The Grove in Cromer has been recognised by the Luxury Travel Guide as their Unique Luxury Hotel of the Year and commended for the high quality of food, amenities and accommodation.
It comes on the back of the Eviivo Hidden Gems award shortlisting earlier in the year – to go with a double AA Rosette, four-star Gold Award and TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence - and rounds off the eightieth anniversary of the same family running the Grove.
The judges said: “The Luxury Travel Guide Awards represent the pinnacle of hospitality achievement, championing the best in their respective fields; therefore to come out on top is truly an achievement to be proud of. This year has seen an unprecedented number of shortlisted companies, providing strong competition in every category.
The Grove has invested over half a million pounds in improvements, renovations and extensions in the last five years, employs over thirty local staff and is in the forefront of Cromer’s recent upsurge in popularity.
Richard Graveling, one of the owners, was delighted with the award. “First and foremost this is due recognition for our tremendous staff, who all work extremely hard all year round to provide our guests with a relaxing and extremely enjoyable experience. All we have tried to do here is live up to the commitment that our grandparents, Robert and Hilda, and our parents, John and Ann, have made to the house, and everything is based around those principles.
“The business is doing very well, and it’s also our family home, which is an added element that many of our guests very much enjoy.
“We are very pleased to have won this award and hopefully it will be seen as yet another boost to the town, which is really moving in the right direction.”
Chris, John, Ann and Richard Graveling
The Grove at Cromer is a luxury bed and breakfast, with a range of en-suite bedrooms in the beautiful Georgian house, as well as newly created contemporary Orchard Rooms overlooking landscaped gardens. In addition, The Grove features six self-catering cottages in the adjacent barn conversions, with a range of glamping accommodation launched early in 2015.
Situated on the outskirts of the popular seaside resort of Cromer, which is in the heart of the ever-popular North Norfolk coast, The Grove is a hidden oasis, with so much to offer guests, including a heated indoor swimming pool, table tennis table, four acres of garden featuring a children’s play area, tree house and trampoline.
The Grove also boasts its very own private entrance to the beautiful woodland lining the sands of Cromer beach, just 5 minutes’ walk away.
The award winning 2 AA Rosette restaurant which serves breakfast, Sunday lunch, dinner and afternoon tea, is committed to using seasonally inspired and locally sourced food, which is in abundance in Norfolk.
The Grove is just a short walk from Cromer town centre. Famous for its delicious crabs, wide open beaches, one of the last authentic Victorian piers in the country (which hosts a fantastic traditional end of pier show), and awash with small local independent shops, cafes and restaurants, Cromer is a thriving hub in the heart of the North Norfolk community.
The Grove is also placed for exploring the stunning villages along the coast and all the delights which North Norfolk has to offer, including steam trains, coastal and woodland walks, beautiful beaches, market towns, sleepy villages, farmers markets and several historic stately homes; the royal home at Sandringham as well as Holkham Hall and the beautiful National Trust properties at Blickling and Felbrigg.
The Grove Cromer is a proud member of www.allthingsnorfolk.com . For more information about The Grove Cromer please visit www.thegrovecromer.co.uk
The Grove Cromer is teaming up with The Massage Hut to offer hotel guests and visitors holistic massage therapy seven days a week, in a tranquil wooden cabin surrounded by trees and birdsong.
The Massage Hut is a team of four therapists – Christy, Pat, Jason and Ashlee - who all qualified with the Massage Training Institute, a qualification that is recognised by the UK regulatory body for complementary healthcare practitioners, the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). This means that as well as being able to offer relaxing pamper sessions, therapists are trained to understand and work with clients who have short and long term health issues.
Hannah Barnes won a competition earlier this year, run in conjunction with City College Norwich Art and Design students, for an illustration of the Maids Head Hotel to be printed on new mugs, which are now in the hotel’s 84 bedrooms, as part of the tea and coffee making facility. The mugs are also on sale in hotel reception.
The Grove in Cromer, owned by three generations of the Graveling family for the past 81 years, is the winner of AA’s Bed and Breakfast with a Story for 2017-18.
Richard, Chris and Liz Graveling picked up the award at a gala lunch hosted by the five-star Landmark Hotel in London on Monday.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to win such a prestigious honour”, said Richard. “The standard of entries was apparently very high so to come out on top is a real compliment.”
Simon Hunter Marsh has taken over as Head Chef at the Grove in Cromer and hopes to build on their reputation as one of the best eateries on the Norfolk coast.
Simon started his career at Green Farm working with Phillip Lomax, before travelling to the capital to take up a prestigious post at the Hilton, one of the world’s iconic hotels. But the call of Norfolk was never far away and Simon came home as the head chef role at the George Hotel in Cley, putting this wonderful Norfolk restaurant firmly on the map.