The Sun Inn
‘A lovely old building in a nice location’, this medieval coaching inn is set amid the pastoral landscape of Dedham Vale. More
Good Hotel Guide Review
‘A lovely old building in a nice location’, this medieval coaching inn is set amid the pastoral landscape of Dedham Vale. With low beams, comfy sofas around a log-burner, and Suffolk ales on tap, the Sun inspires beams of satisfaction. ‘The food was excellent, likewise the beer and wine,’ a reader reports. Chef Jack Levine uses day-boat fish from Wivenhoe, humanely reared meat and locally grown organic and biodynamic produce in dishes such as skate, devilled mussel butter sauce, agretti and potato purée. The bedrooms, some with a view of St Mary’s church, have period furniture and bags of character. Boudicca has a fireplace and super-king brass bed; bay-windowed Constable has a half-tester. ‘Our room, Elsa, was large as described, the bed was comfortable.’ When several issues over housekeeping were raised with the owner, Piers Baker, his response was exemplary. Breakfast brings fresh orange juice, local farm eggs and Dingley Dell sausages. Outside, there is a pretty garden and all of Constable country to explore.
Hotel details
Address
High Street
Dedham
Colchester
Essex
CO7 6DF
England
Telephone
01206 323351
Bedrooms
7. 2 across the terrace, approached by external staircase.
Open
all year except 25/26 Dec.
Facilities
lounge, bar, dining room, in-room TV (Freeview), 1-acre walled garden (covered terrace, children’s play area, garden bar), parking, unsuitable for disabled.
Background music
all day in public areas.
Children
all ages welcomed, roll-out mattress £15.
Dogs
in bar and Oak Room, in guest bedrooms by arrangement (no charge but subject to stringent terms and conditions), not in dining room.
Credit cards
Amex, MC, Visa.
Prices
B&B doubles from £175, singles from £105. À la carte £36, weekly set menu £25–£30 (2/3 courses incl. glass of wine).
Other reviews
Good Hotel Guide articles about
The Sun Inn
- My Weekly: 10 great value UK hotel breaks
- Britain magazine: 10 of the best British inns
- Good Pub Guide: Favourite gastropubs with rooms
- Food and Travel: 10 of the best pubs with rooms
- East Anglian Daily Times: 10 of the top hotels to visit in Suffolk and North Essex in 2019
- The i: The 20 best pubs with rooms in the UK for 2019
- Huffington Post USA: Ten hotels to visit on Halloween
- Independent.co.uk: Britain’s Best Gastropub Hotels
- MSN Travel: 10 gastropubs to get your mouth watering
Special offers
20th Anniversary Special Offer
On 17th July 2023, it will be 20 years since Piers Baker opened The Sun Inn as you know it today. Fresh out of London, he wanted to bring the food he loved and had worked with to an unloved, run-down pub in a quintessential village, in an area abundant with fine produce. It won’t last a year it was said, especially since he didn’t do chips….until 2018! So to celebrate, the Sun Inn is running a monthly changing 3 course set menu featuring dishes loved over the years. Dishes that represent what Piers set out to achieve and helped get to where they are today. Not just a thriving Sun Inn but opening Church Street Tavern in 2014 and The White Hart Inn in 2022. Of course it wouldn’t be the Sun Inn if dishes weren’t improved. So, Jack and his team have updated them. Piers would love to have charged a deflationary £20.03, but with a nod to it, the cost will be £30.02. And with love and thanks, a glass of our Te Quiero wine. If you stay the night, you’ll receive a 20% discount on the room rate (when booked in advance). Please mention the Good Hotel Guide when booking.
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