On the quayside overlooking the estuary and salt marshes, in the luminous landscape of north Norfolk, Emma Stannard’s ‘lovely, comfortable', child-friendly hotel gets another thumbs-up from a trusted reader.

Walk up a narrow lane between a kebab shop and a barber’s in this market town, on a sunny afternoon, and you may be surprised to find people enjoying tea on the lawn in front of a Palladian villa.

Nothing much alters from year to year at Michael Pritt’s Victorian hotel, just across from a shingle beach washed by the North Sea.

‘A bright spot’ in a north Norfolk market town, Emma and Hugh Asher’s hotel is also something of a night spot, with a rolling programme of events: taster nights, comedy nights, murder mystery nights (a nod to Agatha Christie, who stayed often when this was a private house), and South African Nights (to celebrate Hugh’s native land).

Jeannette and Anthony Goodrich’s 14th-century pub-with-rooms, with ‘friendly staff’ and ‘fantastic food’, continues to earn high praise from readers.

With white-painted walls and a peg-tiled roof, this ‘smartly renovated’ inn, one of Suffolk’s oldest pubs, stands in landscaped gardens that melt into Constable country.

In extensive grounds, the former home of Lord Louis Mountbatten is today a ‘well-run’ hotel with contemporary bedrooms, cosseting suites, a choice of eating and drinking spaces, and a sleek spa.

In a ‘fine waterfront setting’, this ‘distinguished’ Georgian bank-turned-town hotel is a sought-after spot for locals, who gather in its popular bar and brasserie.

Fishing boats and ferries, cruise liners and container ships form a constantly shifting waterscape in this port town, best enjoyed from the wrought iron balcony of the Milsom family’s harbourside hotel.

Swans glide, willows weep, and the great brick chimney no longer belches smoke at this 18th-century watermill, now a smart, modern hotel.

‘Perfect peace and quiet’ drifts across ‘lush grounds’ to James Holliday and Anna Duttson’s ‘splendid’, wisteria-hung Georgian house by the River Bure.

‘Unpretentious and friendly’, this creeper-covered inn is close to the unspoiled salt marshes of Dunwich Heath and the RSPB reserves at Dingle Marshes and Minsmere.

A silent observer, this 16th-century beer house, in a ‘spectacular’ location on the north Norfolk coast, has taken in the changing landscape across salt marsh and sea for hundreds of years.

Within a ten-minute drive – perhaps less as the crow flies – of the RSPB nature reserve at Minsmere, this updated 12th-century coaching inn makes a good base for birders, walkers, cyclists and seaside-seekers.

Minutes from Bury’s ancient abbey, two Victorian town houses have been transformed into a glamorous spot in town.