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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

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