Suggestions for where to stay near Hethel

[BarryH]

Given it looks like by car is turning up within the next 6-8weeks here in Oz, I decided to bite the bullet and come do the driving academy/factory tour prior to taking possession ( a long way to come I know, but 2 years on this forum has moved the reality distortion field somewhat wider than it had been previously).

Anyway the question is, any suggestions on where to stay near in or near Hethel? I'll have transport so a reasonable distance will be OK, but probably leaning to quaint Norfolk rather than downtown Norwich.

 

[JimH]

As you have transport - https://www.thebih.co.uk/ - The Bird in Hand - the "factory" pub - great food, has some guest rooms - and full of Lotus memorabilia too.... 2 miles/5 mins drive from the factory gates.

 

[Cutting42]

I know you said not Norwich but it is a very nice quaint city IMO. My son spent 4 years there at Uni and we used to come up and stay in central Norwich in an area called Tombland at an amazing hotel called the Maids Head that claims to be the oldest hotel in the country. It has a large carpark inc EV charging - if that is relevant and is walking distance from lots of pubs, restaurants and the Cathedral. For a short trip I highly recommend it. They have a vintage open top Bentley and will take you for a free tour of the city in it if you like. It would be around 20-30 mins drive from Hethel

Maids Head Hotel, Tombland, Norwich - Hotel & Wedding Venue

The Maids Head is the oldest hotel in the UK dating back over 800 years. Located in the centre of Norwich, the hotel boasts charm & character.

www.maidsheadhotel.co.uk

If you are staying longer, you cannot beat the North Norfolk Coast, I would choose Wells next the Sea but many places are great like Blakeney and Cley next the Sea. Cromer, Sheringham and Hunstanton are busier towns and more family oriented, fun but not quaint.

 

[BarryH]

Thanks very much for the suggestions. To be honest I have never been to Norfolk (or East of London for that matter) so all suggestions are good ones

 

[JimH]

I know you said not Norwich but it is a very nice quaint city IMO. My son spent 4 years there at Uni and we used to come up and stay in central Norwich in an area called Tombland at an amazing hotel called the Maids Head that claims to be the oldest hotel in the country. It has a large carpark inc EV charging - if that is relevant and is walking distance from lots of pubs, restaurants and the Cathedral. For a short trip I highly recommend it. They have a vintage open top Bentley and will take you for a free tour of the city in it if you like. It would be around 20-30 mins drive from Hethel

Maids Head Hotel, Tombland, Norwich - Hotel & Wedding Venue

The Maids Head is the oldest hotel in the UK dating back over 800 years. Located in the centre of Norwich, the hotel boasts charm & character.

www.maidsheadhotel.co.uk

If you are staying longer, you cannot beat the North Norfolk Coast, I would choose Wells next the Sea but many places are great like Blakeney and Cley next the Sea. Cromer, Sheringham and Hunstanton are busier towns and more family oriented, fun but not quaint.

As featured in.... Amazon product

 

[Aero]

As mentioned, we stayed in the Bird in Hand back in June. Can't beat the convenience of it.. Just a basic hotel with good food.
Our backup was the Old Thorn Barn which is pretty close as well.
Our goal was to stay as close as possible since we took the train in to minimize cab fare/time and traffic etc.

 

[GetawayDriving]

I stayed here, it was lovely.

https://abnb.me/tyJngYJkUBb

 

[CAWood]

I stayed here, a few mins from the factory, decent rooms in a nice setting. Can’t say much about the food as I only had breakfast and we headed to the nearest town for dinner the night before.

Park Farm Hotel & Leisure | Country Hotel in Norwich Norfolk

Welcome to Park Farm Hotel in Norwich is a blissful spa hotel in Norfolk set in the idyllic countryside. Spoil yourself to a luxury stay at Park Farm Hotel!

www.parkfarm-hotel.co.uk

 

[CDM1855]

Given it looks like by car is turning up within the next 6-8weeks here in Oz, I decided to bite the bullet and come do the driving academy/factory tour prior to taking possession ( a long way to come I know, but 2 years on this forum has moved the reality distortion field somewhat wider than it had been previously).

Anyway the question is, any suggestions on where to stay near in or near Hethel? I'll have transport so a reasonable distance will be OK, but probably leaning to quaint Norfolk rather than downtown Norwich.

Caistor hall is not a bad place to stay, about 25 minutes drive to the factory

 

[Billyidoliser]

I stayed here, a few mins from the factory, decent rooms in a nice setting. Can’t say much about the food as I only had breakfast and we headed to the nearest town for dinner the night before.

Park Farm Hotel & Leisure | Country Hotel in Norwich Norfolk

Welcome to Park Farm Hotel in Norwich is a blissful spa hotel in Norfolk set in the idyllic countryside. Spoil yourself to a luxury stay at Park Farm Hotel!

www.parkfarm-hotel.co.uk

BIH food is excellent, a lotus themed pub....... Virtually, very nice!

 

[Lotustoronto]

I stayed here : https://www.dunstonhallhotel.co.uk/

Nice and peaceful rather enjoyed it. Food was decent.

 

[Biggles of Norwich]

Lots of really good suggestions in this thread so far. Don't write off Norwich, it is a lovely city, but relatively small, has great pubs and restaurants, lots of interesting places to visit including a fantastic Norman castle. I live there, but not biased (OK, maybe I am).

 

[Boombang]

If you want something quintessentially English in feel, take a look at The Gunton Arms up towards Cromer. A little drive from Hethel but you could take a trip to the beautiful beaches, grab a superb meal and stay in beautiful surroundings either side of the tour.

 

[BarryH]

An absolutely worthwhile day! Given I had never driven on track previously, the first laps were somewhat nerve wracking, but after the tea break (and some amazingly instruction) it is amazing how quickly you get used to it (120+ MPH into a hair-pin bend - no problem!

The Team LOTUS tour was extremely interesting and frankly I did not realise how much F1 tech really did come from LOTUS over the years. The guide was amazingly knowledgeable and was able to answer an wide range of (in my case random) questions.

Doing the Factory tour (which while still quite active, was undergoing a shift change when we went through so might not have been fully indicative of the experience), does drive home the mechanical elegance of this car. The chassis is a work of art and the people (the ones we saw anyway) did look like it was a point of pride in what they were doing as much as a job.

If you are considering doing the LOTUS Driving academy, I can recommend it! While not cheap it is definitely worth it!

BTW. If you are looking at doing the LDA day, I can recommend the "Old Thorn Barn" B&B, this is small family hotel in a restored Barn and farm house , and literally just down the road from Potash lane (no more than 300m down the road so really convenient). This does not appear to come up in the standard Booking sites, though they do have their own web site - (oldthornbarn.co.uk) - I pretty much found it by accident.

Friendly owners and the included full cooked breakfast was "most excellent!". Not huge rooms, but nicely appointed and given the maze of A & B class roads in that area (and the road works), being that close made it extremely easy to not stress about being there on time (as a significant plus it was also about 1/2 the price of other local hotels - it is a B&B).

Given it is so close to LOTUS, the other benefit was being able to chat over breakfast to folk from various Professional Racing teams, and even some people from the LOTUS design studio itself (not saying that happens all the time, but certainly was a great start to the day

As was mentioned in another thread, The "Bird in the Hand" is the local pub (around 1km further down the road) and has rooms - but also a good restaurant . The other nearest Pub is "The Worlds End" which is slightly further away (2-3Km) and had HUGE meals.