The White Hart Inn

West Mersea, Essex
Inn
+44 (0)1206 583212
Visit owner's website

Per night
£125 - £175
Bedroom

6 rooms

Sleeps

Rooms sleep 2

Children welcome
Pets welcome
Babies welcome

Head down the Strood causeway and step back in time for a slice of Mersea Island's old-world charm: beaches, fresh oysters & a charming inn

Per night
£125 - £175

Direct with the owner

Visit the owner's site and book direct with them. No fees or fuss from us.


Contact the owner

Use our quick form to drop the owner a line asking anything you need to know.

What part does Sawday’s play?

£125 - £175 per night

The Experience

At the heart of the village, this inn packs a punch with its modern British menu. Produce is sourced from the island or nearby: fish from East Mersea and Wivenhoe; oysters arrive daily on boats at the bottom of the hill. Breakfast is a relaxed affair: a high-end fry up to set you up for the day or smoked salmon, porridge, fruit and homemade bread.

Upstairs, six smart, colourful bedrooms have huge cloud-comfy beds and drenching walk-in showers, views look over the church green or towards the sea. It’s just a few minutes stroll to the closest beach with its cheerful beach huts – hire one and make a day of it. If you forget to pack a picnic walk to one of two oyster shacks serving up bucketloads of the island’s much-celebrated mollusc.

The island is a haven for wildlife, spot red squirrels and all sorts of water birds. Visit Cudmore Grove Park for walking trails, a playground, a Roman fort and views over the estuary to Brightlingsea.

The White Hart Inn - Gallery

We think you'll love

  • Eating all the delicious food on offer at the inn, it's definitely worth booking in for dinner
  • Visiting the infamous oyster shacks to try the island's delicacy
  • Enjoying the quaint, 50s style island vibes
The White Hart Inn - Gallery

You should know

  • You need to check the tides before setting off down the Strood causeway, sometimes the water gets too high to drive safely
  • It's pretty quiet on the island, get the bus to Colchester if you want the theatre, cinema or other amusements

Essentials

  • EV charger
  • Swimming pool
  • Hot tub
  • Garden
  • Open fire / woodburner
  • Breakfast included
  • Breakfast available
  • Meals available
  • Vegetarian meals
  • Parking on premises
  • Free parking nearby
  • Accessible by public transport
  • WiFi
  • Spa
  • Central heating
  • Limited mobility
  • Wheelchair access
  • Mobile reception
  • Hob
  • Bar
  • Barbecue
  • Licensed premises
  • Paid parking nearby
  • Air conditioning
  • Relaxation areas
  • Tennis court
  • No smoking
  • Credit cards
  • Working farm
  • Owner has pets
  • Pets welcome

Family friendly

  • Baby monitor
  • Books and toys
  • Children welcome
  • Babies welcome
  • Stair gates
  • High chair
  • Fire guard
  • Cot available

Nearby

  • Pub/bar within 3 miles
  • Restaurant within 3 miles
  • Shop within 3 miles

Activities

  • Bikes available
  • Food courses
  • Kayaking
  • Other courses
  • Sailing
  • Surfing
  • Wild swimming

Accommodation

  • 6 Doubles

    Sorry, this room is not available for your chosen dates

    Sleeps 2

    From £125 to £175 per night

Pricing

Nightly price
from £125
6 Doubles
From £125

Information

Booking information

Check in
3pm
Check out
11pm
Other details
10% off for 2 nights, 15% off for 3 nights. Singles £125. Dinner & B&B, £195-£220 pp.
Closed
25 & 26 December, 2-10 January.
No smoking
Smoking not permitted anywhere in the property.
Dogs

Dogs welcome in the bar/restaurant.

Meals
Bar snacks, £4.50. Starters from £7.50. Mains from £10.50. Sides, £4. Puddings, £8.50. Kids menu from £5.50. Sunday roasts, from £18.50.

Reviews

Very nice room, welcoming and friendly staff and fabulous food and wine list to boot. Only downside is that bar area is often busy, so initial check in and ordering a drink before dinner took a bit longer. But we would happily visit again and intend to do so!

Karen, Leighton Buzzard

Another wonderful stay at the White Hart, The staff are always pleasant and helpful, and even the searing heat didn't change that.

Kate, Northhampton

Had a wonderful overnight stay at the White Hart Inn. Everything from the room, staff and food/drink was just perfect! Would highly recommend.

Amanda, London

Excellent stay. Fantastic room, welcoming and friendly staff. Great food at breakfast and dinner and dog friendly. Will definitely be back!

Gwyn, Northhampton

My mum's special birthday Looked fantastically well from arrival to departure and made a very special stay with great food and service.

Paul, Hutton

We had a great stay, room was lovely food was very good and well looked after by Tom & Leigh-Ann and the others.

Gerry, Scaldwell

We will definitely stay again our pink room on the top floor was just perfect and my parents (dog friendly) room The Strood was lovely too. Spacious, spotless, nicely decorated and just what you’d hope for. The Skate at dinner was delicious, the staff warm, welcoming and keen to make our stay a fantastic memory which it was. We’re all keen to visit Mersea again soon and will stay at this hotel again without question..

Kerry, Benfleet

Just back from a lovely weekend in Mersea Island. The White Hart was a big part of why it was so lovely! Pub with rooms - we had the sea view room at the top and it was great. Beautifully decorated, the most comfortable bed I've ever had, all the staff were so welcoming and friendly nothing was too much trouble. Had breakfast, all local ingredients and dinner - really tasty and fresh, cocktails are magnificent! Can't recommend more highly - simply wonderful!

Jeremy, London

We stayed in Little Ditch, which is a cosy room with lovely furnishings and a huge comfortable bed. The staff were very efficient and pleasant and nothing was too much trouble. The car parking arrangements were excellent and all in all the stay we had was excellent value.

Barry, Westerham

We love the Baker Collective and have stayed at The Sun Inn Dedham a few times with our dog and had great quality and value Dinner B&B deals. The White Hart lived up to our expectations, we loved the pub/restaurant area and our room Strood was very spacious and extremely well appointed. Lovely menu, great staff and ambience. My wife, Darcy dog and I all had a lovely, relaxing stay, thank you and see you again soon. We would highly recommend all of the Baker Collective pubs.

Simon, Norfolk

Great location, lots of parking and 2 EV charging bays. Friendly team, very clean and comfortable. Nice food with good service. A lovely place to stay.

Maruice, Loughton

We highly recommend The White Hart Inn. We had a short 2 night break here, our room was superb with comfortable bed and a modern en suite bathroom. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. Delicious cooked breakfast and continental buffet.

Carole, Dronfield

Really impressed with beautifully decorated room, nothing else we could have wanted, from the fully stocked tea tray to the lovely toiletries, very very comfy bed. Helpful, attentive staff, a credit to you, the breakfast/evening meal were tasty and plentiful.

Alison, Margate

Delightful and relaxing experience. Accommodation, restaurant/bar and staff were friendly and attentive at all times. Highly recommend as the place to stay when visiting this charming little island.

Colin, Cambridge

We really like staying here. The team are all welcoming and friendly; it's a great atmosphere, the food is fabulous and the room stylish and extremely comfortable. Looking forward to visiting again soon.

Susan, Brentwood

Top quality rooms, excellent food and service … well positioned.

Christopher, Colchester

Another perfect stay at the White Hart Inn. The team make your stay very enjoyable from the rooms to stay in to the drinks service and food that is 5 star. Cannot wait to book again.

Diane, Corringham

Harri and her team are wonderful people and really deserve special recognition for their work and dedication to their guests. We stayed for 2 nights and ate breakfast and dinner. The food is delicious and of a high quality. Breakfast amazing as was dinner. The room (Strood), overlooking the church was lovely and the best bed we have ever slept in. Chocolates and coffee in the room were also high quality. 10/10 on everything. Highly recommended.

Lee, Rochester

We stayed at the White Hart on a business trip to see suppliers on the island. The White Hart (Harri in particular) was extremely accommodating for our stay. The rooms were immaculate, and the breakfast was perfect. I will stay at the White Hart for any future visits to West Mersea, and recommend that our clients do the same.

Abby, Southhampton

Really first class in all respects, staff, service, exceptional food and very comfortable room.

Simon, Coggeshall

Read more reviews

Location

The neighbourhood

With its small, friendly population, bucket and spade beaches, interesting flora and fauna, and its own vineyard, Mersea Island is a bit of a hidden gem. Only seven square miles in total, it has a bit of everything to keep everyone amused, whether you're going solo, in a couple or bringing the whole tribe. Oysters have been grown here since Roman times so don't go home without slurping a few.

Local points of interest from Piers Baker

  • Monkey Beach is 150 yards from the front door of the pub. You can stroll along the beach, among the boats and broadwalks and take in the sunrises and sunsets. You can walk completely around the island but it gets quite muddy in places and takes 4 hours.
  • The Company Shed run by the Haward family who have been farming oysters on Mersea since the 1700s.
  • Cudmore Grove Country Park - a nature reserve with of over 102 acres of unique coastal landscapes and habitat and heritage overlooking the Colne and Blackwater Estuaries. A sandy beach, impressive views, grassland, meadows for relaxing walks.
  • East Mersea to Brightlingsea Foot Ferry in Cudmore Grove Country Park to Brightlingsea Harbour across the River Colne. Runs from April to the end of October
  • Mersea Island Museum opposite the pub has a fascinating historical record of the island including lots of photos of the pub over the centuries.
  • Mersea Island Watersports is around a 15 minute walk from the pub and has kayaks and paddleboards available for hire to explore the inlets and creeks around the island

Introducing

Piers Baker

Piers has spent his entire career in catering, and after running some great pubs in London, he now owns three successful ones of his own. He discusses every dish with his head chefs, the bedrooms were decorated to his specification and he is very involved in the day to day management. In both The Sun Inn and The White Hart you're looked after by an attentive and courteous team.