An 18th-century watermill in farmland on the River Wensum, close to the market town of Fakenham, has a new lease of life as a buzzy gastropub with rustic-chic bedrooms, good pub fare in the bar, and inventive use of local produce in the restaurant.

Birdwatchers and bon vivants beat a path to Tracy and Galton Blackiston's Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms in a flint farmhouse with Blakeney nature reserve on the doorstep.

One of the UK's most unusual B&Bs, this windmill on the old quay in reed beds beside the River Glaven has bedrooms of great character in the mill itself, with more contemporary accommodation in outbuildings.

'Offering a buzzy, stylish stay', this quirky venture 'has plenty of attitude within its Georgian exterior', starting with the propeller behind the chrome bar counter, writes an inspector.

They have all their ducks in a row at this wisteria-decked gastropub-with-rooms overlooking the green in a village where mallards glide on old abbey fishponds.

In deepest Constable country, Wendy and Jim Sarton's characterful timber-frame manor house specialises in residential art courses; there is a large studio in the ground for workshops from tutors in various mediums. But even if you're not interested in taking a course, it's a great place for an 'extremely relaxing weekend'.

The neon sign outside this former steward's house in a 1,000-acre deer park 'pretty much sets the tone for what to expect in this unique and interesting pub' which combines 'unusual, captivating artwork' with 'a real pub where locals come to play pool and chat', say inspectors.

Agatha Christie memorabilia, murder-mystery weekends and Art Deco touches set the tone at Hugh and Emma Asher's creeper-clad hotel, former home of the author's doctor friends, in a bustling market town.

Much loved by readers, this hotel, restaurant and social hub beside the Great Ouse is justly as popular as ever under its new owners.

You don't have to blow a fortune to stay at this relaxed yet refined hotel in some converted barns, the former home of Langham Glass, and featuring many charming nods to its heritage.

A Georgian merchant's house and former bank on a square beside the mouth of the Great Ouse is today a stylish hotel, brasserie and popular local hang-out.

'Our favourite hotel in the whole wide world,' writes a devotee of this seafront grande dame, run by the same family for 104 years.

Tucked away down a country lane, Tim and Janie Elwes's inn is in 'a beautifully rural setting' yet close to the North Norfolk coast.

In a swath of green countryside, Pip and Jonathan Barber's chic B&B looks over the village towards the Norfolk coast.

A favourite hangout of the England football team, the former home of Lord Louis Mountbatten is 'well-run', with contemporary bedrooms, cosseting suites, a good choice of eating and drinking spaces, and a magnificent spa.

Claire Nugent and Nigel Morter have spent a bomb on transforming the control tower at 1940s RAF North Creake into a one-off vegetarian B&B in Art Deco style with meticulous attention to detail.

On the north Norfolk coast, Thornham's saltmarshes and unspoiled beaches are a paradise for birdwatchers and walkers. Every bit as blissful, is this chic bolthole with a garden hot tub near the town's artisan shops, restaurants and pubs.

Highly idiosyncratic and seriously fun, this hotel features bedrooms themed on the Georgian Grand Tour and Victorian global gallivanting.

Perfect for a country weekend, this 17th-century thatched pub has contemporary-cum-rustic-chic bedrooms in a 'barn', beams, bar stools, banquettes and bare boards, superior pub grub, and a separate menu for your pooch.

Cranes, container ships, Holland-bound ferries … The views from this quayside Victorian hotel, with its striking iron-lace balcony overlooking the Stour and Orwell estuaries, are ocean-going, stirring, never dull.

On a Georgian square overlooking a green, this former coaching inn and popular local drop-in offers an interesting choice of bedrooms, dog-friendly dining, an enthusiastic host, and a short menu of appetising modern dishes.

The Milsom family's Victorian country house hotel in Dedham Vale, in the heart of Constable country, has been subtly rebranded with the addition of a spa by the pool house.

In a lovely Suffolk village, this wonky, yellow-painted, timber-frame inn is an inviting place, with log fires, appealing, characterful bedrooms, and a mix of pub classics and more adventurous dishes served in the bar, restaurant and alfresco.

The well-equipped bedrooms are no afterthought at Jacki and Kevin Mangeolles' restaurant-with-rooms in a former coaching inn, but the big draw here is Kevin's Michelin-starred cooking.

With just one guest bedroom – or Royal Chamber – at the top of a Norman castle keep, this is surely the most romantic B&B in the Guide, and a memorable wedding-night retreat.

Once home to a James Bond stuntman, this Georgian mansion is now a glamorous wedding venue and classy owner-run B&B.

At this Grade I listed Georgian House of Assemblies, where glamorous event spaces drip with chandeliers, you'll find a restaurant, cookery school, and 15 spacious bedrooms, styled with pizzazz and a sense of fun, several with their own garden or lounge.

A watermill in meadowland is run as a hotel with rustic-chic and contemporary bedrooms, by chef/patron Lee Bye, whose exciting dishes can be enjoyed in the oak-beamed restaurant among the mill's workings.

In the only west-facing resort on England's east coast, Jeanne Whittome's B&B appeals to those seeking space and freedom, without cosseting, live-in hosts.