The hotel: So, what’s this place you’ve picked? Don’t worry, you’ll love it. Byfords has been a fixture in the picturesque market town of Holt since the middle of the 19th century, when Henry Byford opened a family hardware business in a handsome brick-and-flint building just off the High Street.

In more recent years, under the ownership of Iain and Clair Wilson, it’s been supplying essentials of a different kind, as an award-winning deli and restaurant. Last year saw the Wilsons branch out into a clutch of cottages immediately behind the main building, with the opening of six rooms described as “posh B&B”.

This summer, they added three more, as well as a conservatory in the central courtyard. The result is a higgledy-piggledy, bustling place, popular not just at mealtimes but also with locals dropping in for coffee and cake or stocking up at the deli.

Where are we sleeping? “I’ve never understood why people pay to stay in a bedroom that’s worse than the one they’ve got at home,” says Iain. There’s little danger of that here. The sleeping quarters vary in shape and size, as befits the rather eccentric building, but all successfully tread the tightrope between cosiness and minimalism, mixing dark wood, light creams and squishy leather armchairs. Rooms 5 and 6 nestle right in the attic, with exposed brick, head-skimming beams and views over the jumbled rooftops. The beds are suitably vast and inviting, and gadget freaks will admire the sleek Bang & Olufsen TV/DVD/CD units.

There are fun touches, too, such as the pile of battered old suitcases in the corner and antique leather-bound books on the desk, and a lot of thought has clearly gone into getting the little things right that so many places get wrong. No cartons of UHT or shrink-wrapped Rich Tea languishing next to the kettle in this B&B; instead, you’ll find a sleek silver flask full of ice-cold milk and a plate of freshly made shortbread. Best of all, however, are the chic marble bathrooms, built for two, with dinner-plate-sized shower heads, fresh flowers, candles and “dual bathing” tubs (so no arguments over who gets the tap end). They’re even wired for sound, so romantics can cue up a little mood music — or keep tabs on the football.

But how’s the grub? Breakfast hits the spot — full English or kedgeree for hearty appetites; filled croissants and other continental goodies if you’re still stuffed from dinner — and is served in the splendid new conservatory, built in traditional oak-framed style like a miniature Globe Theatre. The main restaurant is broken up into a series of rooms with slightly wonky floors and low doorways, so it feels intimate despite its popularity. The dinner menu has an Italian feel, big on pizza and pasta, but there are plenty of other options on the specials board — Moroccan lamb or cassoulet, for instance. And if you’re spoilt for choice, you needn’t miss out: many of the dishes are available to take home in frozen ready-meal form at the deli next door — where you can also pick up any of the wines on the 80-plus bottle list. The deli also doubles as a cafe, with doorsteps of delightfully wicked home-made cake a speciality.

I’m going to need to burn some calories. Well, it’s tempting to stay cocooned in your room, but the beautiful prints of local seascapes on the walls should inspire you to sally forth. The vast sands of Brancaster and Holkham are ideal for a breezy stroll, and closer to home are pretty villages such as Blakeney and Wells, once thriving ports now reduced to creeky sleepiness by the encroaching salt marsh. Nature lovers should take a boat trip to Blakeney Point (£7; call for times: 0800 074 0754, www.bishopsboats.co.uk ), home to raucous colonies of terns and gulls as well as some 500 common and grey seals, which sprawl, lazy and blubbery, on the sand. If you opted for the full English, you’ll know exactly how they feel.

If you don’t want to get in the car, there’s plenty to keep window-shoppers happy within a few strides of Byfords’ front door, with any number of galleries, antiques shops and specialist food stores.

Who should go here? Jaded city-dwellers in need of a blast of wintry fresh air; cake fiends.

Who shouldn’t? Dieters; mountaineers.

Byfords, 1-3 Shirehall Plain, Holt, Norfolk (01263 711400, www.byfords.org.uk); doubles from £130, B&B; three-night breaks from £330 per double; dinner £15pp extra

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