The Bull Hotel, 34 East Street, Bridport, Dorset, 01308 422 878; thebullhotel.co.uk
You have to warm to a hotel that greets your frazzled late-night arrival not with grumpiness but with large plates of smoked salmon and charcuterie and a swiftly opened bottle of red. But perhaps the newly revamped Bull Hotel, slap-bang in the middle of the compact but bustling market town of Bridport, has impromptu hospitality in its DNA: the site has housed a coaching inn since the 16th century.
Its owners, Richard and Nikki Cooper, have restored as much of the building's original glory as possible, to most notable effect in the vast first-floor ballroom, now available for weddings and parties. They haven't stinted on the modern touches, though. These include a gastropub-style restaurant whose informality shouldn't fool you into thinking that the locally derived menu isn't of the highest quality (the weekend we were staying, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall was a dinner guest, which tells you something); a secret bar, open until the early hours but handily soundproofed, that is the height of metropolitan modishness; and eight beautifully appointed rooms, with a further eight to come. Perhaps most dramatic of the bedrooms is the 'Pink Paisley' room, complete with four-poster bed, deep-red walls and, for the exceptionally body-confident, a roll-top bath on a platform in the middle of the room. We weren't feeling quite up to exhibitionist ablutions, but were just as comfortable in the twin-bedded Flamingo room, which scored pretty highly on the comfort rating.
If you are there at the weekend, the Saturday morning market isn't to be missed - especially if you are a fan of bric-a-brac or second-hand books. A mile down the road, you can soak up the seaside air at West Bay, a tiny harbour town squashed between vertically rising cliffs and crammed with brightly coloured fish-and-chip kiosks, all serving precisely the same thing but quite firm about sitting you at the correct plastic tables and chairs.
You will need no help finding somewhere along the Jurassic coastline to walk off your lunch. Eype, Hive Beach, Charmouth and Lyme Regis are all within reasonably easy striking distance, with Lulworth Cove and Weymouth not that much further afield. And if it is a family affair, all the better - the Bull happily caters for your offspring, with babysitting services, a Sunday lunchtime creche and no smoking throughout.
Price: Doubles from £75 a night including breakfast.
What we liked: The inspired Saturday brunch, which goes on until 3pm for slugabeds. Why don't more hotels realise you don't want to get up early on your holiday?
We didn't like: The main bar's not the biggest, although there is always the Venner Bar on the first floor.
