The Pier at Harwich

Smack on the quayside, with views extending across the Stour and Orwell estuaries, this small contemporary hotel is the perfect destination for seafood lovers. Head upstairs to the first-floor Harbourside Restaurant to tuck into fresh, locally-landed fish and seafood which comes both plain (dressed crab, Mersea rock oysters, fish and chips, pan-fried Dover sole) and sauced, perhaps halibut on leek and potato mash with tomato and herb salsa, and sea bass with hollandaise. Carnivores will not be disappointed with chargrilled Dedham Vale fillet steak with béarnaise and all the trimmings. For the sweet-toothed there's pineapple and date pudding with rum butterscotch sauce dessert. Naturally, expect a nautical theme to the stylish, open-plan dining space, replete with wooden floor, fresh flowers, crisp linen-clothed tables, modern art on the walls, and glorious watery views. The Ha'penny bistro on the ground floor offers an informal alternative along with less of a fishy focus.