Perfect English.(Chelsea-on-Sea)

Byline: RICHARD ALLEMAN editor: Valerie Steiker

After a week of London theater, what better way to relax than in a gorgeous new boutique hotel in Norfolk.

In the sixties, the county of Norfolk (about 100 miles north of London) was one of England's biggest countercultural scenes. Today, with its pristine villages, grand estates, and picturesque beaches, the area has become the ideal getaway for stylish Londoners. This is especially true of North Norfolk, now cheekily referred to as "Chelsea-on-Sea." Here visitors flock to Burnham Market, an enchanting Georgian hamlet of redbrick town houses and flint cottages, many of them home to a charming array of specialty shops, galleries, and restaurants.

Until now, the hotel of choice has been the Hoste Arms, a 36-room inn housed in a cluster of rambling structures, some dating back to the sixteenth century. Created by local entrepreneur Paul Whittome, the inn is known for its restaurant, which currently boasts fourteen chefs and six dining areas--from a traditional wood-paneled pub to a lantern-lit Moroccan terrace. Now comes Whittome's latest project, the Vine House, a luxurious seven-room boutique hotel within a classic Georgian mansion.

"I call it Georgian with a twist," says Whittome's decorator wife, Jeanne, who did the interiors. The "twist" is in the way she has boldly mixed antiques--such as candelabra from the nearby royal estate of Sandringham--with contemporary pieces to create a look that honors the past but feels entirely fresh. For fabrics and wall coverings, Whittome chose updates of ...