‘Everything is provided for guests’ comfort’ at this ‘relaxed, friendly hotel’, in a market town close to the north Norfolk coast. It is owned and run with a personal touch by Emma and Hugh Asher, who are ‘most welcoming, and much in evidence’, says a Guide reader this year. The red brick Georgian building is traditionally decorated inside, with dark wood furnishings and leather club chairs in the small bar. Browse the novels, magazines, newspapers and local guides in the lounge; in summer, French windows open to the garden, its rose walk and fishpond. Bedrooms, too, carry on the traditional theme, with swagged curtains or an original fireplace, perhaps a quilted bedspread on a carved-wood four-poster bed. Flannels are provided in the ‘well-equipped bathrooms’; at turn-down, chocolates are placed on pillows. Among the better bedrooms, three garden rooms have direct access to an outdoor seating area. In the large restaurant – ‘a popular place to dine’ – ‘chef Steven Norgate’s food continues to attract a loyal following’. Among his ‘tasty, filling dishes’: pan-seared Tavern Tasty pork fillet, parsnip purée, kale, crackling. ‘Good choice at breakfast, too.’ (Mary Coles)