I've just returned home from a few days spent in the sleepy gem of a place that is Sheringham. For…read morethose of us who were actually alive the last time England won the World Cup (I was a mere few months old at the time but a fact I feel is important to stress!) the scenery and ambience of the town invokes a nostalgic quality of the type of countryside read about as kids - it's a Secret 7, Famous 5 style environment. You interact with close knit, polite and friendly townsfolk, view pretty cottages with their perfect gardens and pass twitchers, clutching their binoculars on their way to the marshes to view some lesser spotted variety of bird that are seen at this time of year. Hopefully I've set the scene here - it is quintessentially the most olde English town I have ever visited. However, it's not a place I would have chosen to frequent had it not been for my dear old mum, who moved to Sheringham 8 years ago for some sea air and stress free living. Having previously just spent day trips or the odd one night at mum's, I decided the time was right was a few days of rest and relaxation by the sea with my other half to chill away from the hustle and bustle of London. So, my search through various online sites began. To cut a long and arduous story short, after a few hours I thought we would be doomed to stay in some dreary B&B or spend a small fortune at some ancient hotel that looked like the setting for 'One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest' with the cast of 'Cocoon'! However, after spending what seemed like an ice age trawling the web, I found The Two Lifeboats. It looked good, was reasonable and right near the seafront, so I booked up. My mum seemed dubious at my choice after I'd informed her of where we would be spending our time, recalling a time she'd been there 6 years ago and never having gone there since. On the first night, we treated her to dinner here and she has been converted. First off the place was unrecognisable from her last visit. Next, the staff are lovely and helpful. The food is above average fayre and priced well - there are tables outside to view the spectacular sunsets (to compete with my fading memories of Ibiza in the 90's!) The room we stayed in was small but perfectly equipped and a great view of the sea. It's an old pub, so the stairs are quite narrow and steep so perhaps not best suited to all but for us, it was perfect. The breakfast is served in the pub area too and very delicious before our epic walks along the coast. For a nostalgic and welcome short break, I would highly recommend.

Great location. Friendly staff. Perfect for enjoying an evening drink and watching the sunset over…read morethe sea. Decent food too - just standard pub fare but good value and tasty!

From the drive in through an impressive entrance, to the beauty of the building, its decor and its…read moreart collection, this place is an absolute treat from start to finish. Great food from the kitchen - baked herbed scallops and brioche crab cakes were superb - to a very pleasant front of house team, this is a destination venue, so do yourself a favour, book a room and stay a while. The installation art nestled in the many acres of deer park will give you the opportunity to explore and burn off a few calories! And if it's chilly outside, open fires and a pool table offer the perfect setting to while away the hours, or simply muse over their magnificent art collection. Bravo The Gunton Arms

Popped in for a cocktail and was impressed by the ultra cool decor. Kind of Downton Abbey meets…read moreBeetlejuice. It was around six p.m. and half of the dining tables were full. The bar was packed so I asked a waiter if we could down our cocktails at a table. His response: "We're fully booked tonight. The bar is as big as it is. We can't fit any more tables." Absolutely aghast, I finished my cocktail and went back to the car thinking how sad it was that I wouldn't be trying their menu. I would expect a snotty attitude from a thick glasses wearing hipster in New York, but I was surprised to find it in Norwich. Not recommended.

Great location with large lay area. Good Sunday roast. Heavy in well cooked vegitables. Possibly…read morethe best family bar/ restaurant in Overstrand. Lots of staff all very helpful.

I really like the collection of locally made gins. Food was delicious, especially the crab cakes…read more The place was busy, but we were able to eat at a table in the bar area.

Some friends and I stayed at The Victoria Inn for two nights as we were attending a friend's…read morewedding at Holkham Hall which is less than a mile away. The hotel is ideally situated if you're a wedding guest, as it's five minutes by car or a 20 minute walk - so if you can't get a taxi at the end of the night you don't have to trek too far. They have 20 bedrooms - 10 within 'The Vic' itself and a further 10 in Ancient House, located directly opposite. The Vic has a large restaurant and bar, spacious conservatory, outside terraces and drawing room (where paying guests have sole access to complimentary whiskies, ports and rums!). It's almost completely dog-friendly here - there were about six in the restaurant alone! We ended up having dinner here on the Friday night and then breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday. All of the food was delicious and locally sourced. Their wine list was also really good, though expect to pay a premium here. The staff were all terrific and you were made to feel right at home. Our room ('Joe's Stop') was spotlessly clean, the beds were comfy and my huge walk-in shower in the en suite was a definite highlight! The hotel has seriously enviable views over the Holkham National Nature Reserve. It's also very close to Holkham Beach. The location is just superb in every way. Tip: Breakfasts are included in the room rates. Tip: Check in is after 3pm on the day of arrival. Check out is 11am or earlier on the day of departure.

The Victoria is actually situated in the hamlet of Holkham, a couple of miles, outside Wells on the…read moremain road that passes the Holkham hall estate. It's a great place serving outstanding food. It's more than a gastro-pub, more of a restaurant with a bar area attached the style is unusual a sort of colonial British Raj effect but it's done well and works. It's not cheap but if you're looking to splurge it's great for an evening meal out. If all you're looking for is a pint and some top-quality bar food it's the place to head for too. It's right opposite the Lady Anne's road that leads down to the stunning Holkham beach too a great place to stop off after a walk in this truly beautiful area.

Situated on the main street running through the centre of Cley, the George Hotel is an impressive…read morelooking building flanked on the opposite side of the road by an outdoor seating area. The backdrop to which are the characteristic reedbeds of the Broads, a great place to sit and relax in the summer, but we didn't venture out in late February! Inside, the hotel has a definite sense of style, akin to hotels of the 1930s as seen in episodes of Poirot. We were only staying in Norfolk for a short time but we did enjoy our cups of Earl Grey tea. The menu for the evening meals is done on a day on day basis, prices ranging from around £10 for a main. When we return to Norfolk we will definitely be partaking in their cuisine, as the menu was both interesting and varied. As in the name the George has a variety of rooms in which you can stay, with several advertised as having favourable views of the unique local countryside.

Decent pub-with-rooms; some of the latter look out to sea, and some over the car park. One small…read moregripe- they need to sort out the entrance, as there are two doors with handles. The beer garden is across the road, and navigating these with an armful of drinks is not easy ( as attested to by the beer slops up the doors).

Ate here for lunch after walking the Cromer beach. This city is famous for their crab. I had the…read moreCromer crab salad. The mixed greens could use a little bit more dressing. It has ample amount of crab meat. My husband had the fish and chips he said it was good. The batter was crunchy and fresh. Our server was nice. Hubby's beer was good. The restaurant has a nice ambience. I do recommend.

We were warned before visiting that Burnham Market was the 'Chelsea' of Norfolk, so we should…read moreperhaps have anticipated that a pot of tea wasn't going to come cheap! However, when on holiday, it's rather nice to have a treat - and afternoon tea at The Hoste Arms is a real treat. The scones were warm and delicious and some people sitting at tables around us had the full works including bite-sized sandwiches and cakes - all of which looked as delicious as they no doubt tasted. The Hoste Arms describes itself as 'a 35-bedroom hotel with, five different restaurant areas and 80 staff'. It also has a full bar and is a large, rambling place with loads of cosy nooks and comfortable sofas where one can find a quiet corner surrounded by quaint artifacts. We sat out in the sunny 'Tranquil Garden' and found the service in that remote outpost somewhat slow! Perhaps one or two more staff wouldn't go amiss.

We stayed here for one night for a quick, unplanned beach getaway. A good friend of mine loves this…read morepub for a weekend away, so we took the advice. This place is good with a potential to become great; unfortunately, a few things bring it down. Still, it's undervalued with my 3 stars rating. We checked in with the very friendly reception desk, and the woman who assisted us seemed genuinely interested in our enjoyment of not only the hotel, but the town and the surrounding areas, offering suggestions for things to do. We were taken to our room, a junior suite in the spa building across the parking lot from the main entrance. The room was gorgeous! The room was hugely spacious with a massive four-post bed and a very nice seating area with a seemingly vintage leather couch. The room had a hugely unique African safari-style theme, which I found interesting. But here's where we discovered our first downside: the windows. Soundproofing was very poor, and as staff members shuttled rolling carts and trash bins from one building to the other, we heard every movement. This included waking us up earlier than we would have liked and keeping us up fairly late, too. We still managed a good night's rest, but it took away from the experience. Stepping back a bit, we had dinner in the restaurant. We arrived for our 7pm reservation to discover that the staff had somehow erroneously confused our reservation with another. They straight-up panicked! We were asked to have a seat while it was sorted out; however, once we were seated, we discovered only one other couple in the dining room at the time, so I have no idea what caused the panic. It was odd and shows they don't adapt well. Now, here's where things get a bit strange for me. The dining room we were in was not wired for sound, so, someone (I don't know who, but presumably the restaurant manager and hopefully not an ambitious staff member) was playing music from an iPod attached to a portable speaker. I know, you think I'm being too harsh, but bear with me. This portable speaker, in the posh restaurant, was blasting an old Maroon 5 album on repeat. It killed the ambiance completely. On the one hand, the staff is very well trained in proper service, while on the other they apparently can bring an iPod and play whatever crap music they want. What the hell? How has nobody noticed this and rectified the issue? Is this how Maroon 5 gets royalties now? Eventually, as the restaurant got busier, the staff forgot about the iPod and we were mercifully spared a third run-through of Songs About Jane. If you don't want to shell out cash for a speaker system, fine, but at least hide the speaker and create a carefully curated playlist. Hell, I'll volunteer to do it for you for free. The food was okay, but nothing special. I did love the house Bordeaux, but it had been a few very challenging months since I had a glass of wine, so I would have probably enjoyed even white zinfandel at that point. The next morning, we work for breakfast and experienced another oddity. If you a book a room with breakfast included, you still only receive a continental offering. If you want a scrambled egg, it will cost you an extra 5 quid. I don't consider myself a cheap guy, but, I paid £225 to stay here. For that price, you can't throw in a poached egg? Come on, guys. Ultimately, I almost feel like this place is trying to give its notoriously posh Chelsea visitors exactly what they've come to expect from other hotels, and, in offering these things in name only, revealing a collective lack of thoroughness to the more observant guest. The hotel is nice, but it's niceness is only an inch deep. Dig deeper and it spoils quickly, but I guess it's good enough to fool the aloof West End crowd on a warm summer's day.

Had a really delightful lunch at the Wellington in the courtyard restaurant section. The food was…read morefresh, very delicious and huge portions. The owner spent quite some time chatting with us in between running the business which was great as we wanted to learn about Cromer and life in this gorgeous little seaside town. Very friendly atmosphere and really appreciated the great photos and artwork decorating the room. We will return!