Finding Your Way to Port of Harwich

Getting there: British Rail has daily trains to Harwich and Parkeston Quay from London’s Liverpool Station. By car, drive north from London on the M25, then east to Harwich on the A120. There is also bus service to Harwich from Cambridge and other large towns in Essex and Suffolk.

Accommodations: We chose the 32-room Cliff Hotel on Marine Parade. It was a dazzling experience. The lobby and public rooms are done in blazing pinks, fuchsias and greens. We had a comfortable room overlooking a long sweep of beach. The hotel has a restaurant and two pubs, one for the younger crowd. The tariff was $70 U.S. for two, including a generous English breakfast. Cliff Hotel, Dovercourt Bay, Harwich, Essex CO1 23RE, England.

The Tower Hotel, an old 15-room Italianate mansion, has a much more conservative decor than that of the Cliff--an impressive balustrade, friezes and architraves. Its expansive gardens have a harbor view. It also has a restaurant and a most elegant pub. Double rates from $80 to $85 U.S., including breakfast. Tower Hotel, Main Road, Dovercourt, Essex C01 23PJ.

The Pier Hotel, directly on the waterfront, charges $95 to $110 U.S. for doubles and commands a spectacular view across the estuary toward Suffolk. It has only six rooms (none of which overlook the site where the Mayflower’s keel was laid). The Pier Hotel, the Quay, Harwich, Essex CO1 23HH.

Dining: Cuisine at the Cliff and Tower is a notch above what one would expect at British resort hotels. The Tower has the more gracious dining room. Entrees are mostly under $15 U.S. The most gourmet, and most expensive, restaurant in Harwich is in the Pier Hotel. Plan to spend $20 or more for an excellent fish dinner. The Pier has a second restaurant, the Ha’penny, with a moderately priced menu.

For more information: Contact the Harwich Society, 4 Hall Lane, Harwich, Essex CO1 23TE, England. The society publishes a first-rate walking guide to Harwich for $1.75 U.S. Also try the Tourist Information Center, Parkeston Quay, Harwich, Essex CO1 24SP. Or contact the British Tourist Authority, 350 S. Figueroa St., Suite 450, Los Angeles 90071, (213) 628-3525.