The Harbour Hotel, Southampton, hotel review

Scotland on Sunday’s Do Not Disturb
Floor to ceiling windows make for amazing seaviews at The Harbour Hotel, SouthamptonFloor to ceiling windows make for amazing seaviews at The Harbour Hotel, Southampton
Floor to ceiling windows make for amazing seaviews at The Harbour Hotel, Southampton

This is Southampton’s first five-star hotel, launched in October 2017, and launched is the appropriate word. Located as it is in the Ocean Village Marina, and with the shape and style of a giant yacht jutting into the harbour, you feel that you are almost at sea here. Which is doubly appropriate when it is used so often for an overnight stay before joining one of the many cruises which depart from Southampton, for which it offers cruise terminal transfers. That said, its bars, terraces, café and restaurant are also popular with locals, for they always seemed buzzing whatever the time of day.

The décor in the lounge area with its huge windows opening out to the terrace features giant, comfortable sofas, in very untraditional and vibrantly coloured velvets. “Our customers are always stroking the sofas,” I was told. The HarBAR on the sixth floor has even better views, and an assortment of table and chairs including some leather sling-like deck chairs which look challenging, but are amazingly comfortable, whilst outside the terraces can be enjoyed in almost all weathers with their heated canopies, fire pits and sunshades.

Budget or boutique?

The 99 rooms at the Southampton Harbour Hotel have a boutique feelThe 99 rooms at the Southampton Harbour Hotel have a boutique feel
The 99 rooms at the Southampton Harbour Hotel have a boutique feel
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For a 99-room hotel, there is a definite boutique, not corporate, feel.

Wining and dining

The Jetty restaurant on the ground floor is known for its fresh, seasonal and local ingredients and various menus, embracing a reasonably priced à la carte, a tasting menu at £59.50 per person for seven courses or a limited Sunday menu.

The fish dishes include fish soup, sashimi, the delicious combination of cod’n’crab, fish and chips or turbot cutlet, whilst meat dishes include aged rump of beef, local venison and curries. Desserts listed include passion fruit soufflé, panna cotta, banoffee parfait and varieties of ice cream. The wine list is extensive and also reasonably priced from £18.50 per bottle.

The lounge, wrap-around terraces and HarBAR on the sixth floor also host afternoon teas, barbecues and the ultimate sunny sea view breakfast with a wide choice from the buffet, plus cooked dishes including truly wonderful, and juicy, Mallaig kippers. The HarBAR is open throughout the day for drinks and light meals, and in the evenings often features live music or a DJ.

Room service

The style in the bedrooms and suites is coolly Scandinavian with blue and teal furnishings enlivened with lime and orange accents. All have harbour views, marble bathrooms with The White Company toiletries, bathrobes and slippers. Wifi is free, and there are Nespresso machines, plus complimentary small decanters of gin and sherry in each room.

Worth getting out of bed for

The HarSPA within the hotel can tempt you with its indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam, mud and treatment rooms with a full list of facials and therapies. Also here is the HarSPA Juice Bar and Café for breakfast, brunch, light lunches and snacks in a wonderfully light and bright setting.

Then, of course, there is Southampton itself. The Ocean Village Marina is a new part of the waterfront, and you can explore by following the Titanic trail from the SeaCity Museum, sign up for a guided walk of the city or just find your own way and see sights such as the Tudor House and Garden, visit the shopping centres, or enjoy one of the many art galleries, museums and parks.

Little extras

The Southampton Harbour Hotel has its own private cinema on the ground floor – 21 comfortable seats and a changing programme of classic and up-to-date films, together with complimentary popcorn. And if you want to splash some cash, you can hire Crusade, a luxury pleasure yacht, winner of the Sydney to Hobart race, for a sail-away experience, complete with picnic and fizz.

Guestbook comments

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For me, those lovely terraces on the ground and sixth floors, from which to enjoy the marina views, sea breezes and glorious sunsets were the best part.

Valerie James

Rooms at The Harbour Hotel start from £156 per night for a double bedroom with breakfast. The Harbour Hotel, Ocean Village, Southampton SO14 3QT (0238 1103456 – book.harbourhotels.co.uk). Flybe flies from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Southampton from £90 return, flybe.com

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