‘Excellently located’ on the edge of Pagham Harbour nature reserve, this whitewashed restaurant-with-rooms is ‘a wonderfully tranquil, timeless, tucked-away sort of place’. Outside, take in the ‘wide sweep of marshland, with the sound of curlews under big skies’; step into the smartly refurbished centuries-old inn to find ‘charming, friendly’ staff and a bar and restaurant that are popular for the ‘delicious’, seafood-strong menu. It is owned by Sam and Janet Bakose, who also run The Halfway Bridge, Lodsworth (see entry). ‘Comfortable, with a fine modern bathroom’, bedrooms are chic in muted colours. Choose one with views over fields and sea – binoculars are supplied. At lunch and dinner, and on the sunny terrace in summer, Clyde Hollett’s English and Mediterranean dishes use plenty of fish and seafood from Selsey. Among the ‘fabulous flavours’: pan-fried fillet of stone bass, seaweed dauphine potato, steamed clams, sea vegetables. ‘We booked in for one night but ended up eating there two evenings.’ Breakfast has ‘a good fruit selection and some interesting cooked options’. ‘Lots of different walks in the area.’ (Peter Anderson, Diana Goodey, Danielle Hommel)