Travel

The Crown & Castle in Orford offers high-quality food and luxurious rooms with dreamy sea views


WHAT’S IT LIKE? At first glance, you might think it is just a fabulous hotel. In fact it is a world-class restaurant with 21 lovely rooms nestling in the beautiful village of Orford.

If you like peace and quiet, long walks and sea views, this is the place to be. It has a stylish bar, a wood burner to lounge in front of and a cosy dining room you won’t want to leave.

 The Crown & Castle has high-quality food and dreamy sea views
The Crown & Castle has high-quality food and dreamy sea views

ROOMS ANY GOOD? Lovely. They’re graded AA five star. The garden ones are luxurious and dog-friendly.

Ours, in the main building, was traditional, stylish and very comfortable with incredible sea views.

There were tea and coffee- making facilities with lovely fresh milk in a small thermos rather than ghastly UHT.

And there were (briefly) home-made biscuits in a jar.

 Its garden rooms are luxurious and pet-friendly
Its garden rooms are luxurious and pet-friendly

EAT HERE OR GRAB A PIZZA? Are you kidding? Until very recently, the hotel was owned by cookery writer and former TV Hotel Inspector Ruth Watson – so how could the restaurant be anything but perfect?

The menu is a tricky one because you want everything! We had pork belly which was so sticky and gorgeous I wanted to guzzle mine again.

There are other places to eat in the village, of course, not least the world-famous Butley Orford Oysterage, 50 yards down the road. It’s a no-frills – but very good – restaurant with its own smokehouse, offering fresh seafood and, unsurprisingly, oysters.

WHAT ELSE? Breakfasts are a spectacular affair. After that, if you can still walk, a well-preserved Norman keep is two minutes away (kids will love it). Orford itself boasts an atmospheric harbour with a sweet little wooden cafe (serves hot food).

 The hotel's food is so good and the menu so broad that it's hard to choose what to order
The hotel’s food is so good and the menu so broad that it’s hard to choose what to order

You can get sightseeing boat trips up the river or be ferried over to Orford Ness. This 2,200-acre peninsular was once used by the military as a testing site. You can still visit some of the eerie structures they left behind.

Now a National Trust nature reserve, it is loved by birdwatchers and walkers alike. You can easily lose a day there, but take water and food. Orford boasts some wonderful olde worlde pubs and the excellent Pump Street Bakery, much busier since being name-checked by a winner at the Oscars.

All in all, the Crown and Castle and its lovely boss John deserve Oscars of their own.

WHAT’S THE DAMAGE? Rooms from £140per night for two sharing including breakfast. See crownandcastle.co.uk or call 01394 450205.

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