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 Dorset Hotels
Take a lush pastoral countryside filled with sunken lanes, rolling hills, unspoilt rural villages and thriving farmers' markets, mix with a spectacular heritage coastline rich in fossils and dotted with sandy beaches, liberally flavour with the writer Thomas Hardy, and you have a county that, once found, you will not want to part from. It offers only a few gems in terms of hotels and guesthouses, and here we tell you which ones they are. Don't be surprised not to find the much publicised Bull at Bridport on the list.... in our view 'Dorset's first boutique hotel' (what a thought) doesn't cut the mustard; location-wise there are much lovelier places, equally comfortable. The hotels are listed by price category, and their order bears no reflection on our preference. |
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| Luxury: A slice of old England served with China tea |
| Location: WAREHAM; just off market square |
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| Hidden behind a church, just off the market square, the 16th century family-run Priory Hotel, smothered in wistaria and with dreamy English gardens sloping down to the river Frome offers a peaceful and romantic haven in time-honoured traditional style. Add richly satisfying food served in a stone-vaulted cellar dining room, then retire to a comfortable bedroom, very likely with beams and sloping ceilings and floors as befits an ancient building. A proper hotel in a lovely setting. |
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| Luxury: Hardyesque country house hotel that's dressed to the nines |
| Location: EVERSHOT; on edge of village in own grounds |
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| This is Hardy country, and the man himself, as a local architect, enlarged the 18th century manor in 1893. Today it’s a spoiling country house hotel with a profusion of fabrics, gilt mirrors, brass fenders, globes, tartan cushions and pleats, swags and fringes galore, plus a world-class sommelier, a spa and electric buggies for the luggage. If the public rooms are too fussy for our taste, the bedrooms are deliciously pretty and supremely comfortable. A fulsome cream tea is laid out in the afternoon. Hardy-esque it is not; luxurious: most certainly. |
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| Mid Price: Attractively refurbished country town hotel, with good food and a warm welcome for all |
| Location: BEAMINSTER; on A3066 in centre of town |
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| Mark and Joanna Donovan used to work in TV and fashion respectively, but changed their lives when they stayed at the this charming 13th century former clergy house (complete with priest's hole) and heard it was for sale. They bought it and breathed new life into it, revamping the bathrooms and decorating the bedrooms with a stylish mix of traditional, contemporary and eclectic touches to suit all tastes, while retaining the excellent Linda Paget as chef. Just the place for a cosy or romantic weekend in Hardy Country. Great family suite too. |
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| Mid Price: Well loved mainstay in glorious Thomas Hardy country |
| Location: STURMINSTER NEWTON; 2 miles SW of Sturminster Newton |
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| Remarkably, this Jacobean manor house has been owned by the same family, the Prideaux-Brunes, since it was built and is currently run by a triumverate of Prideaux-Brunes, who are visibly busy front of house and in the kitchen. With an air of faded grandeur this family home is hung with old family portraits, labradors laze by the fire and the bedrooms are spacious, homely and comfortable rather than smart. The restaurant is highly regarded locally and can be bustling at weekends. A gently eccentric, very English, warmly welcoming hotel. |
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| Inexpensive: A fresh reinvention of the English country pub |
| Location: BUCKHORN WESTON; in the middle of the village |
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| This place is reinventing the country pub. Out have gone inglenooks, false beams, jaded staff and horse brasses. In have come young, friendly managers, toys for children, first-class food leaning heavily on local produce of the highest quality, and taste in design and decoration. It has interesting draught beers and 30 bottled ones. Cider and wines taken equally seriously. The rooms are quite large, neat and comfortable (White Company towels and robes, mineral water, fresh irises, free DVDs). Breakfast even better than dinner. Exemplary. |
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| Inexpensive: Charmingly eccentric but reasonably priced hotel |
| Location: CHETTLE; 6 miles NE of Blandford |
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| Situated in an unchanged feudal village, part of this ex-dower house dates back 400 years and features a galleried hall, Jacobean fireplace and 'no frills' bedrooms that are spacious and uncluttered with splendid roll-top baths in some of some of the bathrooms. As gently faded as it is charmingly eccentric in a very British way, the Castleman is particularly popular for shooting parties. The dining room, in a long plain room, serves straightforward traditional fare and the bill, for both food and rooms, is by no means indigestible. |
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| Inexpensive: Gentleman's country pub |
| Location: FARNHAM; in middle of village |
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| Built by the father of modern archaeology, General Augustus Pitt Rivers, the inn once fed and watered visitors to his nearby (long closed) museum. Today, part thatched and low-ceilinged, it offers good ales and locally sourced food served by friendly Antipodean staff and buzzes with happy country folk, either seated in the spacious bar, the elegant 'Shed' restaurant or the conservatory hung with hunting prints. The eight bedrooms are simply and stylishly decorated and there's also a comfy residents' lounge with open fire and squashy sofas. Perfect after a muddy walk. |
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