STANWELL HOUSE

impeccable boutique style in seafaring Lymington

FOUR POSTER BEDS hung with velvet drapes, plump pillows, a half-sipped glass of champagne to one side... the bedrooms of Stanwell House – a little Georgian boutique hotel in seafaring Lymington – tell their own tales of stolen weekends.

The rich colours of indulgence mark out this appealing – and highly affordable – hotel set between Lymington’s yacht harbour and the New Forest. With its bare board and York stone floors, antique and bric-a-brac laden shelves and candlelit dining room, Stanwell House has all you need for a seaside adventure à deux. There’s even an old walled garden and a couple of suites with private terraces for late-night trysts.

Centrepiece of the hotel is the airy, glass roofed conservatory lounge, with its bare brick walls and relaxed rattan chairs – just the place to sip a cappuccino or glass of wine. Yachties and their wives are regulars here, and many not surprisingly decide to forgo a berth on the ocean waves for a night or two in one of Stanwell House’s bedrooms.