The Green House Hotel and Restaurant, Bournemouth
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Long gone are the days when a hotel with green sensibilities meant a compromise on quality and décor. And nowhere is this more aptly illustrated than The Green Hotel in Bournemouth.
Walk through the doors of this Grade II listed Victorian Villa and it has the feel of one of the best boutique hotels. Nothing has been scrimped on in terms of its style, finish and eco-conscious credentials. From the use of solar thermal energy and vegetable ink printed wall paper right down to the energy saving room kettles, this recently renovated hotel that opened in April does more than make a simple nod to being green.
Yet to only pay attention to this aspect would be a mistake for this place stands up in its own right as a boutique hotel with standards heads and shoulders above many of its contemporaries green or otherwise.
In the best sense of a boutique hotel each of its 32 bedrooms are unique, whether it is the master suite with a huge open bathroom including reclaimed Victorian roll top bath and double walk in shower, to the Gothic arched windows of the rooms on the top floor.
If we had one complaint during our stay it was that our twin room on the side of the hotel suffered from a lack of natural daylight. But it was a small thing to put up with when the attention to detail elsewhere was so impressive with goose down duvets and a jar of homemade biscotti.
Even better than all of this was the sheer quality of the hotels' food, all sourced within a 60mile radius. As well as a daily changing menu, there is a 9 course tasting menu available at weekends and on request. At £45 per head it is not cheap but each tapas sized plate of food is pure delight and shows a chef of some distinction in Scotsman Gordon Jones.
We started with an espresso cup of garlic soup with homemade bread, still warm from the oven. Other courses, each as stunning as the last included turbot with a herb crust and beetroot salad, courgette stuffed flowers and the stand out dish in our minds, eel with creamed potato and a tangy lime marmalade dressing. That said it would be criminal not to mention the dessert of toffee panna cotta caramel twirl and gooseberries.
This is seriously good food and ambitious too considering this is not London but the kitchen do not reserve their skill just for the pricey menu. The room rate inclusive of breakfast includes homemade muesli and fruit compotes, along with delicious cooked options including scrambled egg with Dorset smoked trout.
The only thing that lets the food down is the dining room itself. It is nice but it has the sterile atmosphere of a hotel restaurant and with food this good that fees a shame. But perhaps things will improve once the hotel is open for longer and it is a small sticking point in an otherwise fantastic stay.
Whether you are visiting Bournemouth, nearby Boscombe or even Sandbanks this is definitely a place worth staying summer or winter. Not for its green credentials, it's boutique hotel feel or the food but for the fantastic combination which makes this a decidedly special place to stay.
Cost standard double room: £££
Services near beach, hotel restaurant, hotel bar, business services
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