Page 247 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

Eating & Sleeping

wonky stairs sit beside duck-your-head beams.
Canterbury 3 The cheaper bedrooms are swish but the posher
ones are stunning, starring slipper baths and
4 Cathedral Gate Hotel Hotel ££ the odd heraldic crest. The pick is room 6,
(%01227-464381; www.cathgate.co.uk; 36 where King Charles is reputed to have stayed.
Burgate; s/d £50/112, without bathroom
£50/81.50; W) Predating the spectacular
cathedral gate it adjoins, this quaint 15th- Bath c
century hotel is a medieval warren of steep Hotel £££
staircases and narrow passageways leading to 4 Queensberry Hotel
27 pleasingly old-fashioned rooms with angled (%01225-447928; www.thequeensberry.
floors, low doors and cockeyed walls. Some co.uk; 4 Russell St; r £125-185, ste £225-275;
have cathedral views, while others overlook W) Award-winning, quirky Queensberry is
pretty Buttermarket. There’s no lift. Bath’s best boutique spoil. Four Georgian GREAT BRITAIN 17 THE HISTORIC SOUTH
town houses have been combined into one
seamlessly stylish whole where heritage roots
Brighton 5 meet snazzy designs; expect everything from
gingham checks and country creams to bright
4 Artist Residence Boutique Hotel £££ upholstery, original fireplaces and free-standing
(%01273-324 302; www.artistresidence tubs. Rates exclude breakfast; parking is £7.
brighton.co.uk; 33 Regency Sq; d £129-260; W)
Eclectic doesn’t quite describe the rooms at
this wonderful 23-room townhouse hotel, set Bristol d
amid the splendour of Regency Sq. As befits the British ££
name, every bedroom is a work of funky art with 5 Riverstation
bold wall murals, bespoke and vintage furniture, (%0117-914 4434; www.riverstation.co.uk;
rough wood cladding and in-room roll-top baths. The Grove; lunch 2/3 courses £14/17, dinner
The Set Restaurant downstairs has a glowing mains £15-18; hnoon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm)
reputation. Book direct and breakfast is free. Riverstation is one of Bristol’s original dining-
out destinations, and still leads the pack. The
waterside location is hard to beat, with a view
Winchester 7 over the Floating Harbour, but it’s the food that
keeps the punters coming back: classic in style
4 St John’s Croft B&B ££ with a strong European flavour, from French fish
(%01962-859976; www.st-johns-croft.co.uk; St soup to steak à la béarnaise.
John’s St; s/d/f £55/90/120; pW) You may fall
in love with this oh-so-casually stylish, rambling
Queen Anne townhouse, where rattan carpets are Oxford f
teamed with bulging bookcases, and Indian art B&B ££
with shabby-chic antiques. The rooms are vast, 4 Burlington House
the garden is tranquil and breakfast is served (%01865-513513; www.burlington-hotel-oxford.
beside the Aga in the country-house kitchen. co.uk; 374 Banbury Rd, Summertown; s/d from
£70/96; pW) Twelve elegantly contemporary
rooms with patterned wallpaper, immaculate
Salisbury 9 bathrooms and luxury touches are available at
this beautifully refreshed Victorian merchant’s
4 Chapter House Inn ££ house. Personal service is as sensational as
(%01722-412028; www.thechapterhouseuk. the delicious breakfast, complete with organic
com; 9 St Johns St; r £100-140) In this 800-year- eggs and homemade bread. It’s 2 miles north of
old boutique beauty, wood panels and wildly central Oxford, with good public transport links.

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