Marriott Highcliffe Bournemouth
When watching the weather forecast on the BBC on Monday morning, we were reliably informed by Mr Wynne that Bournemouth was the very top of the list of wettest places last weekend, with a whopping 58 mm of the wet stuff falling during Sunday. Don't we know it!Saturday morning was nice, Saturday afternoon was - well - dull and dreary, Saturday night was awful, and as the night progressed, Sunday morning became atrocious! Looking out of our hotel window, the sea was just a mass of white foam. In fact that little part of the Earth's atmosphere appeared to be a mass of white foam, being whipped around to torture those who dared to revel in a Saturday night / Sunday morning on the town.
Anyway, I digress. This isn't a meteorological discussion. It's a chance for me to say that, no matter how bad the weather outside, the Marriott Highcliffe in Bournemouth, did a terrific job of making us feel warm, welcome and cocooned in the comforts that one expects of a hotel of this class. We checked-in early, but this didn't prove to be a problem, and a charming concierge accompanied us to our, what can only be described as 'sumptuous', room. The room was laid out in two sections, consisting of a day-area and the bedroom. Each had its own TV and the selection of pillows laid out on the bed was impressive to say the least. The bathroom was immaculately clean and was well stocked with toiletries and crisp white cotton towels.
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Soon after, we ventured out to sample the delights of the town which incidentally is only a short walk from the hotel. At this point the heavens hadn't opened, so we took a stroll down towards the pier before turning left and heading up to the bright lights. Convenience is the key here! The hotel is literally just a stone's throw from everything, and yet the views from the clifftop location could easily fool you into thinking you were in the back of beyond.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned weather beat us in the race back to the hotel and after a bit of a drenching, the obvious conclusion was for us to wrap up and curl up in front of a TV talent show for the evening. (Each to his/her own!)
The breakfast was a delight, with a huge selection of well-prepared and delicious cooked and continental selections. With the restaurant looking out over what was by this time a positively dreadful panorama, it was easy to forget that there was an outdoors at all! I was occupied for some time reading some of the historic correspondence scattered around the public areas, such as an original letter from one hotel manager to another, asking for an advertising swap. Common in this commercial day and age, but looking at the date at the top of the letter - 1874 - it seemed quite fascinating! There's an interesting 'library' area and plenty of room to sit around reception and the lounge sipping a warming malt or two.
With a pool and leisure complex on site, there's no need to go far if it's really horrible outside. I can imagine that during sunnier times of the year the setting would be idyllic, with the lawns and gardens of Westcliffe alongside, the beach literally outside the front door, albeit a funicular rail ride down the cliff away, and the town just around the corner, I can't think of a better place to stay when visiting Bournemouth.
Nigel Crawford
December 2007
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