The Sun Inn

If you're the sort of person who likes a proper pub, preferably situated on a proper village high street and serving good local ales alongside hearty, locally sourced food, then there's a good chance that the Sun Inn will be your sort of place. Situated in the picturesque village of Dedham right on the Essex-Suffolk border, the other nice thing about the Sun is that is independently owned and run, and has a set of cosy rooms upstairs which means that you don't have to go home at the end of the evening, and can wake up refreshed and ready not only to enjoy the Sun's excellent breakfast but also to explore the countryside around. There's great walking in Dedham Vale, and Dedham is at the heart of 'Constable Country', with lots of sights and places pertaining to the landscape artist, including a close and easy walk nearby taking you across the meadows to Flatford Mill, the site of perhaps the artists's most famous painting, The Haywain. They also have bikes for the use of guests and can arrange boat trips on the river.

The rooms at the Sun Inn are all on the first floor, a mixture of contemporary and traditional and very comfortable. Most of them have been recently refurbished and have high-quality pocket-sprung beds, digital radios and TVs, wifi throughout and posh toiletries in the bathrooms; they also come with decent tea- and coffee-making facilities, filtered water and flapjacks and cookies on arrival. Dogs are accepted by prior arrangement. Each room is different; some are very spacious with large en-suite bathrooms, and all but one have king-size or super-king-size beds. Downstairs, the food is also a central part of the offering, with lunch and dinner served every day, and cream teas in between when booked in advance; the menu changes monthly and they add a roast on Sundays, and you can enjoy your food in the pleasant beer garden outside on sunny days. But the Sun is also very much the pub, with plenty of locals regularly dropping by for a pint or two, with or without their thirsty dogs.

In short, we can't think of too many nicer – or easier – places for weary Londoners to stay than Dedham, and the Sun Inn very much does what it says on the tin: good food, comfortable rooms, and a warm welcome. What more could you ask for? Unless you're keen to visit Mersea Island – in which case, check out their sister property, The White Hart Inn.