The Westleton Crown

It’s a cosy coaching inn, just off the A12 and perfectly positioned for trips to the beach, heathlands, wildlife reserves and charming towns and villages of Suffolk’s Heritage Coast.

But The Westleton Crown is also a very welcoming place for your four-legged friends who are an important part of family life as Bella, our rather pampered border collie, discovered when she joined my husband and I on a much needed break.

The hotel, which dates back to the 12th century, is situated right in the centre of pretty Westleton, opposite the 14th century village church of St Peter’s, and close to the village green, general store and an amazing secondhand bookshop where you can easily pass an hour or so browsing the extensive shelves, crammed with all manner of goodies!

It is ideally situated for walking, with good trails straight from the hotel, taking you around the surrounding Common or across the Heath to Dunwich which has a great beach for swimming or just paddling, and Dunwich Forest for those hounds who love a woodland adventure.

The hotel, which has 34 bedrooms in both the main hotel and buildings behind, is part of the growing Chestnut group of hotels which now boasts 16 properties in the eastern region including The Ship at Dunwich, The Globe in Wells and The Feathers in Holt.

They are all decorated with panache, with care taken to enhance original features and reflect the area’s landscape. The Crown has a wonderful wood panelled bar, complete with large woodburner, a dog-friendly parlour with yet another large fireplace, a restful lounge with wing-backed armchairs and deep sofas, and The Garden Room restaurant, all floor to ceiling glass doors which open onto pretty gardens, a large roof window, and masses of healthy looking plants.

I love the bold botanically-inspired wallpapers – think William Morris – and the period photographs, many of the village and the hotel, which decorate the walls.

The mainly dog-friendly bedrooms are splendid, too. There are a couple of family suites, while our first floor room, Grebe, had a little balcony where you could watch the sunset.

They are well stocked with eco-friendly vegan Bramley bath products from Wiltshire for us humans to enjoy, and lots for dogs too, including treats, a blanket, a bowl and even a comfy basket which Bella enjoyed after her various walks and coastal swims.

Food is an important part of The Crown’s offering. Breakfasts are elaborate affairs, with the eggs Benedict recommended, and evening meals have plenty for all, with a good selection of both vegetarian and vegan dishes on offer. Cauliflower shawarma with cumin flatbread caught my eye along with celeriac schnitzel.  We sampled roast Blythburgh pork loin with all trimmings and baked North Sea cod fillet, and mention must go to the desserts which were a real highlight; the apricot parfait, Essex raspberries and pumpkin seed praline being especially unctuous.

There’s even a dedicated doggy menu, with Bella’s favourite, a cooked sausage, at £2, plus other yummy treats like a pig’s ear to gnaw (also £2) or a selection of Denzel’s baked chews to chomp through!

The Crown is ideally placed for exploring. We walked around what’s known as the lost city of Dunwich, Suffolk’s answer to Atlantis! It was once a thriving medieval port but storm surges and coastal erosion saw its demise. The ruins of Greyfriars Friary remain and there’s a great little village museum where there’s a model of how the village looked at the height of its powers in the 13th century. Be sure to refuel at the beach’s tearoom where fish and chips are simply compulsory!

We also visited picture-postcard pretty Walberswick, beloved by generations of painters, including one of my favourites, British impressionist Philip Wilson Steer. You can walk over the iron footbridge or take the passenger ferry to Southwold and indulge in this seaside town’s fabulous shops and eateries, but we simply enjoyed a three mile walk, taking in the long sand and shingle beach, heathlands and coming back along the River Blyth. The village boasts several refreshment stops, including Black Dog Deli, and the 600-year-old Bell Inn and I always enjoy a look in The Parish Lantern, a shop and tea room on the village green which has been going for decades and offers something a bit different.

Add in a trip to the RSPB’s Minsmere reserve (although you’d need to leave the hound at home), and maybe a drive to nearby Thorpeness, another quirky little seaside village which was designed as a holiday destination in the early 20th century although it has a real mixture of architectural styles. It’s a great place to just walk around, with a boating lake and yet another atmospheric pub, The Dolphin, for that vital R&R.

But after all this exercise and sight-seeing, it’s great to simply return to The Crown for a G&T in the bar, a soak in the large bath tub, followed by a hearty supper, using ingredients from the area’s rich larder. And with the dog exhausted after her day’s activities, a peaceful evening is promised!