Best hotels in Essex 2023

Poor old Essex. If you listened to the media you might never go there. Yet it’s one of the UK’s most historic counties, with a collection of wanderable old towns and villages, one of the country’s longest coastlines (despite its relatively small size) and all sorts of ancient and intriguing corners. It’s also home to a surprising number of terrific places to stay and to eat – gastropubs with rooms, fine dining restaurants and blingy boutique hotels.

Whether you’re travelling as a family, going solo or looking for a romantic couple’s retreat, you’ll find a place to stay that suits your needs and often offers a delicious breakfast the next day. It’s well worth spending a few nights in Essex, either to properly explore the beach, enjoy a meal and stroll around town, or to have fun at one of the local nightclubs and sleep off your hangover the following day.

Neighbourhood: Harwich

A block back from the Harwich harbourfront, opposite the former home of the captain of The Mayflower, it would be hard to come up with a saltier location than that of the Alma Inn & Dining Rooms (to give it its full name). Harwich is just un-gentrified enough for a pub like The Alma to exist, indeed it’s that rare thing – a pub for drinkers that also serves terrific food and has a set of 6 guest rooms so you can stay overnight. The rooms are very comfortable and have all been renovated with the character of the building in mind, re-purposed ships’ timbers matching the beams and creaky floors, and exposed brick walls and sea-faring charts reminding you where you are. And the food is a perfect complement – mussels, oysters and lobsters in season, plus locally sourced steaks, all priced by weight and chalked up on the blackboard.