Gin house, restaurant and cocktail bar among big plans for 'boutique' hotel

Sally Davis and Joanna Betts bought Burlington Berties, on St Nicholas Close in Sheringham, in June 2021 and after opening for the summer season they closed and began renovations in January this year.

They added an extra bedroom, bringing the total to 10, as well as a new open kitchen, a restaurant and a gin house on the lawn.

The Burlington Berties boutique hotel at Sheringham (Image: Denise Bradley/Archant 2022)

The renovation took 12 weeks and cost approximately £190,000.

Before moving to Sheringham, Ms Davis and Ms Betts lived in Leicester, where they ran a restaurant called the North Bar and Kitchen for eight years, with Ms Betts the chef.

Joanna Betts ready in the kitchen at the Burlington Berties boutique hotel at Sheringham (Image: Denise Bradley/Archant 2022)

But during the coronavirus lockdown, they began to re-evaluate their lives.

Ms Davis said: "I think for a lot of people Covid changed people's perception on life in one way or another."

She had been working for local government during the day and at the restaurant in the evenings.

"I didn't realise I was on this hamster wheel and then you get off it, and when everything stops, and you think, 'how did I even do it?'," she added.

Sally Davis at the hatch to the Gin Shed at the Burlington Berties boutique hotel at Sheringham (Image: Denise Bradley/Archant 2022)

They started looking for a new venture and found the hotel in Sheringham, which is an hour's drive from Old Hunstanton, where Ms Davis' parents live.

While the move was a massive risk, leaving behind a "thriving" restaurant, they have been helped to settle into the slower pace of life in north Norfolk by their three dogs - christened by locals as 'the Burlington Boys' - during walks on the promenade in the morning.

The 'Burlington Boys', from left, Louie, Henry and Finley, at the Burlington Berties boutique hotel at Sheringham (Image: Denise Bradley/Archant 2022)

The gin house, which opened during the summer, has also contributed to the warm reception from locals.

Open from 5pm to 8pm, the venue serves their own gin, called 42 North.

The restaurant at the Burlington Berties boutique hotel at Sheringham. (Image: Denise Bradley/Archant 2022)

The restaurant will start serving meals in October, and will be open to both hotel residents and the community.

There are also plans to open a cocktail bar in the style of New York and London venues, with booths and table service, to open in the new year.

"We want to make sure the hotel is part of the community," Ms Davis said.

Burlington Berties was built in 1911, with the Edwardian building being a stone's throw from the beach.

The Palladium Suite at the Burlington Berties boutique hotel at Sheringham (Image: Denise Bradley/Archant 2022)

The 'Burlington Boys', from left, Louie, Finley and Henry, at the Burlington Berties boutique hotel at Sheringham (Image: Denise Bradley/Archant 2022)

Sally Davis, left, and Joanna Betts, owners, in the entrance to the Burlington Berties boutique hotel at Sheringham (Image: Denise Bradley/Archant 2022)

Sally Davis in the Gin Shed at the Burlington Berties boutique hotel at Sheringham (Image: Denise Bradley/Archant 2022)

One of the rooms at the Burlington Berties boutique hotel at Sheringham (Image: Denise Bradley/Archant 2022)