If Wells-next-the-Sea is the quintessential British seaside town – all beach huts and bucket-and-spade charm – the Globe Inn, its newest place to stay, is a great example of a modern B&B that straddles the gap between cutesy vintage stereotype and 21st-century hospitality.
This seven-room hotel is a two-minute walk from the quayside, where families sit with crabbing lines and an old miniature railway chugs the mile to Pinewoods, at the eastern end of huge Holkham beach.
Norwich interior design company Salt has worked in faded kilim seat covers, large feature headboards, chunky wooden wall panelling and mismatched tiles in the bathrooms. Beds are proper, towels are fluffy, there are Clipper teabags by the kettle and it’s all very tasteful in a John Lewis kind of way.
I like the personality of the guest rooms, especially the ones that reference their neighbourhood with local art – in peaceful Room 7 (at the back of the hotel), pictures of Norfolk seascapes are by the artist whose garden the room overlooks. Room 1 (at the front) is decadently large and has bright bird-print wallpaper plus huge, original floor-to-ceiling sash windows that overlook the outside drinking area – which is great for people-watching but not the best choice if you like things quiet, especially as you can hear the kitchen staff on their fag break outside. In addition, there’s a roof terrace under construction, which all guests will be able to access.
The seaside touches are subtle enough to avoid the whole thing feeling too themey, though my three-year-old co-reviewer has a whale of a time with the oversized lobster key-fobs and can’t resist toying with the seashell decorations.
Owners Stephen and Antonia Bournes arrived only last year, following eight years managing Southwold’s iconic pier. They set about revamping everything from the rooms to the service, and now the Globe does feel more like a small hotel than a pub, albeit one where dogs and barefoot children are welcome.
“We wanted a change,” says Stephen with a chuckle, “and this place [Wells]is like the 1950s.”
But there’s nothing retro about their vision, which extends from the renovation of a nearby Georgian house (which can be rented by the room or in its entirety from next spring) to a restaurant upgrade designed to appeal to diners of all ages, many of whom arrive laden with fishing nets and plastic buckets after walking from the beach along the town’s main street, with its shops selling crystal, nautical stripy tops and vintage bric-a-brac.
There’s a heartening attempt to big up the local produce – crab, simply dressed and enormous, is fresh from the quay; fish is straight off the boat from a family that has been fishing here for generations – even if it is accompanied by a rather unadventurous please-all menu of classics. Service tends towards the over-relaxed, but the formula is winning enough that most people don’t seem to mind queuing to place their order before ambling out to the large courtyard, more formal dining room, or picnic benches outside the front door.
As the sun goes down on a late summer’s evening, it’s easy to see why. The pub sits right in front of the tree-lined town green and as I sip my glass of rosé and my sandy, barefoot children join others to hare around playing hide-and-seek, it all feels pretty idyllic. I get my phone out to capture the golden-lit scene on Instagram. One foot in the present, one happily in the past.
• Accommodation was provided by The Globe Inn, The Butlands, Wells-next-the-Sea (01328 710206, theglobeatwells.co.uk). Doubles from £110 B&B; dinner mains from £10.50
Ask a local
Johanna Tenant, owner of Bang In Wells cafe-bar
• Beach
Take a hike from Holkham Bay east to Scolt Head at Burnham Overy for magnificent dunes and a white sand beach that stretches for miles.
• Walk
Head to the unspoilt East Quay in Wells and follow the coastal path towards Stiffkey. It’s a fabulous walk along the edge of the marshes that’s crowd-free, even in August.
• Forage
Wade through the creeks and slide on the black mud to pick fresh samphire – well worth getting wet and dirty for. Steam for a few minutes and serve with butter and plenty of black pepper.
