The White Horse

The superb setting of the Nye family’s hotel overlooking salt marshes to the sea and Scolt Head Island is matched by a ‘really good atmosphere’, say readers who go back year after year. 'It's hard to think of much that can be improved at this hotel,' write happy readers. Food is served outside from noon until night, allowing diners to fully appreciate the big-sky landscape and spectacular sunsets. You can eat sea-fresh shellfish cooked over coals and 'Norfolk tapas' in an open-sided marquee (ponchos provided), dine under a parasol in the courtyard garden, or by the fire in winter. In the glass-walled restaurant, with ‘excellent food and service’, the menu ranges from lobster and fish and chips to marsh-grazed sirloin steak. 'They offer two local white wines which were fantastic and the mussels are very local and delicious.' ‘Extremely comfortable’ bedrooms feature local artwork, a Norfolk seascape palette of green, blue, lavender and sand. The split-level ‘Room at the Top’ has a balcony and telescope to better appreciate the view. Spacious, dog-friendly garden rooms, built into the contours of the land under a sedum roof, have a private terrace. (DC, SP and others)