Nestled in the village of Weybourne on the North Norfolk coast, you’ll find The Maltings: not just a boutique hotel, but a living piece of local history and culture. Its cluster of flint and brick buildings dates back to the 16th century and once served a vital role in local industry: malting barley to supply regional breweries.
In the autumn of 2024, The Chestnut Group opened The Maltings after a period of extensive refurbishment. With The Times naming the place as one of their 100 best places to stay in the UK for 2025, we were excited to check it out.
The Welcome
The Maltings’ car park is to the rear of the building, and it was easy to find a space. The main entrance isn’t clearly signposted, but we correctly assumed which was the front door and made our way inside.
There’s no grand reception desk here: just a small table with a computer, which instantly gives an idea of the place’s relaxed and friendly vibe. The man who checked us in was down to earth and helpful, giving us a tour of the property and describing how this “big house” hotel aims to feel like a home away from home.
The Style
The communal areas at The Maltings reflect the team’s desire to make all visitors feel relaxed. From the more pub-like feel of one lounge to the cosy cottage vibes of another, guests can migrate to the space to which they feel most drawn.
The Grain Store restaurant blends an industrial feel with gorgeous bare brickwork, while the guest rooms themselves are tasteful and relatively neutral, offering contemporary touches while remaining in keeping with the property’s age.
The Facilities
As we were informed upon arrival, The Maltings is a place that aims for a “big house” rather than a classic hotel feel. The team want their guests to feel relaxed and to treat the place as a home away from home, and there are many ways that they’ve created this ambience.
Not only is the check-in desk casual and relaxed, it also features a rack of sunhats and umbrellas to keep The Maltings’ guests protected, whatever the weather.
There are various lounge areas to enjoy, from a pub-style lounge with leather armchairs and a huge fireplace, to a more light and airy lounge with enormous bookcases spanning the length of an entire wall.
There’s also a bar (which serves coffee and cake in the daytime) – and a bottle shop with a wealth of wines to buy by the bottle, plus an Enomatic machine serving up a small selection of wines by the glass.
In addition, The Maltings hosts various events throughout the year, from special menus and wine tastings to theatre performances and more.
It’s worth noting, too, that there’s a charger on-site for those who arrive in an electric vehicle.
The Rooms
The Maltings offers 28 individually styled bedrooms spread between its main house, converted cottages and former stables. From compact yet characterful Snug and Cosy rooms to Super Spacious suites, there’s a wealth of choice for solo travellers, couples, families and wheelchair users alike.
Rooms combine historic quirks with modern comforts that offer a comfortable and characterful stay. Each room features WiFi, a Smart TV, bathrobes, tea and coffee, Connock toiletries, bottled water, a rainfall shower and a hairdryer as standard.
We stayed in a Big Family room, and it’s the most thoughtfully-designed hotel room for travelling with a child that we’ve stayed in. In addition to the main bedroom, it featured a second bedroom with bunk beds, its own TV and shelves stacked with books and games for the seven-year-old to enjoy.
The main room was spacious, the bed comfortable, the design neutral and calming.
There were plenty of plug sockets for charging devices, bottled water and glasses to quench thirst, and both a kettle and a coffee machine for hot drinks.
A lovely touch was the brown paper bag of homemade biscuits, labelled with my name, for us to enjoy on arrival.
The bathroom was beautiful, with fantastic British toiletries, a soothing rainfall shower, and a bath that the seven-year-old marvelled at the depth of. With plenty of towels, a heated towel rail and an illuminated mirror, we had absolutely no complaints.
If I’m being picky, it would have been nice to have had more than four coffee pods at a time – and while the little metal churn of fresh milk was miles better than the UHT stuff, there was no fridge to keep it cool. We also felt that the room could have benefited from better clothes storage than a couple of hooks behind the main door: a door which was fairly noisy to open and close when we entered and left our room.
These things aside, this Big Family room at The Maltings was a comfortable home for two nights, and the fact that we could watch TV and chat while the child was asleep in a separate bedroom was very much welcomed.
The Food
Housed within a beautiful 16th-century former grain barn on the premises is The Grain Store: a restaurant named by Conde Nast as one of the UK’s top new restaurants for 2025. Here is where breakfast, lunch and dinner are all served: you can read about our evening meal on the second night of our stay here.
As our package included breakfast, we dined here on both mornings. The Breakfast Table – their continental offering – is priced at £15 per head, or add another £7 to include a hot dish from the kitchen.
Service wasn’t as slick as for our evening meal: on one morning, our toast was forgotten. On another, the hot drinks were quite delayed. My husband ordered the full English the first morning, I ordered it on the second. Both times, the ramekin of baked beans failed to materialise. The team seemed to need a better system for matching orders with tables, as this seemed, for some reason, to be a challenge.
That said, the hot food was delicious. I ordered the Eggs Royale (with local smoked salmon) on the first day, and the full English on the second, and had no complaints about the quality of either.
The same quality shone through in the continental breakfast offering. On one table, a toaster with bread and huge Kilner jars filled with toast toppings, plus bottles of orange and apple juice. On another, a display of pastries, ham, cheese, cereals, fruit compote, fresh fruit, yoghurt and more.
It certainly set us up for the day ahead!
The Price
Prices at The Maltings in Weybourne start from around £140 a night for bed and breakfast, with slightly lower rates available for non-refundable advance bookings. There are various packages available, including a simple bed and breakfast rate, and a dinner, bed and breakfast offer.
Their Romantic Stay package includes Champagne on arrival, a dinner allowance, wine tasting and breakfast before a late checkout. The Paws Stay package includes dinner, bed and breakfast, as well as a dog bed, bowl, toy and treats for your canine companion.
Throughout the year you’ll find various special offers and new packages, detailed here. If you’re looking for a base from which to explore the delights of North Norfolk – or simply a relaxing weekend in a place designed to feel like a home away from home – give The Maltings a go.