My thoughts on our recent stay at the Holiday Inn, Southampton

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, susancruzs said:

  Staying at the Mercure Dolphin, which is exciting to me.  I do this in Barcelona, Buenos Aires, London, other places, rarely stay at chain hotels.  Thanks again!

 

We are of like minds. 

We too like to live the local culture or history.

Log cabin in Glacier N.P., art-deco hotel on South Beach, historic motel on Route 66,  Ottoman house in Istanbul, rondeval in South Africa, chateau in France, etc. 

Not always as comfortable or as pristine as the modern chain clones, but part of the local scene  

 

The eateries at West Quay / Forty Steps are the very essence of cloned, so for dinner I'm guessing you'll be heading for the waterfront ......

 - Dancing Man pub / micro-brewery opposite the Royal Pier is in a 14th Century stone wool house

https://www.dancingmanbrewery.co.uk/wool-house-history/ 

- and just up the road beside the Dancing Man (Bugle Street) is my favourite, the 15th century  Duke of Wellington  pub.

http://www.southampton-pubs.co.uk/dukeofwellington/ 

 - across the road from the Dancing Man in the Royal Pier (used to be a dance-hall), on the ground floor Kuti's if you like Thai, or on the first (US second) floor with a balcony is Gatehouse 1833.

- Ennios's (in a converted docks warehouse) and its next-door neighbour La Regata are Italian & Spanish restaurants rather than pubs-with-food, more expensive but very good. 

 

On your way to the waterfront, just a couple of hundred yards down High St from the Dolphin, is the Red Lion. It's only small. but very historic. Food is inexpensive but IMHO no better than OK, but it's worth dropping in for a drink.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186299-d2188432-Reviews-The_Red_Lion_Pub-Southampton_Hampshire_England.html

 

JB 

 

 

 

[susancruzs]

Thanks, I'm a certified bar fly as they say!  My friend and I (her husband not so much) tend to order appetizers, drinks eat at the bar!  I will definitely check out the Red Lion!

[susancruzs]

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

I hope you like it.  We enjoy historic buildings as well, and so we stayed there several years ago.  To say that our room was past its prime would be an understatement.  There's historic and quaint, and then there's shabby (and, in fact, dangerous.  Our room had an unmarked step in the middle of it, which almost caused my wife serious injury).  

I've been doing my homework, read about some of the rooms.  Traveling alone, cost reasons taking inside cabins on cruises, I travel with little tea lights, place them around the room so I'm not bumping into corners of dressers whatever.  I take a mini flashlight with me, turn it on if I get up at night.  I'm prepared, won't explain all the strange rooms I've stayed!

[Alaskanb]

We love historic hotels also. I have visions of rain and chilly weather when we are in Southampton at the end of October so are splurging on the Pig in the Wall -- a five minute walk to the wonderful Duke of Wellington. The hotel has ground floor rooms with super-king beds!