The ultimate 'if you know, you know' autumn mini-breaks
Right now the hottest places to stay are above the humble British pub. But finding the best ones is sometimes a matter of knowing the right people
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Pubs are a uniquely British thing- a place to scatter the local gossip, sink a pint and then drop in a sunken chair by the fire. There’s a fug of ale and pastry the moment you step through the door of a really good pub. If you’re lucky, there’s a kindly old dear behind the bar too and a dusting of dogs quietly dozing on the floor. But right now, the chicest ones also have really great rooms in which to spend the night.
Maybe it’s a post-Covid thing. All that time at home in bed socks and sweatpants means the appeal of the super-luxe hotel where heels at breakfast is a prerequisite is gently fading. Instead people want a return to cosy suppers, crackling fires and a short flight of stairs to ascend at the end of the night.
For me, the best nights away over the last few years have been those I’ve spent above pubs. There’s no greater feeling than stumbling downstairs to a pile of weekend papers, a scrubbed pine table on which to read them and a blackboard filled with homemade crumbles and creams
But, and it’s a big but, I’ve had as many wonderful experiences as I’ve had terrible ones. Because pubs with rooms has been around forever the quality of those rooms can vary drastically. And so, I’ve had to lean into the advice of those I trust- travel writer friends; hoteliers who are happy to share where they actually spend their money; friends who are always ten steps ahead of the crowds, as well as just sniffing out a lot of these places myself.
So here are the places I spent my money and return to year after year. As ever this is an incomplete list and if you want to add your own recommendations so everyone in this community can see them, then feel free to drop them in the comments below.
Enjoy!
Farrah x
The Gunton Arms, Norfolk
Full disclosure: I have not been here…yet. But I have heard so many great things, not least about the interiors, which were designed by the late, great Robert Kime. It’s set on a huge estate in the Norfolk countryside just outside the sweet little town of Cromer. Deer roam the grounds, there’s incredible art everywhere you turn (it is owned by celebrated art dealer Ivor Barker) and the whole place is alleged to make you feel like you’re an extra in a Merchant Ivory film.
The Swan at Southwold
I stayed here last Christmas as we wound our way up to Scotland for the holiday season. Suffolk is one of my favourite places- there’s an almost mystical feel to the place, and the town of Southwold, with its tearooms and antiques shops, is a sight to behold. The Swan sits right on the high street with the best rooms being in the main house. There are four poster beds and deep baths and if you get a room at the very front in December, it overlooks a small square with a Christmas tree festooned with lights. We stayed in the dog-friendly rooms out the back which were cute but felt a little more motel-like as opposed to a grand old pub with rooms. But those are the sacrifices for travelling with your pooches, I guess). The restaurant is good with amazing local produce. I still dream of the new potatoes we had, dug up less than a mile away, which tasted of the chocolatey earth in which they were grown.
The Bell and Dragon, Cookham
I use to live in the lovely village of Cookham in Berkshire. We moved there as a ‘trial’ to see if we could cope with the country and rented a small cottage on the green. As such, some of the happiest days of my life were spent in this village - and some of the happiest evenings were spent in The Bell and Dragon. It’s a bit of a pub of two halves nowadays with a large, fancy restaurant out the back where groups and families seem to congregate. But ask to eat in the ‘old’ bar area and you’ll be rewarded with a crackling fire, flag stone floors covered with spaniels and the general feeling that you have stepped back in time. There are some small but very stylish rooms upstairs, most of which are dog-friendly. In the morning walk along The Thames which takes you all the way to Buckinghamshire, past cute waterside pubs and farm shops.
The Crown Inn, Amersham
Eagle-eyed 90s rom-com fans will recognise this pub as the one from Four Weddings And A Funeral. It’s had a major Farrow and Ball revamp since then but it’s still all higgledy-piggledy corridors and ancient wooden beamed ceilings. It’s also slap bang on Amersham High Street which is as idyllic as country high streets get. What’s more, it’s at the end of the London Underground, so roughly only 45 minutes out of the capital, making it perfect for a night’s escape. It’s also worth noting this is pub food with a difference, as the kitchen has been taken over by super chef Atul Kochhar- so if South Asian cuisine is your thing, you’re in for a special treat.
The Gurnards Head, Zennor
Surrounded by wild Cornish gorse, sea views and big skies, The Gurnards Head is about as romantic as any public house gets. It is perched on a cliff edge in Zennor, a ten minute drive outside the bustle of nearby St Ives. Time seems to stand still here and I cannot recommend it enough as a place to hide from the world. The rooms are simple but cheery and the food is exactly what you want after a day’s blustery walk across the nearby moorlands- a soup of some sort, a good cut of pork, a crumble with berries. Simple but satisfying, like all autumnal meals should be.
