Hotel around Portsmouth

[marshy11]

We are travelling up from deepest Cornwall in October for a flight out of Gatwick to Mauritius. Normally we combine it with a stay with our son in Surrey but he’s not around when we come up this time and despite an evening flight I am too much of a control freak to leave the journey to the day of travel.

I want to travel up and be within an hour/two hours of the airport. But we must have somewhere pleasant to stay (cool temperature and ok outlook with parking) that will allow us to mooch around the next day to kill a few hours before we arrive at the airport for the flight.

Portsmouth springs to mind. I like the shopping and we can fill a few hours with stuff…..

But where to stay?

Or should we stay elsewhere?

Thanks in advance.

[Guernsey Globetrotter]

Holiday Inn Gunwharf Quays ticks most of your boxes: Location, air con, parking and shopping! Outlook if you get a room at the back is not necessarily picturesque but as you’re in the centre of the quayside area full of bars, restaurants, cinema etc. I don’t imagine you’ll want to spend much time in the room ‘admiring’ the view?!

[JDB]

Ripley near Woking would seem an altogether more agreeable place to stay vs Portsmouth. Pretty village that has an excellent pub with Michelin bib, or a Michelin * restaurant. Lots of things to do nearby and c. ½ hour from LGW. Broadway Barn properties has various good accommodation options. I don’t live nearby; all independently tested.

[marshy11]

JDB wrote:

Ripley near Woking would seem an altogether more agreeable place to stay vs Portsmouth. Pretty village that has an excellent pub with Michelin bib, or a Michelin * restaurant. Lots of things to do nearby and c. ½ hour from LGW. Broadway Barn properties has various good accommodation options. I don’t live nearby; all independently tested.

Wow. What can I say? We are staying at Broadway Barn next week…..first time but looks amazing.

Wonderful to hear it has infiltrated H4P. We could stay (have not checked availability) but as we are staying next week (to celebrate youngsters birthday) I didn’t want to taint any stay with anything else (does that make sense?) In my head, if we stay here I need to see ‘him’. If I can’t then I won’t stay!!

Thank you also GG. We stayed at the HI some years ago and it was perfect for what we needed and very close to the shops.

[ChasP]

really depends on how you like to mooch around
Shopping – Southampton is better than Portsmouth and end of M3 is between them
Portsmouth for a bit more History but both have very formulaic hotels – nothing inspiring IMHO
other choices
Winchester – good Qhotel, Cathedral and City Mill NT
Chichester – pleasant mix of shops rather than big chains, Festival theatre for a bit of Culture

[Super Secret Stuff]

Best Hotel for ascetics is the village or the mariot.

Best for location, particularly shopping and food is HIX Gumwharph Quays

Best compromise I go for is Holiday Inn on Pembroke Road. Near the beach for a stroll. Some nearby pubs, 10 min walk to lots of other food options. About 15 mins walk to gumwharph. A lot nicer than the HIX and usually the same price, albeit minus the breakfast

[marshy11]

Thanks both, HIX and HI are out as neither have king size beds (is it just me who wants a decent sized bed – king size is a down-grade on home)…will look at Chichester and Winchester as know neither. But any other suggestions welcome!

[JDB]

marshy11 wrote:

Thanks both, HIX and HI are out as neither have king size beds (is it just me who wants a decent sized bed – king size is a down-grade on home)…will look at Chichester and Winchester as know neither. But any other suggestions welcome!

At the risk, yet again, of upsetting those who are shackled by chains rather than choosing the most appropriate or best hotel, in Winchester there is the Black Hole (so called as it is a former prison) and its superb restaurant over the road, the Black Rat. I don’t do recommendations as different people like different things, so all I can say is that we are fussy and would gladly return to stay and eat, but the rooms are not huge so we took two. Another restaurant in Winchester that we would definitely go back to is the Chesil Rectory. The cathedral is one of the finest buildings in the country; it’s well worth paying for a guided tour that will take you to parts not open to the public and really bring the place alive.