The Blakeney Hotel

‘A wonderful reminder of the delight a well-run, imaginative hotel can offer,’ reads one of many good reports of this family-friendly hotel with shimmering vistas over estuary and salt marsh. There is a wide choice of fairly pricey, smart, contemporary rooms in three grades. The best have antiques, perhaps a four-poster, a patio or balcony. ‘Our A+ room in the Granary annexe was charming, with a very comfortable bed, a small but pleasant bathroom with under-floor heating.’ ‘Our rooms were classed B, but we need not have been anxious . . . What we lacked in views was well compensated for by the magnificent first-floor lounge with picture windows over the salt marsh and treats for lunch – seafood platter and crab sandwiches especially.’ In the restaurant, expect dishes such as seared cod with sweetcorn, ham hock, crab chowder, spinach and lemon. ‘The food exceeded expectations by a wide margin.’ ‘A good choice’ of breakfast dishes includes ‘kedgeree, undyed smoked haddock’. A boat trip to see the seals at Blakeney Point is a must. (JK Chothia, David Sowden, Lady Elizabeth Akenhead, and others)