The Angel

We love this ivy-swathed old Georgian coaching inn, situated right opposite the abbey in Bury St Edmunds. Like all the best hotels, the bustle of its lobby, combined with the cosiness of its lounge, make you feel at home right away, and there's a unique blend of traditional and edgily contemporary that works brilliantly. It's also bagged just about the best spot in Bury, right opposite the abbey ruins, the cathedral and the Athenaeum Club where Charles Dickens used to give readings back in the day. It's quite a large hotel, with over 70 guest rooms, but has a relaxed, boutique feel.

Dickens used to stay at the Angel when he was in town, and the outside of the building would still be very familiar to him, but he'd struggle to recognise the interior, especially the guest rooms, which combine calm Georgian elegance with a touch of contemporary flamboyance and boast the sort of thoughtful and stylish modern comforts we all expect from a hotel of this quality – flatscreen TVs, large and funky bathrooms, some with giant free-standing baths, classy toiletries, free mineral water and biscuits and good quality tea- and coffee-making facilities. Choose a room at the front of the building so you can sip your tea and gaze out of the window at the square and the abbey ruins opposite, and then float down to the excellent Eaterie restaurant on the ground floor, which offers lunch, afternoon tea and dinner every day, from a moderately priced Modern British menu, plus a good and interesting wine list, with lots of wines by the glass. The bar on the other side of the entrance continues the classic-meets-contemporary decor, and serves good, sometimes bespoke cocktails (including a couple of Dickens-themed creations), along with the inevitable list of craft gins. Service is low-key but attentive throughout, and like its ultra-cool sister hotel, the excellent Salthouse Harbour in Ipswich, nothing is too much trouble.

All in all The Angel is just the place for a romantic weekend away – there's lots to see in the town centre, which is also known for its excellent restaurants, and you're close to lots of attractions just beyond, including the National Trust's Ickworth House, the ancient wool towns of Lavenham and Long Melford to the south, Gainsborough's House in Sudbury, and the wilds of Thetford Forest to the north.  For all this, The Angel makes an ideal and very comfortable base.