When the dull, drizzly and dismal January seemed to stretch endlessly on to February, there’s one thing to do to escape the winter doldrums! Pick a location with interest, spend a night at some nice hotels at incredible off-season rates!
My partner and I did just that! We spent 2 Sundays in February, a week apart, at different hotels in different areas. Suddenly the monotony of February was broken and there’s something nice to look forward to! We were lucky enough to pick a bright and sunny day for one of the breaks!
The Legacy Rose and Crown Hotel Salisbury
Although this 13th-century former coaching inn is just about 10 miles from our base, we thought it would be nice to stay a night there. And what better time than the beginning of February when it was only £67 a night – a great rate for a 4* hotel at an idyllic location!
The Legacy Rose and Crown Hotel combines olde-worlde charms with modern comfort.
The stunning views of Salisbury Cathedral across River Avon from the hotel garden were the sort of landscape that inspired John Constable’s many famous paintings.
Water Meadows Circular Walk
For this one-night break we wanted to concentrate on some riverside walks that we had neglected for years. With 5 rivers (Avon, Bourne, Ebble, Nadder, and Wylye) converging on Salisbury, there’re plenty to choose from! We opted for the water meadows circular walk.
From the hotel we headed towards the Cathedral cross a pretty stone bridge. After lunch at the City Museum cafe opposite the cathedral, we headed to Churchills gardens, crossed the wooden bridge onto the path skirting round the water meadows.
Surrounded by distant glimpses of Salisbury cathedral, rustling of leaves, rippling water and swaying reeds, I felt like walking into one of Constable’s paintings!
On our way back to the hotel, we walked past Riverside Hotel. Attracted by its rather imposing exteriors, we stopped there for our afternoon refreshments and feasted our eyes on the splendid riverside views from the terrace and garden at the back.
One week apart, we were off to our second Sunday hotel break. This time we went to Bournemouth, 25 miles from base. A seaside resort like Bournemouth could be bleak in February as it turned out to be. However, we had a plan ….
Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel
This cliff top hotel was built in 1873 on the West Cliff as four large terraced houses. They were never occupied and were turned into a hotel within a year. In 1902 the hotel was taken over and expanded after acquiring neighbouring properties including 9 cottages that were built in 1831.
It was in one of the 9 cottages that we stayed for a night for only £63, an amazing rate about 1/7 of that in August! We arrived around 10.30 intending just to leave the car there until check-in time 16.00. To our surprise we were checked in as our room was ready!
Our room was spacious and light, with windows on both sides, one of which overlooking the outdoors pool and Bournemouth Bay!
The interiors of Highcliff Marriott Hotel are a unique blend of the modern and traditional!
Russell Cotes Art Gallery
In choosing to stay at Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel in February, our plan was to revisit Russell Cotes Art on East Cliff, just 10 minutes’ walk away. We had previously this splendid museum on a day trip in June 2023 . This time round we had ample time to look around all the remarkable artworks and objets d’art collected by Merton Russell-Cotes and his wife Annie from their travels in 50 countries! It was no mean feat before the advent of planes and high speed trains!
Dinner at Brasserie Blanc Restaurant inside the hotel rounded off a lovely break that turned a day of monochromatic grey sky into another colourful super Sunday!
