Salthouse Harbour Hotel

At the heart of the resurgent Waterfront district, housed in an imaginatively converted old warehouse, the Salthouse Harbour is Ipswich at its boutique best, with 70 large, sharply designed rooms, the topmost of which have floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the marina and free-standing baths from which to enjoy the views. Squint, and on a sunny day you could be in Antibes. The public areas are classy but never dull, with eccentrically modern furniture and splashes of colour that soften the stark lines, including lots of edgy contemporary art, while the rooms blend the building's maritime legacy with a quirky, modern sensibility. Bathrooms are large and well-appointed, with power showers, there's free wifi, and lots of thoughtful touches, like cafetieres and nice coffee, high-end toiletries and flatscreen TVs; and some rooms have their own balconies. Then there's the ground-floor Eaterie, which is one of the best places to eat in town, serving great-value set menus and light dishes at lunchtime, and more ambitious fare in the evening – if you're here just for one night, you'd be mad not to try it, although there are plenty of other good options nearby. So... well worth the trip to Ipswich on its own; plus we also love its ever-so-slightly more traditional older sister, the Angel, in Bury St Edmunds.