-order a picnic hamper and make your way to Holkham Beach, which is only a short drive away.
BOOK IT
Doubles from £219
+44 (0)1328 805000 / theharper.co.uk
The Gunton Arms – Thorpe Market, Norfolk
Art dealer Ivor Braka’s recreation of a particularly delightful 19th-century coaching inn, with the help of 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, Damien Hirst, Lucian Freud… the list goes on. In the bathrooms, the marble was sourced in Egypt from derelict mansions in Alexandria. The hotel’s eclectic look is helped by the quirkiness of the gabled flint building itself, which sits inside deer-filled Gunton Park. In the kitchen Stuart Tattersall presides over delicious, imaginative dishes, including grills on an open fire that guests tuck in to at sharing tables – the seafood and Cromer crab are all caught by local fishermen and fresh organic produce is sourced from the hotel’s very own walled garden. If you stay in Ellis, don’t miss the old prints by the dressing table – but maybe not if you objected to Emin’s naughty plates above the bar.
BOOK
Doubles from £130
+44 (0)1263 832010 / theguntonarms.co.uk
The Dabbling Duck – Great Massingham, Norfolk
In picturesque Great Massingham, The Dabbling Duck is a successful village pub, run with great warmth by experienced, hands-on owner-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 – including three garden rooms – plus the recently refurbished Duckling Cottage, a few doors away, which sleeps six. Sally and Mark have also renovated the house next door, adding four spacious bedrooms with roll-top baths and walk-in showers. The pub has a well-deserved reputation for its own Mucky Duck gin, real ales and curated wine list. The terrific food is made using local produce and prepared by skilful chef, Dale Smith. There is a beautiful oak-beamed barn with a cosy wood burner, an outside bar and a kitchen serving street food and wood-fired pizza. The barn opens up onto the pub garden, which has a play area for little ones.
BOOK
Doubles from £110
+44 (0)1485 520827 / thedabblingduck.co.uk
Congham Hall – King’s Lynn, Norfolk
This calm and handsome Georgian house, beautifully cared for by owners Nicholas and Ruth Dickinson, sits just five minutes’ drive from Sandringham and 20 minutes from the amazing stretches of Norfolk beaches. 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 such as pressed beetroot with goats’ curd followed by baked hake with parsnip velouté and rhubarb crumble tart. The bedrooms are all impeccable and comfortable, divided between the house (the top floor rooms are small but charming); the garden wing next to the pampering Secret Garden Spa; and five orchard cabins with outside baths among the trees. The house rooms are cool and classical in style, making lovely havens in which to relax. Afternoon tea is a delight here; afterwards, walk it off with a swim in the indoor pool or exploring the 30 acres of gardens and woodland, among the best in England.
BOOK
Doubles from £199
+44 (0)1485600250 / conghamhallhotel.co.uk
Cley Windmill – Cley-Next-The-Sea, Norfolk
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. Downstairs, there’s a beamed, lived-in circular dining room with a blazing fire and antiques, while the cosy lounge, complete with bar, is part of the original 1713 warehouse. There are ten rooms to choose from, two of which, Dovecote and the new Old Cart Shed, are self-catering cottages in the old stables. The three circular bedrooms in the tower itself have bathrooms ingeniously fitted into challenging nooks and crannies. All are charming and bursting with character, with views over the waving reed beds to the sea.
BOOK
Doubles from £230
+44(0) 1263740409 / cleywindmill.co.uk
Blakeney Hotel – Blakeney, Norfolk
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, where hearty breakfasts, light lunches and locally sourced, seasonal, à la carte and table d’hôte dinner menus are offered, enhanced by prompt, polite, traditional service. When guests aren’t out walking the north Norfolk Coast Path, exploring beaches or visiting one of the charming nearby towns, there are two spacious lounges for relaxing. The indoor pool, steam room and sauna are, of course, another big draw for repeat guests, too.
BOOK
Doubles from £386
+44 (0)1263 740797 / blakeney-hotel.co.uk
