Cromer – Hotel de Paris (Two Julians)

On our study tours, we initially base our list of visits on CAMRA’s Whatpub and then add anywhere else that we think might be of interest. I was sceptical of this hotel as its web-site was lacking in information and it’s clear they’re not particularly aiming at non residents so it didn’t seem entirely worthy of a listing when so many other hotels with bars aren’t on there.

We visited the hotel first at lunchtime to find that the bar was closed with no signage, but we thought that we’d return later on in the day. We arrived just before 17:00 and were told that they weren’t ready for opening yet. It was evident that there are no real ales or craft beer and a generally highly limited drinks range. I’m sure that the bar is sufficient for their residents and anyone dropping in for convenience, but I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone else as there are much better options in the nearby pubs.

I’m a little surprised that they don’t do a little more with their bar area, which has some of the best sea views on the North Norfolk coast. There’s pretty much a licence to print money with a bar arrangement there, imagine the decadent craft beer micropub type set-up that they could install to surprise and delight tourists. For anyone who does go in, there’s a history of the pub on the wall (turn left when going into the building). I will say that they have very clean toilets though, so that was a win.