Stanwell House

Style

Homely harbourside haven

Setting

New Forest neighbour

On a harbour-edge high street in a classic British coastal town, Stanwell House is an Anglophile-approved enclave between the Solent and the New Forest. Acceptable levels of chintz (in the form of uplifting Colefax and Fowler wallpaper and colourful seating) have been drafted in to renovate the hotel that already stood on this site, much to the relief of locals who now have a bar to convene in with excellent cocktails served alongside craft ales (and DFL-pleasing bar snacks), an orangery for afternoon tea and a restaurant for brasserie favourites with a few Asian twists.

Facilities

Rooms

27, including six suites.

Checkout

11am. Earliest check-in, 3pm. Early check-ins and late check-outs are offered free provided there’s availability.

More Details

Rates usually include breakfast.

Also

Stanwell House is set in an old Georgian building, which unfortunately is not easily accessible for guests with limited mobility.

Free Internet Access

Pet Friendly

Room Service

At the Hotel

Free WiFi throughout, terrace and garden. In rooms: TV with Chromecast, Roberts radio, Land & Water bath products, free bottled water, and tea- and coffee-making kit (fresh milk will be delivered in the morning and when you need it during the day).

Our Favourite Rooms

Each room has boutique-hotel staples such as a colourful old-school phone, a Roberts radio and colourful cushions and throws. We especially loved room 29, for its high bed, space and terrace above the hotel’s garden.

Packing Tips

Lymington essentials: cobblestone-tackling footwear, boat shoes and a nice nautical windbreaker.

Children

All ages are welcome – there are children’s menus at the restaurant and interconnecting room options are available for families. However, please note that the hotel does not specialise in family-oriented amenities.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

On one of the green-velvet banquettes, or out on the terrace if the sun’s shining.

Dress Code

Sophisticated with a wink (smart-casual).

Hotel Restaurant

Samphire serves modern British cuisine in a joyfully floral setting, with orange, pink and green as the rather colourful palette. Dine on salt and pepper squid with black-garlic mayonnaise, supersize satay sticks, venison carpaccio, lobster macaroni and hearty fish pie, but save room for the apple and pear terrine, which comes with a cinnamon doughnut and pot of custard. Breakfast is a simple spread, with à la carte add-ons of the usual suspects.

Hotel Bar

The Salt Bar seamlessly blends the relaxed ambience of a casual setting with the refined elegance of a cocktail lounge, and its bar snacks are elevated too – the beer-battered samphire (served with a lemony Hollandaise) is the perfect pre-dinner bite.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served at Samphire from 7.30am to 10am. A daytime menu is on offer between noon and 6pm, with afternoon tea available from 2pm to 5pm. Dinner is served from 6pm to 9pm. The Salt Bar opens daily, 11am to 11pm, and the Orangery opens at 10am.

Room Service

Available around the clock.

Planes

Both Bournemouth and Southampton have airports (45 minutes to an hour away by car). If you’re landing in London, the drive from Heathrow should take an hour and 45 minutes; from Gatwick, allow two hours and a quarter. The hotel can arrange taxis and transfers on request.

Trains

The South Western Railway calls in at Lymington Town station, which is a four-minute walk from Stanwell House.

Automobiles

Limited parking is available off-site – ring the hotel ahead of arrival and they’ll let you know the inner workings of the first-come, first-served carpark.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Stanwell House is right on the high street in the Hampshire harbour town of Lymington, which means proximity to both the New Forest and the Isle of Wight (ferries are lined up at the quay, ready to transport you over the Solent). Head into the not-so-New Forest to see its famous ponies, or locate one of its spa hotels (Lime Wood’s Herb House Spa is one of the finest in the region). In summer, early risers can join Sunday sunrise yoga sessions – the perfect start before a beach day or a browse through Lymington’s boutiques. The team will guide you to the best and nearest beaches, which include the shingle shore of Barton-on-Sea, lined by clay cliffs. Or if you’re here to boutique-browse and cream-tea-ingest only, that’s fine too. The cobblestoned lane that leads down to the quay is the ideal place to start.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .