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The Cliftonville City Pub Company

UK England East Anglia Norfolk Sheringham & Cromer

01263 512 543 29 Runton Road, Cromer, Norfolk NR27 9AS

30 Guest Rooms & Suites
Historic Hotel

This revamped Edwardian hotel is an affordable and thoroughly up-to-date place to stay in one of the nicest spots on Norfolk's northeastern coast

Bang on top of the cliffs at Cromer, there's no better place for a seaside break than The Cliftonville. Built in 1897 by 'Norfolk's Gaudi' (the 19th-century architect George Skipper), shortly after the railways reached Norfolk's coast, the hotel is the epitome of Edwardian splendour and has recently been sensitively renovated by the City Pub Company, who have turned it into an affordable and thoroughly up-to-date place to eat, drink and stay in one of the nicest spots on Norfolk's northeastern coast. Cromer is accessible by train too, so you can leave your car keys at home, spending time exploring the Norfolk Coast Path or just frolicking on Cromer's expansive beach or any number of other beaches nearby.

It's a great building, no question, and very much a hotel from another time, with a grand lobby, sweeping staircases, stained-glass windows and wide ocean views. Yet it has been restored with a flair and sensitivity that has projected it firmly into the 21st century. The restaurant is contemporary yet stylishly in tune with the period, making the most of the bay windows and views, with an upstairs minstrels gallery and a fireplace at the other, and serving a delicious Modern British menu while its long wood-panelled bar dispenses a vogueish range of gins, cocktails and post-Edwardian-style drinks. Across the lobby is a comfy lounge where you can enjoy a cocktail or two while gazing out to sea or along Cromer's pristine promenade to the pier.

As for the guest rooms, there are 30 in all, all completely refurbished and every one with a sea view, nice en-suite bathrooms, good WiFi, flatscreen TVs and tea- and coffee-making facilities. They're crisp and contemporary but like the rest of the hotel make the most of the Edwardian touches and it's just a lovely spot for a weekend by the sea. Cromer and nearby Sheringham are two of North Norfolk's oldest resorts, as is nearby Overstrand, which has a super dog-friendly sandy beach. Cromer has a tight, wanderable old centre, a good beach and pier and a couple of the region's most renowned fish and chip shops, as well as a few places where you can try its famous local delicacy, Cromer Crabs – slow-growing, succulent little beauties that thrive in the offshore waters.