Briarfields

Walkers, birdwatchers and dog owners flock to this family-friendly hotel on the north Norfolk coast, its vista stretching across salt marshes and the sea. It receives a full entry thanks to a regular Guide reader who enjoyed ‘four good breakfasts and four excellent dinners’ over a ‘thoroughly enjoyable’ stay this year. Manager Richard Baker leads a team of ‘exceptionally well-trained, helpful’ staff. Most of the neat bedrooms, each with a modern bathroom, are set around a quiet courtyard; three spacious suites are ideal for a family. Summertime calls for Pimm’s in the suntrap courtyard or on the decked terrace, while children scramble in the playground; when the wind picks up, take refuge by the wood-burners inside – there are books, board games, real ales, local sea buckthorn gin. In the restaurant, super-local dishes use Norfolk seafood (perhaps Brancaster mussels), and meat from farms barely 15 miles away. There’s much to explore in the area: the RSPB Titchwell Marsh nature reserve is down the road; the Royal West Norfolk Golf Club is a five-minute drive away; a private path leads to the beach. (Helen Anthony)