An elegant country hotel promising a memorable retreat

Nestled amid the rolling, pheasant-peppered fields of Norfolk, lies the 18th century handsome country house known as Applehill. Not an apple in sight, but plenty of flint, fireplaces, and feathered visitors. Applehill House, as it was first called, was the sort of place you could imagine Jane Austen popping in for tea—or at least a very genteel pheasant stew. Over the decades, the house wore a few hats. At one point, it answered to the rather swish name of Pine Court Hotel. Later still, it went by Apple Hill Hotel, possibly to reassure the apples they were still important. But none of those names quite stuck. It wasn’t until someone looked out at the garden, saw the resident pheasants strutting about like they owned the place, and thought, that’s it we’ve found its true identity asThe Pheasant Hotel.

Situated within the 2,000-acre Kelling Estate, a patchwork quilt of meadows, woods, and salty sea air, it became a boutique bolt-hole for those craving coastal charm and countryside calm. From the elegant drawing rooms to the clink of glasses in the Orangery, it has tiptoed the line between stately and snug ever since. Now as part of the Coaching Inn Group, with an AA-rosette to its name, a kitchen humming with locally-sourced deliciousness, and rooms that whisper “nap here immediately,” The Pheasant isn’t just a hotel. It’s a glorious mix of heritage, hospitality, and just enough quirk to make even the most seasoned traveller chuckle into their bespoke Pheasant gin.