The Bell Inn & Hill House is at Horndon on the Hill, off the A13 near Tilbury in the first stretch of countryside outside the M25. It is a timber framed former coaching inn, now a prosperous hostelry with fine cuisine. Bedrooms are divided into those ‘above he shop‘ – some suites - and more contemporary ones up the street at Hill House, where breakfast is taken.

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Greenwoods Hotel, Spa & Retreat at Stock is unique in Essex. Bedrooms have marble bathrooms, premier rooms having spa baths and antique beds. Spa facilities include indoor pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, a monsoon shower and the latest beauty treatments. The original 17th century Grade II Listed manor hose is surrounded by landscaped gardens. Conferences and weddings are catered for, but, sadly, not children.

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The Brook Whitehall Hotel offers a ‘Park & Fly’ service for hotel guests boarding ‘planes at Stansted. Despite its proximity to the airport, the Whitehall Hotel is quiet, as well as being comfortable and having a fine dining room. It can cater for meetings, conferences and weddings. The 15 rooms (inc. one suite) are attractively done up with every modern convenience.

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Off the M ll, convenient both for Cambridge, Stansted and the Duxford Air Museum, is The Crown House at Great Chesterton. It was originally a Georgian coaching inn and has been sympathetically restored. Some bedrooms have four-posters and are in a separate building across the yard. Dining is either in the oak paneled restaurant or in the airy conservatory.

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Prested Hall is best approached from the East off the A12 at Feering, near Kelvedon, down a long poplar-lined drive. The Old Hall has many outbuildings, including a real tennis court, outdoor tennis courts, gym, spa, beauty centre and pool. It is a popular venue and a resort in itself. Five meeting rooms can accommodate up to 100 delegates. There are ten bedrooms and a further six service apartments. Also popular for weddings.

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Channels Lodge at Little Waltham was an intriguing find. It has seven bedrooms in a converted clapperboard farmhouse and has just opened another cottage, sleeping a further four, across the road. It caters for wedding guests and golfers from the adjoining golf club. Rooms are stylish and very good value for money. County town Chelmsford is nearby and The Lodge provides a good alternative to larger corporate-style hotels.

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The Mistley Thorn is likewise on the waterfront between Manningtree and Harwich. At present there are seven contemporary bedrooms, with more planned, and the owners think of the Inn as a Restaurant with Rooms. American co-owner Sherri also runs a cookery school in the town, so cuisine is imaginative, with the emphasis on seafood.

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The Pier at Harwich is the third Milsom hotel in Essex. (There is also milsoms Kesgrave Hall in nearby Ipswich). It was built in 1862 in the style of a Venetian palazzo. It is situated on the waterfront overlooking the confluence of the Stour and Orwell rivers, across to the Shotley Yacht Marina with Felixstowe in the distance. Nautical paintings and curios abound and there is an AA two rosette restaurant.

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Milsoms is in the same ownership as Maison Talbooth and is very close to it. It is a 15-bedroom Victorian villa with open plan dining, where orders are written down on order slips and taken up to the bar! Bedrooms are contemporarily furnished, quiet and comfortable. Good walks along the Stour meadows start from the hotel.

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Maison Talbooth is one of the most famous hotels in East Anglia, opened by the Milsom family in the 1970s. Situated in picturesque Dedham Vale, it has just 12 bedrooms. A shuttle car takes guests to the nearby Le Talbooth, originally a 16th century barn which was a toll booth on the river Stour. Cuisine is AA two rosette and service is five-star. There is a spa with beauty treatments available.

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