4 Nights around Southampton - suggestions?

We're coming in on a Sunday in early May and want to spend a little time before flying back to the US.

We've been to many places in England (have spent over 4 weeks on 3 trips) but never have been in this area (Portsmouth/New Forest/Isle of Wight) so thought we would find a base and explore a bit. We are seniors and have never driven in Britain; always had a rail pass. So need to think hard about transportation.

We're also on a budget (darn it) and our upward limit is around $175 per night - (can't find the pound sign on my Mac keyboard!)

So hoping to find a small B&B, Inn, Pub with rooms, etc. that is walking distance to shops/inns/pubs. Have you stayed someplace around this area that you would recommend?

Hi Brahmama. Portsmouth is a great place to visit. You have the historic dockyard with HMS Vistory, HMS Warrior, the Naval ships as well as nautical museums all within stolling distance of the town. The is a new-ish shopping eating complex Gunwharf Quays right on the waters edge and within this complex you have a Holiday Inn Express, which I think is around £68 p/room p/night.

There are most likely pubs with rooms / B&Bs but all would be a drive out of town and none that I can recommend in town.

Gunwharf Quays is beside the ferry terminal which will take you to I.O.W in around 30 mins

You are walking distance from the train station with direct routes back to London / Southampton, and you are around 30 mins drive to the edge of the New Forest.

I think that covers everything you were asking for.... why go anywhere else

Hope you enjoy !

Figgywig

We stayed one night in Winchester at the Mecure Wessex. It was a great place to stay and reasonably priced. Also there were many great places to see in the city which were all in walking distance from the hotel. The Cathedral is right next door. You can also take the train from Southampton a quick ride for a day trip if you use Southampton as your base.

There is a hotel very near the train station that I stayed at last summer- the Novotel. I can highly recommend it. The rooms were spacious and the buffet breakfast was very good. Rates are about 70 pounds (119 dollars) per night, which I thought was pretty reasonable. I plan to stay there again next summer.

Southampton at the Novotel's, Ibis or even E-tap (very cheap) are close to the railway station and act as a good hub (your're not driving) to use the trains for Winchester, Salisbury (and on from there even to Bath at a push) and Portsmouth and Chichester.

I stayed at the Ibis and while basic it was fine for the price. It's close to both the National bus and the train station. One day I took the train over to Porstmouth for the Maritime musem, the next over to Winchester. Both were easily walkable from the train station. Found the trains very easy to use and fairly inexpensive, and they ran on time. With more time I'd love to visit the Isle of Wright

Hi Brahmama,

I would go along with Figgywig's suggestion. I have stayed at the Holiday Inn Express at Gunwharf Quays and found it very clean, comfortable, excellent value, and in a brilliant location for all sightseeing and transport links. You definitely don't need a car here. If you are lucky, you may get a room with a panoramic view of the harbour!

A couple of Portsmouth links:

www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hd/pmegq

http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/

http://www.portsmouth-guide.co.uk/index.html

http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/

Terry

Wow, you have Winchester and Salisbury close by as well as Portsmouth. If you're wedded to the train, perhaps you need to find out which of these you can reach by train and them formulate a schedule. I'm wondering if you could get some kind of day tour of the Isle of Wight from Southampton or Portsmouth, or take the ferry and then maybe take the bus around the island (I seem to remember there are buses.)

Winchester is beautiful, and certainly could be a good place to be based. Salisbury is bigger, but also nice. I don't remember a thing about Portsmouth, but I'm sure it would be great too.

Travelodge also provide good value rooms (clean, comfortable hotels with limited services), occasionally for as little at £19.00 per room per night.

http://www.travelodge.co.uk

A bit more far away I love Chichester and the Arundel Castle, probably one of the nicest in the country. The Isle of Wight is absolutely stunning. Don´t miss Romsey, Wilton House or even Beaulieu. Bournemouth is particulary delightful.

Whichever $175 or £175 per night is a very comfortable budget. For a comfortable B&B or budget accommodation in a 3 star grade hotel you should only need about half your budget in current market conditions.

If you feel more comfortable using public transport than a car, I would recommend the Isle of Wight for your 4 days. There is a comprehensive bus network that covers all the island. The Isle of Wight is like England in the 1950's - for a laid back break getting to know the locals its ideal and has enough to occupy you for a couple of weeks let alone 4days. There is history, gardens and much more and lots of easy, satisfying walks across the picturesque countryside and pleasing coastline with welcome breaks in typically English Tea rooms and pubs.

If you prefer to follow the tourist trail and see some 'must see's' but still prefer to use public transport I'd suggest basing yourself at Salisbury, a short train ride from Southampton. As well as Salisbury, a very interesting medieval city with of course Salisbury Cathedral. easy places to visit by public transport inclide Stonehenge, Old Sarum, Bath, Winchester, Portsmouth, Shaftesbury, New Forest and many more.

By hiring a car, you will be rewarded with exploring more fully the country lanes and villages. I would suggest the New Forest, Salisbury, Old sarum, Lacock, Shaftesbury, Avebury, Glastonbury, Cheddar Gorge and Bath as places to visit. If you don't want to gamble on the quality of a B&B, try the Travelodge UK chain. If you look well in advance, chances are you will be able to take advantage of their saver rates, rooms from just £9 to £26 will probably be available at some of their sites in the area for your dates. Travelodge rooms are equivalent to a good motel room in the US.

Yes, Bournemouth is very easily reached from Southampton with a frequent train service taking only half an hour - advance purchase tickets £8 return (off peak). Once in Bournemouth (buses outside train station run every 5 minutes to centre ) it's only a 5 minute ride to the centre.

There are some lovely gardens in the centre, a good shopping centre and a 7-mile sweep of bay with sandy beaches and backed by cliffs. You can catch the open-top bus (beautiful views of the coast-line) to Swanage taking the chain link ferry across the entrance to Poole Harbour and once in Swanage there is a steam train to take you to Corfe Castle (cream teas here!) to see a lovely (if a bit touristy) old English village complete with imposing ruined castle on the hill top.

Or take a boat trip from Bournemouth Pier to Poole through Poole Harbour which is stunning - sailing past millionaire's row (real estate here is the 4th most expensive in the world).

If you were to base yourself in Bournemouth, there would be lots of places to visit for a day. Dorset is a beautiful county - Lyme Regis is a gem (where they filmed 'The French Lieutenant's Woman') and the Jurassic Coast (Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove) are picture postcard scenes.

Salisbury and Winchester is also served by a bus or train service so would still be very accessible.

Often posters look east or inland when staying in Southampton but there's a lot on offer along the coast not too far west of there.

If you do need more info on Dorset, I'll try to answer any queries or at least post links that might help. But enjoy your stay in the south whatever you decide (all the other places mentioned are lovely/interesting too) :)

I definitely recommend the Isle of Wight. You can get a passenger catamaran ferry from Portsmouth or Southampton which crosses in a few minutes. There is a double decker open top bus which goes all around the coast of the island, so you can do a complete circuit, getting on and off wherever you fancy. You can buy a bus pass for the day. The island has beautiful scenery and is full of thatched cottages just like you would picture rural England to be.

May I suggest the Mariners House B&B in Southampton. We stayed there for 3 nights before our cruise around the British Isles and thought it was a perfect arrangement. The food and service was beyond compare, it is in a private home and they only have three rooms for hire. We felt we were visiting good friends who wanted us to enjoy our stay. It is a short walk to the train station with connections to many places of interest. Web site is: http://www.marinershouse.co.uk

Brahmama; Thanks for starting this thread. Full of info & advice. There are others of us who might interested in the very same thing. I, for one, have copied quite a bit of this thread for future use.

And......thanks to all who are posting. Any other thoughts for those of us wishing to stay a few days near Southampton..........keep chiming in!

Martha

Yes, Bournemouth is very easily reached from Southampton with a frequent train service taking only half an hour - advance purchase tickets £8 return (off peak). Once in Bournemouth (buses outside train station run every 5 minutes to centre ) it's only a 5 minute ride to the centre.

 

There are some lovely gardens in the centre, a good shopping centre and a 7-mile sweep of bay with sandy beaches and backed by cliffs. You can catch the open-top bus (beautiful views of the coast-line) to Swanage taking the chain link ferry across the entrance to Poole Harbour and once in Swanage there is a steam train to take you to Corfe Castle (cream teas here!) to see a lovely (if a bit touristy) old English village complete with imposing ruined castle on the hill top.

 

Or take a boat trip from Bournemouth Pier to Poole through Poole Harbour which is stunning - sailing past millionaire's row (real estate here is the 4th most expensive in the world).

 

If you were to base yourself in Bournemouth, there would be lots of places to visit for a day. Dorset is a beautiful county - Lyme Regis is a gem (where they filmed 'The French Lieutenant's Woman') and the Jurassic Coast (Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove) are picture postcard scenes.

 

Salisbury and Winchester is also served by a bus or train service so would still be very accessible.

 

Often posters look east or inland when staying in Southampton but there's a lot on offer along the coast not too far west of there.

 

If you do need more info on Dorset, I'll try to answer any queries or at least post links that might help. But enjoy your stay in the south whatever you decide (all the other places mentioned are lovely/interesting too) :)

Great Post its a toss up whether Poole harbour is bigger than Sydney Harbour Poole has a lot of sandbanks, this is a area that deserves a visit

Grumphy

Whilst Southampton is not a beautiful place on its own, It does provide an excellent base with good rail connections to Bournemouth, Winchester, Salisbury and Bath. I would HIGHLY recommend Bath if you haven't already been there. There is a direct train which leaves southampton every hour and takes around 90 minutes (cost around £20 return but is easily worth it), so still possible for a day trip. The Isle of wight is also very charming, and easily accessible by ferry. There is a free bus running from southampton central train station to the ferry terminal.

I would probably recommend one of the chain hotels like Novotel, Holiday inn, etc. You'll get a good clean room at a good price, and they are very well positioned for the trains and the dock, with around a 5-10 min walk into southampton centre. You will miss out on the charm of a good english B&B, but the location should make up for that. You will be able to see some really great places in 4 days, so have fun.

One more point - I previous post metions the west country and Glastonbury. This is a great area, but having grown up in Glastonbury (my parents still live in the area) I can tell you now that the transport links between Southampton and Glastonbury are awful. (you would have to change trains, get a bus, change bus, and all in it would take around 4 hours! Sorry to rant, but it's a shame, and it has wasted a lot of my time in the past! I'd leave it out if you don't have a car!

Enjoy your trip :D