Southampton Hotel please

[Carol28]

We are going to disembark from an Oceania cruise, stay overnight in Southampton for one night and then embark on a Princess ship on June 4.  Please recommend a hotel for us.  we do need A/C, just in case.  We would prefer hotel that is in a pleasant area so that we can enjoy the town of Southampton (not sure what is available in Southampton.)  I read there is a mall near the port, but I wonder if there is a walking street with restaurants and shops?

I'll do research on Southampton, but info on hotels would be appreciated.

[kctwinmommy]

If you do a quick search, you'll find this question is asked a lot on this board. We stayed at the Holiday Inn. It was close the dock and shopping/restaurants. I don't remember if it had A/C as we were exhausted by the afternoon and slept so hard that night.

[Bob++]

The Holiday Inn has a/c and is a short taxi ride (<£10) from the dock. The mall is pretty boring, but you will be able to pick up any supplies (wine?) that you need. Tolder parts of Southampton are interesting enough for an afternoon The SeaCity Museum https://seacitymuseum.co.uk/ has some history including the Titanic and there are many pubs and restaurants.

[John Bull]

Here's a precis of the city centre hotels

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

At the foot of that page is a thumbnail map showing the locations of the hotels, cruise terminals & transportation.

 

Oceania normally berth at City cruise terminal (red B on that map),

Holiday Inn is a rather ugly 1970's design but popular with those who cruise from City cruise terminal because it's right by the dock gate with rooms at the back overlooking the terminal & ship, and rooms at the front looking down Southampton Water (Bob's ">£10 taxi ride" would be to a different cruise terminal)

Also very walkable are Premier Inn West Quay (Premier Inns is Britain's best budget chain), Leonardo Royal (was Grand Harbour until about a year ago), set into the city wall behind Leonardo Royal is boutique Pig-in-the-Wall, and Ennio's (effectively boutique rooms over its Italian restaurant in a former warehouse on Town Quay).

 

Princess normally berth at Ocean cruise terminal (red D) & sometimes Mayflower terminal (red A). 

Those hotels plus Room2 are walkable to Ocean terminal in fine weather. 

There are no hotels sensibly walkable to Mayflower terminal, but any hotel on that map is no more than a £10 taxi ride from any cruise terminal.

Bookmark  http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/  for your Princess ship's berth in due course.

 

Most of Southampton's historic buildings are in old town between (yellow G) and the city's Bargate (near blue 11)

Most notable are the Bargate (the main gate thro the city walls & the geographical centre of the city and neatly dividing the city centre between old-town (High St) to the south and the post-war shopping centre (Above Bar) to the north) and the Tudor Merchant's House & Gardens in old-town's Bugle Street. But "old-town" gives the wrong impression - Southampton was heavily blitzed in 1941/42 so "old-town" is a mix of old & new.

 

Some excellent old pubs in old-town including the Duke of Wellington and the Dancing Man. (Dancing Man is a comparatively new pub / micro-brewery in the historic 12thC stone-built Wool House.

Lots of good independent restaurants in the old-town / waterfront area too.

Or for modern chain restaurants, alongside the big West Quay Mall  (yellow C) ,close to the Bargate & facing the city wall is a mall of international restaurants, most with both inside & outside dining. This certainly fits in with a "walking street of restaurants", and the adjacent West Quay Mall fits in with a "walking street of shops" so it's the most compact & convenient area. But IMHO it's also very bland - I prefer the pubs, restaurants & atmosphere of old-town / waterfront, but there are no shops there.

 

Southampton is a working port city, not a tourist destination. But there's certainly enough to entertain a visitor for a day

https://visitsouthampton.co.uk/your-visit

 

JB 

Edited August 26, 2019 by John Bull

[orchestrapal]

13 hours ago, Carol28 said:

We are going to disembark from an Oceania cruise, stay overnight in Southampton for one night and then embark on a Princess ship on June 4.  Please recommend a hotel for us.  we do need A/C, just in case.  We would prefer hotel that is in a pleasant area so that we can enjoy the town of Southampton (not sure what is available in Southampton.)  I read there is a mall near the port, but I wonder if there is a walking street with restaurants and shops?

I'll do research on Southampton, but info on hotels would be appreciated.

Loved the Southampton  Harbour Hotel and Spa. This is a beautiful hotel with large lovely rooms facing the harbor and an excellent restaurant. Very relaxing place to stay and taxis to the ship are there in a minute,

[Ergates The Ant]

We usually stay at the Holiday Inn near City Terminal, as it is very convenient with a car parking package available, albeit a bit dated.

However, if you are only overnighting between cruises, the new Southampton Harbour Hotel and Spa might be a good option, with good reviews. I haven’t stayed there myself, but other hotels in the chain are very highly regarded.

A day trip to the Isle of Wight from the ferry terminal almost next to the hotel, might be more fun than wandering around Southampton. Check Tripadvisor for things to do in Cowes, maybe visit Queen Victoria’s summer residence, Osborne House.

[Turtles06]

Since the subject of where to stay in Southampton comes up so often here, and since the Holiday Inn is frequently mentioned, I did a short review of it after our stay there last fall.  It's very conveniently located, and good for a one night stay:

 

 

[Alaskanb]

I think the Premiere Inn, West Quay has AC. Keep in mind it can also be chilly in June. 

 

[FritzG]

We're staying at the Leonardo Grand Harbour in Sept.  We've stayed there in the past, and it was wonderful 3 or 4 years ago.  The last time we stayed there 2 years ago it wasn't up to par.  It has new owners so we're giving it another try; I'll post when we return in October.  

 

We stayed at the Grand Harbour last year, and while it was beautiful we thought it was overpriced.  The bars/restaurants were very popular with locals so they were packed, and it was difficult to get a table even at breakfast.  As a result they couldn't keep up with breakfast buffet, and serving dishes were left empty.  When we asked when croissants and pastries would be coming out--after being empty for 15 minutes--a server brought each of us one croissant wrapped in a napkin like he was hiding them from other patrons.  Maybe at a year in they aren't quite as busy.

[dani negreanu]

We stayed twice at Premier Inn WQ, adjacent to a nice mall. AC included. Reasonable priced, when compared with the old Grand Harbour.

[Alaskanb]

We decided on Pig-in-the Wall for a unique experience and a minute from the Duke of Wellington . 

[Kevin's girl]

On 8/27/2019 at 11:12 AM, Alaskanb said:

We decided on Pig-in-the Wall for a unique experience and a minute from the Duke of Wellington . 

We stayed at the Pig in the Wall and loved it. I would definitely book there again if we should be lucky enough to return to Southampton.  

[Adventures ahead]

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Herbert Walker Rd earlier this month. For us, it was an easy walk to the grocery store and restaurants, also to the train station (without luggage) for Salisbury/Stonehenge. The dining room at the hotel is fairly nice. You get a deep discount on breakfast if you pre-pay for the following morning and a small discount on the room if you're an IHG member. There was construction next to the Premier West Quay, unsure about noise. We may try it next time as it's less expensive and offers a meal deal if you're not interested or don't have time to venture out to the pubs. Would love to return to Southampton and take a day trip to Portsmouth by ferry.

[FritzG]

On 8/25/2019 at 8:08 PM, Carol28 said:

We are going to disembark from an Oceania cruise, stay overnight in Southampton for one night and then embark on a Princess ship on June 4.  Please recommend a hotel for us.  we do need A/C, just in case.  We would prefer hotel that is in a pleasant area so that we can enjoy the town of Southampton (not sure what is available in Southampton.)  I read there is a mall near the port, but I wonder if there is a walking street with restaurants and shops?

I'll do research on Southampton, but info on hotels would be appreciated.

Did you decide on a hotel yet?  I don't recommend the Leonardo Grand Harbor anymore.  The hotel has a new owner, and we didn't like it.  The rooms are tired, not very clean, and everything seems very cheap.   The buffet breakfast that used to be so good is sparse at best.  Some of the staff like the concierge desk are excellent, but many more of them are unfriendly and inefficient.  They're full of promises about how great it will be once the reno is done, but we didn't see any signs of it.  It wouldn't cost much to improve the breakfast, and improving staff attitude doesn't cost anything.

[Carol28]

On 11/1/2019 at 9:49 AM, FritzG said:

Did you decide on a hotel yet?  I don't recommend the Leonardo Grand Harbor anymore.  The hotel has a new owner, and we didn't like it.  The rooms are tired, not very clean, and everything seems very cheap.   The buffet breakfast that used to be so good is sparse at best.  Some of the staff like the concierge desk are excellent, but many more of them are unfriendly and inefficient.  They're full of promises about how great it will be once the reno is done, but we didn't see any signs of it.  It wouldn't cost much to improve the breakfast, and improving staff attitude doesn't cost anything.

Thank you! Our cruise is in 2021. I'm sorry about your visit. We will avoid this hotel.

 

[FritzG]

4 minutes ago, Carol28 said:

Thank you! Our cruise is in 2021. I'm sorry about your visit. We will avoid this hotel.

 

Thanks.  Maybe the new owners will have their act together by 2021; the location is great.  I'll be watching Tripadvisor to see if there are big changes.

[kctwinmommy]

4 hours ago, FritzG said:

Thanks.  Maybe the new owners will have their act together by 2021; the location is great.  I'll be watching Tripadvisor to see if there are big changes.

 

Do you leave reviews on TA? I did a quick look, it appears that there have been some recent negative ones for sure! I try to review every place we stay/eat/tour on TA! It's nice to read reviews there for sure. It certainly sounds like some nasty stays as of late.

[cruisingisforme]

On 8/26/2019 at 6:50 AM, John Bull said:

Here's a precis of the city centre hotels

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

At the foot of that page is a thumbnail map showing the locations of the hotels, cruise terminals & transportation.

 

Oceania normally berth at City cruise terminal (red B on that map),

Holiday Inn is a rather ugly 1970's design but popular with those who cruise from City cruise terminal because it's right by the dock gate with rooms at the back overlooking the terminal & ship, and rooms at the front looking down Southampton Water (Bob's ">£10 taxi ride" would be to a different cruise terminal)

Also very walkable are Premier Inn West Quay (Premier Inns is Britain's best budget chain), Leonardo Royal (was Grand Harbour until about a year ago), set into the city wall behind Leonardo Royal is boutique Pig-in-the-Wall, and Ennio's (effectively boutique rooms over its Italian restaurant in a former warehouse on Town Quay).

 

Princess normally berth at Ocean cruise terminal (red D) & sometimes Mayflower terminal (red A). 

Those hotels plus Room2 are walkable to Ocean terminal in fine weather. 

There are no hotels sensibly walkable to Mayflower terminal, but any hotel on that map is no more than a £10 taxi ride from any cruise terminal.

Bookmark  http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/  for your Princess ship's berth in due course.

 

Most of Southampton's historic buildings are in old town between (yellow G) and the city's Bargate (near blue 11)

Most notable are the Bargate (the main gate thro the city walls & the geographical centre of the city and neatly dividing the city centre between old-town (High St) to the south and the post-war shopping centre (Above Bar) to the north) and the Tudor Merchant's House & Gardens in old-town's Bugle Street. But "old-town" gives the wrong impression - Southampton was heavily blitzed in 1941/42 so "old-town" is a mix of old & new.

 

Some excellent old pubs in old-town including the Duke of Wellington and the Dancing Man. (Dancing Man is a comparatively new pub / micro-brewery in the historic 12thC stone-built Wool House.

Lots of good independent restaurants in the old-town / waterfront area too.

Or for modern chain restaurants, alongside the big West Quay Mall  (yellow C) ,close to the Bargate & facing the city wall is a mall of international restaurants, most with both inside & outside dining. This certainly fits in with a "walking street of restaurants", and the adjacent West Quay Mall fits in with a "walking street of shops" so it's the most compact & convenient area. But IMHO it's also very bland - I prefer the pubs, restaurants & atmosphere of old-town / waterfront, but there are no shops there.

 

Southampton is a working port city, not a tourist destination. But there's certainly enough to entertain a visitor for a day

https://visitsouthampton.co.uk/your-visit

 

JB 

Thank you for all your info. Very helpful!

[Heartfelttraveler]

On 8/28/2019 at 7:45 PM, Kevin's girl said:

We stayed at the Pig in the Wall and loved it. I would definitely book there again if we should be lucky enough to return to Southampton.  

We stayed at the Pig-In-The-Wall in July.  We loved it.  We were on the second floor.

There are no elevators and lots of stairs.  They will carry your luggage up and down for you.

The staff were very helpful and really love the hotel/restaurant and love their jobs.

 

We spent the afternoon walking around the town.  There is a lovely walk with inset brass markers noting the history of Southampton.  There are lots of restaurants and even a shopping mall within walking distance.

 

My only regret was that I was walking back from dinner and looked up while mis-stepping off a cobblestone curb.  Yep, broke my 5th metatarsal and actually spent most of the night at A&E public hospital.  But, the hotel staff was wonderful making calls prior to sending us off to the hospital.  (She tried to get me into the private hospital but emergency was closed for the night.)  They brought us fresh ice during the wee hours of the morning and made sure that I was comfortable.

 

I would stay at the Pig-In-The-Wall again in a heart beat.  Lovely, quirky, and fun.

 

[Smartdog]

Planning to stay at the Pig-in the Wall next may for the Azamara Pursuit Ireland Intensive.  At both ends of the cruise. Sounds like a nice place.

[Kevin's girl]

23 hours ago, Smartdog said:

Planning to stay at the Pig-in the Wall next may for the Azamara Pursuit Ireland Intensive.  At both ends of the cruise. Sounds like a nice place.

I'm a little jealous. It will likely be two years before we get back there.

[Kevin's girl]

On 11/10/2019 at 11:35 AM, Heartfelttraveler said:

We stayed at the Pig-In-The-Wall in July.  We loved it.  We were on the second floor.

There are no elevators and lots of stairs.  They will carry your luggage up and down for you.

The staff were very helpful and really love the hotel/restaurant and love their jobs.

 

We spent the afternoon walking around the town.  There is a lovely walk with inset brass markers noting the history of Southampton.  There are lots of restaurants and even a shopping mall within walking distance.

 

My only regret was that I was walking back from dinner and looked up while mis-stepping off a cobblestone curb.  Yep, broke my 5th metatarsal and actually spent most of the night at A&E public hospital.  But, the hotel staff was wonderful making calls prior to sending us off to the hospital.  (She tried to get me into the private hospital but emergency was closed for the night.)  They brought us fresh ice during the wee hours of the morning and made sure that I was comfortable.

 

I would stay at the Pig-In-The-Wall again in a heart beat.  Lovely, quirky, and fun.

 

I love the pic, we totally missed that when we were there. I’m sorry to here of the injury and so happy they took such good care of you while you were there. I must say I’m not surprised that they did such a great job. We thought they were wonderful while we were there and didn’t even have the special situation you had.

[Kevin's girl]

I have only just noticed that thanks to the closing of TinyPic all of the photos I had posted in my British Isles cruise review have disappeared. I am going to share my Pig in the Wall pics again so that I can share our wonderful experience here.

Outside of the hotel and the inside public space

 

 

The herbs used to fix the tasty food

 

 

 

Don't forget to click on the pic if your want the full sized image.

[Kevin's girl]

Like Heartfelttraveler we were up a floor and the staff will carry your bags up if needed as there is no lift/elevator. Our room is listed as a "Superior Room' on their website which is where I booked it. 

 

 

 

The view from our room. Below is the outside dining area which was wonderful when we were there.

 

 

The claw foot bath tub was my dream and this rain shower was my husband's.

[Kevin's girl]

The little extras inside our room

 

 

 

And if you are driving to the hotel there is guest parking