R is for Red, Red Wine
by sourbugger about Hotel du Vin chain...
This company has about seven hotel spread throughout England. Four star hotels with the theme, you've guessed it ,of wine.
They tend to take over old buildings and complete imaginative conversions implanting all the modern design status icons like LCD T.V's.
The old hospital in Birmingham, is one of my favourites with a bar and restaurant covered in old wine bottles.
The company regularly runs special events connected with wine, and as you would expect the wine cellar is enoromous. Although I've not stayed there, the Henley-on-Thames hotel has regularly been garlanded with awards in the press. One of it's more unusual features are the balconies of teh suites that overhang the Thames - they have an open air cast Iron bath on them.
Don't use one if you are bit bashful, binoculars can be very powerfull these days.
Great value luxury in Bristol
by TripAdvisor Member Weekender39
My husband and stayed at Hotel du Vin in Bristol for a January weekend break and absolutely loved it. The rooms are huge - very stylish but also cosy and comfortable, with enormous beds and bathrooms, and alot of them have lounge areas as well. You get so much more for your money than you'd expect in the centre of a city. Talking of location, the old city and the river are just a five minute walk away and there are some lovely old cobbled streets to wander around. We also ate at the Bistro at the hotel. It was fantastic to have such a bustling restaurant literally minutes from our bedroom door! The food was amazing and we got treated very well by the knowledgable staff. Again, we thought this was great value at around £15 for a main course. Would definitely recommend for a romantic yet buzzy stay in Bristol. It's the place to be and be seen!
Great hotel, chilled with great service.
by TripAdvisor Member da_monkeymafia
We booked this hotel direct, but last minute on Friday afternoon.
It took a few attempts to find in the dark, but once inside, Hotel Du Vin, didnt disappoint. Rooms priced at £135 - £215 per night.
After been shown to our room (which are all named after wines/champagnes - which is a nice change) we dumped the bags and headed straight to the bar to meet friends. The wine list is ...long and may be a shock to those looking for a cheap bottle of plonk. Prices range from £18.50 into the high hundreds, also, as the staff are keen to pour all drinks for you, you can end up with a few bottles on the bill without realising! There is also an extensive whiskey list and cigars section.
The staff were quite happy for us to sit in the bar until the wee hours chatting and drinking on big comfy sofas listening to the sound of the fountain in the courtyard with friends who were non resident. Sitting there, its hard to believe you are in Bristol town centre, feels more like a french tavern.
Parking. I parked outside, but as I didnt need my car for the weekend it was parked in the secure garage. If I needed anything from the car, a porter would appear, retrieve it and deliver it to where ever i was in the hotel - nice touch.
Room was spacious, clean - great size bath- v huge shower.
Breakfast was a good assortment of museli, pastries, fruit, yoghurt, juice etc and the cooked breakfast was done exactly to order.
Service was great, from parking, to dining, very helpful for additional info and didnt end when I checked out. I arrived home to find that I had left a v expensive coat in the room. The manager secured it and had it sent to my home address at the hotels expense, no question.
If you are looking for a relaxing unpretencious hotel that has character, great food and great service stay here.
Wouldnt recommend it for families with children.
Over Priced `ILL SAY !!
by TripAdvisor Member kpercy
My wife and I stayed here last Friday 5th of Jan. We booked direct and paid the rack rate of £145 room only in a standard room. The room overlooked the courtyard but was noisly late and early morning.
My biggest complaint is that it is just not worth the money. Friday night in Bristol is usually much cheaper for eg the 5 star marriot offers rooms for £120 which includes breakfast, dinner and a £10 shopping voucher. Dinner is full ala carte.
6 of us booked for dinner. The bill was a modest £470 inc drinks.Nothing over the top to eat or drink! 2 courses steak and chips etc. 10% added because there were six of us. Service was slow and erratic.
I have stayed here several times but no more.
They even charge £12 for parking now.
On the plus side - a querky hotel with great showers.
I hope the managers read this and take head
One fo Bristols better hotels....
by TripAdvisor Member Andy&Shell
I have stayed at The HDV several times and each time it has been more than pleasant.
The food is good - I am used to it now however having eaten there several times. It is never terrible; it wouldn't blow your socks off if you are used to good food, but is of more than decent quality.
The rooms are always clean and tidy, the bathrooms are beautiful. Roll-top stand alone baths, walk in showers - nicely finished and decent complimentary toiletries.
The suites are a lot better than the normal rooms, however the downstairs of the duplex it relitively small. The upstairs is lovely though.
The suites are worth the money and the rooms are decent for Bristol. Pricey but there Bristol doesn't really have anything else to offer at this standard.
Comfortable, clean and the bar area is very cosy during the evenings.
a sanctuary
by TripAdvisor Member goldiewsm
We stayed at the HDV for the first time. We normally stay at the Royal Marriot in Bristol but had become disolusioned with it. The HDV more than made up for this. It is a beautiful building - an oasis in the heart of a city. The staff are excellent, valet parking, bags taken to your room while you relax in the bar, nothing is too much trouble. The rooms are beautiful, although you may want to request one that overlooks that court yard as ours did (the hugel) as some do overlook brick walls. The bathrooms are excellent! The bar is really comfy and the billiard room provides some relaxing entertainment. We had a very pleasant meal in the hotels bistro. The starters were average but the main course was fantastic. We can't wait to go back for another relaxing break.
Wedding night
by TripAdvisor Member cyprusboy
You could argue that this being the best day of my life that my review would be slightly biased, however our stay at the HdV was amazing from start to finish. We were able to check in early, in order to get to our wedding on time. We had a loft-style room, with mezzanine bathroom. The bed was extremely comfortable with high quality linens. The bathroom was very spacious occupying the entire mezzanine floor, separate toilet downstairs. Everything about the HdV oozes quality, from the tea/coffee (all organic/fairtrade) to the over-sized bath/shower gels and towels. We didn't eat in the restaurant this time, having our reception in a restaurant elsewhere. However we returned to the HdV bar with a good number of our wedding guests, many of which were also staying at the hotel, and were accommodated professionally. For those who could stomach breakfast the next day (I couldn't) apparently it was delicious and all made to order.
In summary a real gem of a hotel that oozes quality and charm.
Forum Posts
Where should we stay in Bristol?
by Mikey64
We'll be in Bristol for 2 nights in the beginning of September. Where should I stay? What hotel would you recommend? Restaurants? Which sights should I not miss while I'm there? Thanks for your help.
Re: Where should we stay in Bristol?
by grets
This site will give you lots of information about Bristol:
http://visitbristol.co.uk/site/things-to-do
I can't personally recommend any hotels in Bristol, as I live here, but it also depends on your budget. There are many hotels in the centre of town, including all the chains: Novotel, Marriott, Holiday Inn etc. This one is in a good location and reasonably priced, but again, I haven't stayed there: http://visitbristol.co.uk/site/where-to-stay/ibis-bristol-p70481
In the centre of Bristol there are literally hundreds of restaurants, and again it depends on what your budget is and your tastes. I regularly eat in the Hole in the Wall, which has a great history: http://weldgen.tripod.com/bristolinns/id27.html. It is no longer a Beefeater as it says in the article. There is also another historic inn nearby, the Llandogger Trow: http://weldgen.tripod.com/bristolinns/id15.html
SS Great Britain, the Harbourside, Llandogger Trow, Hole in the Wall are all within easy walking distance of the Ibis.
Re: Where should we stay in Bristol?
by crazyman2
Hi
Well, we stayed at Hotel du Vin. Excellent all round but costs a bit!
Do go to the SS Great Britain ---she's a wonderful old ship. The museum is good too.
To get to the ship you can catch a harbour water bus which will take you around the harbour and collect you again.
Clifton Suspension bridge ---fantastic.
Also, there's Bath a few miles away but you may not have the time.
Eating? Hotel du Vin is wow. Also, there are plenty of places around the harbour.
There may not be many uni. students around because their term may not have started ---so it may be a bit quieter than usual.
Oh, there's an excellent walking tour of Bristol through the huge Tourist Info. centre.
Have fun!
crazyman2
Re: Where should we stay in Bristol?
by grets
I was disappointed with the Hotel du Vin restaurant - it was very pleasant and the food was really nice, but I felt it lacked in atmosphere. For an upmarket meal I would rather go to the Glass Boat or Riverstation. I also like Bell's Diner for their food AND atmosphere (their taster menu is unbelievable)
Re: Where should we stay in Bristol?
by Mikey64
Okay, you may on to something when you mention Bath. I was actually considering spending our two nights in Bath, because my British friend told me that he wouldn't stay in Bristol. Do you have any recomendations for Hotels/Bed&Breakfast in Bath?
Thanks for the reply!
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