Take the Family holiday rating 
| Timezone | GMT |
|---|---|
| Local Currency | British Pound |
It's peaceful. It's beautiful. It's flat. It's only two hours from London. It's Suffolk.
If you want your kids to enjoy some good old-fashioned seclusion and wide open space, even Suffolk's geography is in your favour – erosion has stopped anyone building much of a coastal road, so to travel along, you have to drive inland and then back out to the water. It's an effective way of deterring too many visitors and this is some of the least developed part of southeast England's coastline, much of it declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The seclusion has also allowed wildlife to flourish, notably wildfowl and wading birds on the five rivers and their estuaries, marshes, reedbeds and the coastal lagoons where there are bitterns, marsh harriers and avocets.
The lack of development has gone hand in hand with a cultural element to life here, notably Benjamin Britten's Aldeburgh music festival, and other concerts through the year. This is high brow stuff! In fact the only downside is its proximity to the capital. In recent years, Southwold and Aldeburgh have started to resemble Islington-on-Sea at weekends.
Indeed a well-placed beach hut can sometimes change hands for the same price as a small flat elsewhere!
Suffolk is worth visiting any time of year, but obviously its beaches are more popular in the warmer months. And if you fancy crashing waves and bracing walks, you can enjoy its charms any time of year. But remember this is most definitely the North Sea you're swimming in rather than the Red Sea. It's that bit wilder in comparison with England's gentler south coast.
take the car
If you really want to see Suffolk at its best with children, you need the car. The coast is approximately two to two-and-a-half hours from London.
take the train
Trains leave from Liverpool Street regularly for Ipswich and beyond. Note that the train lines stay a fair distance inland from the coast.
take the plane
You can fly into Stansted from many British cities. Low-cost airlines that use it as a hub include Ryanair and Easyjet. You'll then need to rent a car.
There are numerous accommodation options on the coast and inland. We provide details on a couple of options below and you can also check out our wide selection of cottages or consider a stay at the Elveden Forest Center Parc Resort.
Suffolk has so much to offer kids of all ages from theme parks to fascinating museums and, of course, fantastic beaches.
Pure fun is available at Pleasurewood Hills nr Lowestoft, with an all in one price of £11.50 (online) for those over a metre, under 1 metre free. Family ticket for four including a parent £34. On 50 acres with parrot shows, sea lion shows, rides especially for the 4 to 9s, traditional fairground games, plus thrill rides like the Cannonball Express, log flume, pirate ship etc. Chairs and trains transport visitors.
Also worth a look is Discovering East Point Pavilion, Lowestoft – themed on a North Sea Gas Exploration Rig, with ropes, scramble net, ball pond etc.
Pure history is up for grabs if you turn your Suffolk trip into a learning holiday and ensure the kids impress their teachers when they get back to school. Take the Family favourites include:
You can also take the kids along to Suffolk’s wide range of museums:
Pure nature is on your doorstep everywhere in Suffolk:
Pure beauty of the beaches
Much of the 45-mile, largely unspoiled coast is managed for conservation. Agate and other semi-precious stones like amber may be found on the pebble beaches (we found a small piece of amber). Felixstowe north and south, the Pier and the Denes at Southwold are the only three beaches where water quality is approved by the Good Beach Guide.
Pure animal magic
Pure splashing around in the pool:
Pure other stuff
Crabbing – a favourite activity with bacon on string and a bucket to collect the crabs before throwing them back in.
Lifeboats – the one at Southwold is open to visitors on a viewing platform for example.
Pure tourism information
There is a lot of material available from tourist offices. A Day Out in Suffolk by Suffolk County Council offers pretty comprehensive detail on museums and galleries, town trails, historic buildings. boating information, arts and crafts, country parks, picnic sites, walks and rides, nature reserves and woodlands, wind and watermills, animal and rare breed collections, and churches. There are also specialist leaflets.
Particularly good is the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Project pack with details of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths paths and a leaflet on the wildlife you may encounter. There are also town trail leaflets, for example to Framlingham.
East of England Tourist Board
Toppesfield Hall, Hadleigh, Suffolk, IP7 5DN
(01473) 822 922
Produces a guide to East Anglia, largely looking at attractions, plus events, ideas for family fun etc.
Visit Suffolk
(01638) 667 200
A portal site for the county with access to a mass of printed brochures, accommodation listings, on-line maps of the region, and the site can be searched by location, name or particular interest, such as animals.
Suffolk Coastal District Council
(01394) 276 770
Under Leisure and Tourism offers an on-line list of accommodation, annual holiday guide, details of tourism information centres and major events.
Suffolk is definitely glass half full when it comes to pubs and indeed breweries. Here is a selection of Take the Family favourites often offering great seafood and fish fresh off the boat.
The Crown & Anchor, Framlingham
(01728) 723 611
A 16th century inn with snacks through the day.
The Chequers Inn, Kettleburgh
(01728) 723 760
Snacks and bar meals.
Barnabees Restaurant, Westleton
(01728) 648 848
A country restaurant.
Wheelwrights Restaurant, Framlingham
(01728) 724 132
A good quality family restaurant.
Mary’s Restaurant, Walberswick
(01502) 723 243
Butley Orford Oysterage, Orford
(01394) 450 277
The Regatta, Aldeburgh
(01728) 452 011
A seaside restaurant specialising in seafood.
The Queen’s Head, Bramfield
(01986) 784 214
Pub with family room.
The Queens Head, Dennington
(01728) 638 241
Freehouse with play area for children on playing field behind. No under 7s Sat evenings.
Flora Tearooms, Dunwich
(01728) 648 433
Right on the beach. Known for fish and chips.
The Ship Inn, Dunwich
(01728) 648 219
Old seaside pub with good fresh fish. Baby changing option in upstairs bathroom.
The Crown, Snape
(01728) 688 324
Unfaked smugglers' inn with inglenook etc and good food.
The Lord Nelson, Southworld
(01502) 722 079
Traditional 18th century seaside pub. Children welcome away from main bar and patio behind.
The Red Lion, Southwold
(01502) 722 385
17th century pub carefully extended. Local fresh fish.
Unless you stay at the very swankiest hotels and dine at the top-end restaurants, you shouldn't leave Suffolk too out of pocket. Nevertheless, popular towns like Southwold have been invaded by weekending Londoners so expect correspondingly higher prices.
by Kate Calvert
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* per room per night, including breakfast
Thorpeness Hotel & Apartments
3 star golf hotel situated in a peaceful location next to the Meare and 5 minutes’ walk from the beach More
* per room per night low season midweek to a maximim of £152 per night high season weekend. Children under 8 sharing parents room free of charge, 8-16 £20 per night.
Late Rooms
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