Press Trip
A couple of weeks ago, on what turned out to be a grey and miserable weekend, I was invited along to stay at The Connaught Hotel in Bournemouth. I mention the bad weather, not because it had any impact on our stay, we had an incredible time, but because it was refreshing to have everything we needed at the hotel, without any need to head outside and battle the elements.
Location wise, if you did want to explore the area during your visit, The Connaught is perfectly positioned, just up the hill from the town centre, which is full of shops, cafes and bars and of course, the pier and beautiful Bournemouth beaches.
As a local myself, I was really impressed with the parking, which is included in stays booked directly with the hotel. As we had The Tulip Suite, we were able to have our very own prime location parking space reserved for us, if we wanted it, which was a lovely touch. When we opened the door to our suite, we were very impressed.
The bed was massive, with lovely soft sheets, and the living room area was beautiful too, with a gorgeous little Juliet balcony, overlooking a terrace area, with a big palm tree, which was lovely to wake up to on the Sunday morning. My favourite part of the room, though, had to be the huge bathroom, which had a very generously sized roll top bath, which was just heavenly to relax into in the evening. There was a also a rainfall shower, if you didn’t fancy a bath, and twin sinks – which are always convenient!
I had a massage booked for soon after we arrived, so we headed down to the spa, which was beautiful, with plenty of treatment rooms, a large indoor pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, as well as a relaxation lounge for before and after your treatments. I had booked the Drift Away massage, and it certainly lived up to its name, relaxing me so much that I felt myself start to nod off as my therapist worked her magic. Afterwards I felt light as a feather, as we chilled back in the room.
On Sunday, we had a lie-in and went down to breakfast at around 10am. It was a self service buffet for the continental food items, but a member of staff was serving the hot food items, which worked well, and the selection was generous and all hot and topped up frequently for the busy service time. We were also given the option to order items from the waiting staff, if we wanted, including a selection of egg dishes, but we just opted for tea and toast, which finished the hot breakfast off nicely.
After another visit to the spa, where we swam lengths and spent some time in the jacuzzi, it was time for our lunch reservation. We were still a little full from breakfast (bad organisation on my part), but we really enjoyed a nice leisurely look over the menu, and a drink from the extensive gin menu (they serve over 100 varieties and have a dedicated gin bar – this is serious stuff).
I had the Curried Mutton, which was served with rice and a mango slaw, which was gorgeous, although pretty spicy (I was warned in advance, and can handle the heat). My partner had the steak, which looked fantastic too.
For dessert, I went for the salted caramel tart, which was way too rich for me to finish, but it was lovely. I must admit, I was a little jealous of the chocolate brownie, though, as it looked delicious.
After lunch, it was time to depart. We both had a lovely stay, and were really well looked after. All the staff were welcoming and friendly, and it was just a brilliant break away from the norm, and the rainy autumn weather. As I said, the hotel is really conveniently located, close to town, whilst being set back enough that you can relax and avoid the crowds if you want to, especially as we get closer to Christmas and everywhere gets busier. I would definitely recommend a visit to those coming to the area, or for locals looking for a night away from it all.
We were provided with a complimentary stay in The Tulip Suite, with breakfast and a 2 course lunch included, as well as my treatment in the spa, however all words and images are my own.
