Birdwatchers are in their element at this low-key, dog- and family-friendly hotel occupying a series of brick-and-stone farm buildings close to the RSPB Titchwell Marsh nature reserve. The landscape is pure north Norfolk – salt marshes under wide skies; a distant view of the sea at Brancaster Bay. Contemporary bedrooms are around a courtyard set back from the A road. They range in size; there are three family suites. Careful selection is advised: some guests this year liked their ‘massive, beautifully furnished room’; others found their small double room ‘basic, and in need of updating’. Take tea by the open fire in the beamed snug or on the decked terrace in sunshine. On a warm afternoon, sit by the fishpond in the peaceful suntrap courtyard. At lunch and dinner, crowd-pleasing menus include tapas and Indian snacks alongside more classic British dishes cooked with local seafood and meat from nearby farms. Typical offerings: pan-fried sea bass fillet, Norfolk Peer potatoes, Titchwell samphire; 17-hour sous-vide pork belly, roasted cauliflower. Pull on your wellies in the morning: marsh paths lead to the beach.