This perennial favourite sits in an idyllic village made rich by mills in the 16th century. You’re also in Constable country – the artist attended school in the village and often returned to paint the church. Best of all is the river – you can hire boats, grab a picnic from the inn, float down the sleepy Stour, then tie up on the bank for lunch al fresco. As for The Sun, you couldn’t hope to wash up in a better spot. Inside, you find open fires, boarded floors, timber frames and an easy elegance. A panelled lounge comes with sofas and armchairs, the bar is made from a slab of local elm and the airy, beamed dining room offers fabulous food inspired by Italy, perhaps crab ravioli, squid with chilli and garlic, monkfish with truffle mash, chocolate mousse with Morello cherries. Bedrooms are gorgeous: those at the back are bigger and come in grand style, but all are lovely with crisp linen, local art and power showers in excellent bathrooms. There’s afternoon tea on arrival if you book in advance and a garden for a pint in summer.
We loved our stay with you in Dedham. Room was great, and in particular the few staff we interacted with (in particular one young woman, whose name I regretfully didn’t pick up, and a couple of others, including a young man), were delightful. Food was also great. Being from Australia, we won’t be visiting regularly, but I have little doubt we would plan to return (next time for a bit longer) and will certainly recommend you to those friends of ours who are more likely to be interested to come to that part of England.