Strattons Hotel
Swaffham
by Sarah Shuckburgh
This boutique hotel is a gem. The Palladian villa was built
as a retreat from the cares of 18th century urban life, a
role Strattons hotel performs to perfection today. In a
walled garden just off Swaffham's Georgian market place,
family-run Strattons is chic and comfortable, with a superb
restaurant and a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
The owners, Les and Vanessa Scott, combine a passion for
ecology with an eye for theatrical glamour; their exuberant
interpretation of sustainable tourism is a far cry from the
earnest nut-cutlet-and-sandals brigade, and has won them
many ecological awards. Energy-saving policies go beyond the
usual suggestion to reuse your bath towel - I was inspired
by the hotel's mission statement, and immediately began
turning off lights. At Strattons, the natural-extract shower
gel and shampoo come in refillable bottles, the radio runs
on clockwork, and everything is recycled, from bottles and
paper, to candles, compost, corks and (long-life) light
bulbs. Astonishingly, only half a wheely-bin of hotel refuse
is collected each week by the dustmen. Vegetable peelings go
to the chickens which roam free in the garden, and lay
startlingly golden-yolked eggs for breakfast.
The food is fantastic, and the restaurant has won many
awards, with its seasonal dishes made from local produce,
including Cley kippers, Brancaster mussels, Norfolk turkey,
venison, strawberries, asparagus and blueberries. The menu
changes daily, and wherever possible, Vanessa uses organic
ingredients.
The Scotts met at Yarmouth Art College, and the hotel is
decorated with extraordinary panache. Quirky sculptures,
murals and paintings by local artists adorn every room. You
might find some rooms overdressed - in one sitting room, the
tentacles of a huge chickenwire and plaster chandelier tweak
your sleeve as you walk past. Completely over the top (but
my favourite) is the huge Red bedroom, womblike with scarlet
ceiling and walls, its four poster bed perched on a high
platform and swathed with silks and appliquéed velvet.
French windows open on to a private cobbled courtyard, and
the bathroom is tented, with walls washed in terracotta and
blue, and carved wooden musharabia windows. The Venetian
bedroom has bright blue walls splashed with gold, and a
Botticelli-style mural graces the bathroom. Across the
garden in the old stables, the Stalls suite exudes
postmodern rustic chic, with bare beams, wire locker-room
wardrobes and a tiled wetroom. In another outhouse is the
two-storey Opium suite, minimalist with brick floor, stone
wetroom shower, and upstairs a free-standing bath and a bed
flanked by massive pillars.
The hotel is non-smoking, but welcomes well-behaved dogs as
long as they are friendly towards the resident cats and
chickens.
Strattons Hotel
4 Ash Close
Swaffham
Norfolk PE37 7NH
First published by Travel Intelligence Ltd
©SarahShuckburgh |
