Across a quiet road from the shingle beach, this ‘delightful, warmly welcoming’ Victorian hotel has been in Michael Pritt’s family since 1920. It has built up a loyal following that appreciates its comfort, traditional values and ‘accommodating staff’. ‘A bonus: the welcome Pimm’s and, later, cream tea on the terrace.’ ‘It has become a real friend,’ says a Guide reader this year, a returnee who visits ‘once or twice (sometimes thrice!) a year’. ‘The owner always shows concern for the guests.’ The hotel is popular with older visitors in the off-season and families in the summer months; all year long, dogs are made ‘very welcome’ (‘our mutt loved the beach in February and many nice walks’). Many of the ‘elegant, well-appointed’ bedrooms in the main house have a sea view; four have their own lounge. Rooms in Darfield House, behind, have access to a courtyard garden. ‘We liked the electronic controls in the shower that let us choose the precise temperature and pressure.’ In the sea-facing restaurant, chef Tim Keeble’s ‘beautifully presented’ dishes use much local produce, ‘some from the fishing boats right outside’. ‘We felt well cared for.’ (Ashley Walton, Simon Rodway, and others)