The Harper

Just inland from Blakeney, ‘the brick and flint barns where once the Langham Glass furnace raged have been transformed into a smoking-hot hotel’, writes a Guide insider. The creation of Sam Cutmore-Scott and his parents, it ‘pays homage to its heritage’, with ‘a glass menagerie in a glass-fronted reception desk’, stained-glass windows and hints of industrial chic throughout. The ethos is ‘laid-back yet luxurious’, with wine-vending machines, ‘mismatched and upcycled furniture, colourful velvet chairs and sofas’. Bedrooms, some with a modern four-poster, are supplied with coffee, and complimentary cocktails, beer, milk and snacks. Modern bathrooms feature toiletries by Irene Forte, whose unguents are used in the boutique spa. You can eat casually in Ivy’s lounge, by a fire pit on a lavender-scented terrace (‘lobster and samphire mac ’n’ cheese was a stand-out dish’), or formally in Stanley’s (perhaps haunch of Holkham venison). A continental breakfast was indifferent; cooked dishes were good. ‘Special mention for manager Jules, who is a mine of local information.’ Overall: ‘A fantastic new addition to the Norfolk hotel scene. (JK)’