If you read
this post then you will know that towards the end of last week I stayed in Harwich for a couple of days, I stopped in the Pier Hotel which is located directly in front of the sea and is in the quieter part of town. There are two buildings, the main one which comprises of the lunch/drinks area downstairs, the restaurant on the middle floor and rooms on the top floor, along with the second building which houses a lounge area for hotel guests and has the most luxurious Mayflower suite on the first floor. The smaller building can be hired out for groups and parties which I think is such a great idea.
The room we stayed in had such a comfy and clean feeling that I didn't ever want to leave. The bed was without a doubt the fluffiest I have ever slept in and out of the windows was a perfect view of the sea so you could just sit with a magazine watching the boats come and go. There is free soft drinks in the mini bar and complimentary wifi too, no cutting corners here!
We watched the incredible sunset dipping under the skyline whilst getting ready for our evening meal, and once we came back from the restaurant sat and watched the twinkly lights shining over from the port.
For dinner we ate in The Harbourside Restaurant which was just down one flight of stairs from our room. Brought to our table were mini fishcakes with a creamy red pepper dip and a selection of bread rolls (including beetroot and sourdough flavours!) to nibble on whilst making our menu selections. I personally don't eat seafood so had to bypass nearly all of the menu but my mum who is a great lover of fish went for crab tacos (guacamole, chipotle dressing) to start and dover sole (lemon, bearnaise sauce) landed from the pier opposite for her main. I went for superfood salad (barrel aged feta, avacado, fresh fig and sliced beetroot) to start and summer vegetable spaghetti for my main. We shared sides of french fries, which were the best that I have ever tasted both for their fluffiness and flavour, and samphire in garlic butter which was equally as delicious. I didn't manage to get a photo of our desserts (one too many glasses of wine) but I dined on rhubarb and raspberry crumble with elderflower custard whilst she opted for a strawberry themed trio selection of cheesecake, eton mess and trifle.
All of the food was cooked and seasoned to perfection, to put it bluntly the chef bloody well knows what he is doing. My mum commented that the dover sole was the best fish that she had ever tasted, so if you are a fan of seafood get yourself down to The Pier at Harwich, the whole menu is aimed to be locally sourced with as fresh ingredients as possible and they have a great lunch selection too. Not forgetting to mention if you pick the right time of day you will be looking out through the restaurant windows onto the sun setting across the water.
Just a quick mention to the breakfast included in the rate, I had a meat free english breakfast which was very tasty and there was also lots of fresh crossiants, cereals, juices and crusty bread on offer too.
Rates are £125 per night (Sun-Fri) to £360 for a short break (two nights, bed & breakfast and dinner) for a superior room as featured.
