The traditional seaside resort of Corton sits atop a cliff with spectacular views over the sea, with steps down to the beach. Its compact site is prettily landscaped and is a riot of colour in spring and summer. Corton couldn’t be better placed for you to enjoy the very best of Suffolk: both coastal and inland, where the cathedral city of Norwich and the dramatic Norfolk Broads are as close as you’d like.

Set on a cliff overlooking the sparkling North Sea, Corton is a coastal chalet resort in the grand manner, whose quintessential Englishness is reflected in local interest which embraces porcelain, politics, friendly paternalism and a pot or two of a table favourite. For it was here at Corton at the end of the 19th Century that Jeremiah Colman, patriarch of the mustard family, built a house called The Clyffe and turned an already-beautiful estate into the loveliest gardens on the east coast. The site has a fascinating and unusual history, beginning its recreational status early in the last century as a holiday location dedicated to the civil service.

In 1946, Warners acquired the Corton estate and began developing a fine, modern coastal resort that would appeal to everybody. Yet while seasons, styles and swimsuit patterns may change, the basic leisure aspiration to enjoy pure relaxation in a peaceful setting that’s nonetheless close enough for comfort to a host of visitor attractions does not. Which is why you’ll find Corton has so much for you; not least the fine nearby resort town of Lowestoft, with its air festival and its noble tradition of porcelain china; the National Trust’s Jacobean treasure Blickling Hall, with its pretty parkland and sunken garden; the mighty Anglo-Saxon city of Norwich, with its towering cathedral and six-days-a-week Norman marketplace; and the string of refined towns and villages Southwold, Walberswick, Dunwich and Aldeburgh strung like exquisite pearls along the Suffolk coast. Today, Corton’s local attractions, views and traditions of rustic comfort and homeliness still prevail but with an added incentive: a Warner welcome to gladden the heart.

Enjoy a swimming pool, sauna and steam room, a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities like snooker, pool, short mat bowls and bowls green, putting green and boules. New for 2009 is a lovely featured coastal garden and beach. With specially selected coastal plants and enjoy while taking in the sea air. Our head gardener is more than happy to pass on his tips for looking after these fantastic species.

And of course, a drive not too much farther south takes you to Constable country, where our greatest landscape painter drew inspiration for such masterpieces as Dedham Vale and The Hay Wain. But no need to ask what’s the most arresting part of a break at Corton: the pleasures realised in 1924 by an imaginative Member of Parliament: Simplicity, value for money, good food and comfortable accommodation. Add the big skies and small wonders of the Suffolk coast, and you’ve the ideal holiday.