_Great hotels to stay in by the Norfolk coast

Is there anything better than time by the seaside, walking on the beach, maybe taking a boat trip to see the seals, and then retiring back to your relaxed accommodation in a nearby hotel or pub, settling in at the restaurant to have a pint of local ale and a sumptuous meal of local produce? We don’t think so.

If you’re of the same mind, here are brilliant places to stay by the coast when you visit Norfolk.

If you want to do a bit of set-jetting and walk in the famous footsteps of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman (Deadpool & Wolverine), Natalie Portman (Annihilation) or Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love) on Holkham beach, then the place to stay is The Victoria, just a few minutes’ walk away. With four stars and two AA rosettes, expect lots of local produce on the menu, much of it from the estate.

Movies and TV shows filmed at Holkham

Nearby Wells-next-the-Sea is a picturesque quayside town where you can go crabbing or walk to the beach to count the line of multi-coloured higgledy-piggledy beach huts. Arrive at low tide and you’ll just be able to see the waves a mile away at the beginning of The Run.

If you’re staying then head to The Buttlands, a lovely green a minute’s walk from the quay, where you’ll find characterful pubs with rooms The Globe Inn and The Crown.

If you’re a nature lover, then head for the Blakeney area, where you can jump on a Beans Boats or Bishops Boats trip to see the UK’s largest seal colony or get some great birdwatching at Cley Marshes. Stay waterside at The Blakeney Hotel, nestle down by the water meadows of the Glaven Valley at The Wiveton Bell or go boho chic at impressive The Harper.

A little to the west along the A149 coast road there’s also brilliant birdwatching at RSPB Titchwell and Homes Dunes Nature Reserve. Bring your binoculars and stay at Titchwell Manor or Briarfields. The more adventurous could head over to Scolt Head Island Nature Reserve from Brancaster beach, one of the sandiest in Norfolk and home of the wreck of SS Vina. If that floats your boat, stay at The White Horse.

Stay at Hunstanton, aka Sunny Hunny, and you’ll be in the only east coast resort that faces west, so expect spectacular sunsets. There’s great views from the Le Strange Arms Hotel and The Golden Lion. And it’s the same at Heacham, where if you’re staying at Heacham Manor you can discover the story of Pocahontas’ visit to Norfolk.

If you want to try sumptuous crab or lobster from the world’s longest chalk reef then head to Cromer, where you can take a saunter along the Victorian pier, home of the world’s last end-of-pier theatre. We’re recommending The Grove and Virginia Court Hotel. Nearby are the National Trust Sheringham Park and Felbrigg Estate and the East of England’s highest sea view at Roman Camp/Beacon Hill. Or try Stand Up Paddleboarding.