Clacton & North East Essex Arts & Literary Society 

From B&B bargains to luxury hotels, Alastair Sawday's Special Places to Stay

Alastair Sawday's Special Places

We have created 18 Special Places to Stay guides. Each of the 5,000 properties in our guides has been visited by us - we hope that we can take the hard work out of planning your escape.

We have created 18 Special Places to Stay guides. Each of the 5,000 properties in our guides has been visited by us - we hope that we can take the hard work out of planning your escape. Special places - we've unearthed holiday properties you'll rarely find elsewhere. Quirky, comfortable, independent places run by people who care. Honest, lively reviews - we write all the reviews ourselves and are well known for our candid and engaging style. Fully inspected properties - We don't include ones we wouldn't stay in ourselves.

Sawday's Special Places To Stay

We want our guides to be THE guides for those looking for:

• Warm, very human, interesting people
• Beautiful buildings, original style, elegant simplicity
• Fine old things that, however dilapidated, carry their age and authenticity with dignity
• Delicious food, much of it grown at home and cooked with devotion
• A touch of fun with a touch of class. Quirkiness with seriousness, a light touch, an easy style
• Honest writing with a dash of panache
• Comfort – yes, but not at the expense of everything else.

We cherish our relationships with our owners and readers; the notion of 'special' is at the heart of what we do.

Sawday's Fragile Earth series

The Fragile Earth series of environmental titles (the Little Earth Book, Little Money Book and the Little Food Book) has been a runaway success and has been re-energised by the publication of the Big Earth Book, an illustrated, tough, provocative, stimulating and wide-ranging survey of the state of the planet. Coming in July: What About China? - a pithy guide that will answer many of the awkward questions surrounding climate change.