Help with where to stay Apr-May 2020

I can give you some suggestions for Suffolk and Norfolk. Bury St. Edmunds is a fairly central location for both Suffolk and Norfolk, also a short distance to Cambridge. The historical center of the town and the abbey ruins and gardens are quite attractive. But since you have seven days, could you consider a split with a base in both areas? Here are some suggestions for places to visit in this area. First of all check out the National Trust properties in the area. Lots of variety and some very beautiful estates to visit. Very attractive towns and lots of choices, depending on your interests. Suffolk: Lavenham, with its crooked timbered houses is a very cute village, not far from Bury St. Edmunds, when I lived in the area we always took visitors here. Framingham with its castle, Southwold with its colorful beach huts, Newmarket to see million dollar race horses exercising in town, Constable country area made famous in paintings near Essex border. Lots of picturesque towns in Suffolk. Norfolk: Sandringham to visit the Queen's estate; nearby Kings Lynn or onward to Hunstanton and the Lavender fields; also in that area is Holkham Hall and then follow along the coastal towns to Norwich which has a great historical center. If you stay in Bury St. Edmunds you will be close to Cambridge and Ely. Cambridge has many great attractions. Ely is not very far from there. The Ely cathedral, can be seen on its hilltop overlooking the fens. It is beautiful. Ely center is small, easily walkable, make sure you get down to the river to get a look at the narrowboats typical of the canals and rivers in the area. And if you like aviation check out the Imperial War Museum at Duxford.

National Trust properties are exceedingly expensive for what they are.

The Dedham Vale is pretty Constable Country, but better for Suffolk than Norfolk. The north Norfolk coast between Burnham Market and Sheringham is stunning and one of my favourite parts of the country. Wherever you are based, to cover Suffolk and Norfolk is going to mean lots of time in a car, as there are no motorways. What do you want to see there?

Kent - Rye doesn’t connect well with Canterbury and Dover. I would suggest Hythe, Wye, Chilham or Whitstable as a base. Don’t stay in Dover.

I use Trip Advisor rentals, Booking.com and sawdays.co.uk. I don’t use Airbnb these days - it’s overpriced and the same property often appears on one of the other websites but at a much lower rate. I have never heard of Holiday Cottages UK. I also check with local tourist boards for their ratings.

Pat -- thanks for the suggestions. We may split into two shorter stays for Norfolk and Suffolk.
Jennifer-- thanks for the recommendations, especially re: Kent. I forgot about Sawdays, I will check that out.
We don't have a list of must sees except in London. We tend to find options in each place we stay, visit what we feel like (at a leisurely pace) then move on to the next locale. My husband also plays golf, and will likely play at least one round in each home base.

I love visiting Suffolk. There's a tiny museum, Parham Airfield Museum, which is wonderful if not too far out of your way. My father was stationed there in WWII. Before that it was a farm, and the original family bought it back afterwards. Very cool piece of WWII history. And if you're in Bury St Edmunds, the National Stud at Newmarket is interesting.

Just a comment about the entry fees for National Trust properties. Historic properties are exceeding expensive to maintain, so much so that in the mid-20th century the National Trust (full name National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, established in 1895) became custodian of many country houses in lieu of death duties. However, it also owns historic urban properties, social history sites, and nature reserves. The Wikipedia article gives good background and further information.

Personally I don't mind paying entry fees to help support the upkeep of a beautiful and historic property, knowing it would have been torn down (and may yet be) unless people care to preserve it.

There's a Sofitel hotel attached to Terminal 5 at Heathrow, couldn't be more convenient for departures from there (as flights to North America generally are). It's expensive but I got a good non-refundable rate. Many other hotels near the airport, with shuttles.

We stay at the LHR Sofitel when needed. Good dining options that are not like an airport hotel.