The Sun Inn

Colchester, Essex
Inn
+44 (0)1206 323351
Visit owner's website

From
£150 - £175
per night

Smart country inn in Constable country with lovely rooms and food - grab a picnic, hire a boat and drift along the river Stour

Bedroom

7 rooms

Sleeps

Rooms sleep 2

Children welcome
Pets welcome
Babies welcome

£150 - £175 per night

The Experience

You couldn’t hope to wash up in a better spot, an idyllic village in gorgeous countryside with this lovely inn at its centre. Inside, you find an easy elegance. A panelled lounge comes with sofas, armchairs and open fires – a good spot for afternoon tea; the bar, made from a slab of local elm, is usually propped up by locals.

You eat in the beamed dining room. Breakfast is a real treat: the full cooked works and a buffet table laden with pastries, cured meat, cheeses, yogurt, cereals and homemade jams. Book dinner while you’re here. If you come as a group the ‘feast’ menu has an exciting and inventive choice of sharing plates.

Hire boats, order a picnic from the inn, float down the sleepy Stour, then tie up on the bank for lunch on the grassy banks. Come back to bright and airy bedrooms: those at the back are bigger, but all are lovely with local art and village views.

The Sun Inn - Gallery

We think you'll love

  • The food - locally sourced, seasonal and inventive
  • Coming without a car. Local buses run from Colchester and it only takes 30 minutes
  • The pretty village, Constable went to school here and often painted the church
The Sun Inn - Gallery

You should know

  • Some rooms overlook the high street and there might be some light car noise
  • You will hear church bells ringing on Sundays

Essentials

  • EV charger
  • Swimming pool
  • Hot tub
  • Garden
  • Open fire / woodburner
  • Breakfast included
  • Breakfast available
  • Meals available
  • Vegetarian meals
  • Parking on premises
  • Free parking nearby
  • Accessible by public transport
  • WiFi
  • Spa
  • Central heating
  • Limited mobility
  • Wheelchair access
  • Mobile reception
  • Hob
  • Bar
  • Barbecue
  • Licensed premises
  • Paid parking nearby
  • Air conditioning
  • Relaxation areas
  • Tennis court
  • No smoking
  • Credit cards
  • Working farm
  • Owner has pets
  • Pets welcome

Family friendly

  • Baby monitor
  • Books and toys
  • Children welcome
  • Babies welcome
  • Stair gates
  • High chair
  • Fire guard
  • Cot available

Nearby

  • Pub/bar within 3 miles
  • Restaurant within 3 miles
  • Shop within 3 miles

Activities

  • Bikes available
  • Food courses
  • Kayaking
  • Other courses
  • Sailing
  • Surfing
  • Wild swimming

Accommodation

Pricing

Nightly price
from £150
Surcharges
Extra child £15.
6 Doubles
From £150
1 Twin/double
From £150

Information

Special offer: Stay between 1 October and 23 December & receive up to 20% off B&B, a £200 tab towards food and drink & a free Fishers Gin Gift set worth £35. Available for one & two night stays.

Booking information

Check in
From 3pm
Check out
11am
Other details
Dinner B&B £100 per person. Singles from £90.
Closed
Christmas.
No smoking
Smoking not permitted anywhere in the property.
Meals
Lunch from £9.75. Starters form £7.75. Mains from £16. Sides £4.50. Puddings £8.50.

Reviews

Very friendly, excellent food, comfortable bed and accommodation.

Monica, Clitheroe

A short comfortable break with excellent breakfasts and dinners. The staff were all friendly and efficient. Lovely ambience, attractive surroundings. We will come again.

Suki, London

We very much enjoyed the ambience, hospitality and food - a memorable weekend for us.

Simone, London

Everything top class except WiFi in the room. Staff and food all top drawer with an excellent wine list.

Malcom, Aberlady

We had a great three night stay. The food was superb, beer and wine great, but best of all was the quality of service. The staff were friendly, intelligent, helpful and uniformly good natured. Great cocktails too!

Mark, Tettenhall

Lovely to return after such a long time (covid killed off our last trip), as always it was a fab stay, staff are so lovely (especially the young man that served us for breakfast) and the rooms are beyond comfortable with everything thought of and absolutely superb bedding, can't wait to visit again.

Lorraine, London

Sun inn was perfect as always, we come a lot but first time staying and the room was lovely and cosy. Perfect nights sleep in a comfy bed. Breakfast was wonderful everything you could have asked for and as always staff were warm and friendly.

Jessica, Benfleet

Lovely location, great food and friendly staff.

Michael, Chelmsford

My stay at The Sun Inn was fab, could not have been better. Really comfortable room- gorgeous furnishings. Dinner and breakfast were absolutely delicious and just that bit different. All of the staff were pleasant and so attentive. I’d thoroughly recommend a stay at The Sun Inn🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Jane, Thurles, Ireland

We highly recommend this lovely pub, foods were mmwah and staff were awesome.

Myra, Swaffam

The two nights I recently spent with a friend at the Sun Inn could not have been better. The warm welcome, lovely room, outstanding food on both nights and for breakfast were 5 star. All members of staff could not have been more helpful and friendly. Thank you all and I will be recommending you most highly to all my friends wanting a break away in the beautiful Dedham Vale.

Victoria, London

We had a fabulous 2-night DBB stay at The Sun Inn. We booked the Elsa room which was extremely comfortable. The food was excellent and the delightful staff looked after our every need. Loved it & would highly recommend.

Jane, Matlock

Sally and I really enjoyed our stay, the food, location and staff were all excellent, the only thing I would suggest is to have a small fridge in the room.

Stephan, Southsea

Lovely for friendly staff…room perfect…dinner and breakfast surpassed expectations! Bells on Sunday morning were the icing on the cake! A great stay.

Jayne, Oxford

We really enjoyed our two night stay, and appreciated the comfortable bed and spacious bedroom. There was a minor plumbing issue which the staff dealt with as promptly as they could. This is a very good small hotel, with the slightly quirky layout you would expect from and old inn. The restaurant is absolutely excellent for both dinner and breakfast, so dinner bookings are essential. The manager and staff were very helpful. Dedham and the surrounding Constable country are delightful. Thoroughly recommended.

David, Cranleigh

Lovely old building, plenty of space, lovely setting (Dedham High St), food magnificent (as good as we have had in a pub - bed, breakfast and dinner), good choice of local beers and great wine list, too. Staff ALL very polite.

Danny, Ongar

We loved staying and will definitely be back if and when we are in the area again. We particularly enjoyed the wonderful breakfast.

Richard, Goldaming

We were a cycling group of 7 cyclists- very accommodating of 7 bikes including 1 electric might be tricky with more than 1 electric?. A warm welcome and v cosy authentic rooms with the best pillows- we all commented on this! Dinner & Breakfast were great- all with lovely service. Would definitely recommend & stay there again.

Judith, Petworth

What a wonderful place to stay, with amazing staff, in a beautiful village. We loved our stay in Dovecot.

Sally, London

We booked 2 rooms with you and a restaurant booking to celebrate our son's 40th birthday. We all had a lovely time. The rooms, food and staff can't be faulted. This is our 2nd stay and will certainly come back again.

Paul, Chelmsford

Read more reviews

Location

The neighbourhood

Dedham is a bustling village with nice shops and a tea room in the Dedham Vale AONB and there are some lovely walks from the door. Try the 1.8 mile walk to the National Trust's Flatford Mill, made famous by Constable's painting The Hay Wain, it takes you along the Stour and through Dedham Vale. It's a stroll to The Munnings Art Museum at Sir Alfred Munning’s former home, Castle House. The Beth Chatto Gardens are 7.5 miles.

Local points of interest from Piers Baker

  • The Sir Alfred Munnings Museum & Gardens (0.5 miles)
  • Flatford Mill Field Centre, Flatford (4 miles)
  • St Mary’s Parish Church, Dedham (50 yards)
  • Beth Chatto Gardens (7.5 miles)
  • Colchester, Britain’s Oldest Town (8 miles)
  • Dedham Vale & Stour Valley AONB

Introducing

Piers Baker

Piers has spent his entire career in catering, and after running some great pubs in London, he now owns three successful ones of his own. He discusses every dish with his head chefs, the bedrooms were decorated to his specification and he is very involved in the day to day management. In both The Sun Inn and The White Hart you're looked after by an attentive and courteous team.