Attention Londoners (and everyone else). The dreamy Norfolk Mead Hotel in Coltishall recently became my number one city escape – for eating, sleeping, lounging and wandering.

New owners, Anna and James, have managed to create that rare entity – an exemplary luxury hotel that retains its soul. You feel like you could be staying in their home, albeit a home that has been finished to the highest of standards and comes complete with homemade brownies in each bedroom and tiny glass bottles of fresh local milk for your tea.

The luxurious personal touches are present in every inch of the beautiful redbrick building. There are croquet mallets and wellies (yes, Hunter wellies) by the front door if you can tear yourself away from your room to trek down to the spearminty broads for more active pursuits. If croquet doesn’t take your fancy, you can seek out the local swans or borrow a rowboat for a sojourn on the water. This idyll provides the spectacular view from the dining room so you are in for a treat even before the food arrives.

Ah, the food! Every morsel feels like it has been made just for you. We were treated to homemade brownies and shortbread hearts just after walking through the door. So scrumptious was breakfast that I went back for the homemade berry compote and greek yogurt three times, and still had room for the delectable mushrooms on toast. Even if you’re unable to stay overnight, it’s well worth the 7 mile trip from Norwich for the food alone.

The definitive test of any hotel for me is how well I sleep. Normally, I’m rubbish at it, but I simply did not want to extricate myself from the sumptuous bed in the Samphire suite. Whereas I’m usually a one-pillow girl, I kept every one of the six marshmallowy wonders on the bed and just lazed. Utter bliss!

Photos courtesy of The Norfolk Mead Hotel