The Blakeney Hotel

Readers again lavish praise on this quayside hotel – ‘one of the best run and best maintained in Britain' – in a ‘stunning setting looking over salt marsh’. Bedrooms, some singles, some for a family, include doubles with a Juliet balcony or roof terrace, suites and dog-friendly rooms with garden access. The style is modern country house, with a subtle, muted palette. ‘We indulged ourselves with a room looking over the salt marshes, with a small balcony, chairs and table, and bathed for a while in warm October sunshine.’ 'The beds are very comfortable and the bathrooms adequate.' Guests have ‘plenty of lounges and amenities’, while, in the dining room and on the terrace, you can mix and match from a daily and seasonal menu of locally produced or landed ingredients, ‘so lots of choice, all deliciously cooked’. For instance, grilled Dover sole, brown shrimps, caper and lemon brown butter; Norfolk Dapple cheese soufflé. ‘The Cley kippers are a real treat at breakfast.’ ‘The buffet was first rate, the orange freshly squeezed and the cooked meals prepared to order.’ (David Sowden, Anthony Bradbury, and others)