Sea Life Centre

The tanks are absolutely crammed with life - rays gliding past like underwater pancakes, seahorses doing their thing, and jellyfish that look properly alien. Sea Life Centre sits right on Hunstanton's seafront, which means you're basically stumbling from the beach straight into air-conditioned fish-watching, and it works surprisingly well.

Inside, the setup is fairly standard aquarium fare - you walk through tunnels with tanks on all sides, there's a touch pool where kids can handle starfish and anemones, and you get that slightly eerie underwater tunnel with sharks overhead. It's not enormous, so you're looking at two to three hours maximum if you're thorough, which suits families with younger children who'll get bored if it drags on. Teenagers might find it a bit thin, unless they're genuinely into marine biology.

The location is the real winner here. Both Parkdean Resorts Manor Park and Searles Leisure Resort sit virtually next door - barely five minutes' walk away - so if you're staying at either, this is a no-brainer rainy-day activity. Wild Luxury's glamping site is a bit further out at 3.7 miles, but still close enough for an afternoon trip. Hunstanton itself has the beach, amusement arcades, and chip shops, so you can easily make a proper day of it without feeling like you've gone miles out of your way.

Admission isn't cheap and you'll want to check opening hours before you show up, but for a coastal holiday in Norfolk, it's solid enough - worth one visit rather than a repeat destination.