The Green House Hotel, Bournemouth, Hotel Review

For those of you Londoners who thought that Bournemouth was just a good option for a stag or hen party, it’s time you thought again. I have to confess that my capital ignorance of one of the UK’s most famous seaside destinations meant that I fell firmly in that category, until a recent trip changed my perspective for the better.

On the surface Bournemouth does have the usual sprinkling of slightly wild-eyed folks wandering around the seafront, as is the case in many a British coastal resort. However, there’s many more refined characters strolling around the very good selection of high-end shops, and enjoying the sea air too.

The fact that there is a House of Fraser and plenty of independent, stylish fashion shops on offer suggests that people with a few quid come here. And with the exclusive enclave of Sandbanks nestling around the bay, there’s certainly a lots of disposable income nearby. As a result there are also some very well presented places to stay.

Take, the Green House Hotel for example. This boutique ‘eco-hotel’ is set in a Grade II Victorian Villa which, following extensive refurbishment and investment of £5m, set out to prove that ‘that luxury travel and sustainability can coincide’ - or so it says on the website. There’s no doubting that the hotel’s ecological credentials are impeccable, with the on-going efforts to ensure that the hotel is as environmentally friendly as possible evident at every turn.

So that’s the green vote won over, but there’s much more to say about this gorgeous little designer hotel than just to commend it for protecting the environment. During my visit I certainly found that The Green House Hotel was a worthy winner of Bournemouth’s “Small Hotel of the Year” for 2010.

Our room was delightful, complete with a fabulously comfy bed, stand-alone bath by the window and subtle and stylish decor. But the super cool restaurant is the real star of the show, with both dinner and breakfast worth taking a trip down to the south coast for alone.

Head Chef, Gordon Jones, has created a menu using local ingredients, which is organic and free-range wherever possible, sourced from local artisan suppliers. All of which is, of course, in keeping with the hotel’s ‘green outlook’. They haven’t scrimped on the wines either with an excellent wine list, featuring mostly organic, biodynamic or UK made wines, and each bottle being graded according to its carbon footprint.

Much as I respect and admire the efforts made to keep everything as ethical as possible, as far as I’m concerned the quality of the food I’m eating is always going to take precedence. Thankfully I wasn’t disappointed.

For dinner a six course tasting menu was packed with flavour and panache. Some of the highlights of this culinary extravaganza included a brilliant artichoke, wild garlic and tarragon soup, and a deliciously decadent chocolate torte to finish. Many of the wines on the list are also biodynamic, which is a bonus. As these wines are free of sulphites, you can really notice the difference on the palate.

If green issues are as important to you as they clearly are to the owners of the Green House Hotel, then I would suggest that you look into a train ride down to Bournemouth to check this fabulous little hotel. However, even if you don’t fancy braving public transport, and prefer to take out your 2-door mini compact instead (like we did), I would highly recommend a visit either way.

I dare say that 20 years ago British seaside resorts like Bournemouth might have provided a much more old fashioned experience – complete with sticks of rock, soggy food and saucy postcards. However, times have changed and with chic hotels like The Green House Hotel now leading the way, you’ll find yourself enjoying a much more fashionable experience at the seaside these days. Revisiting those places you thought you knew everything about is always fun when the location ends up being so pleasantly surprising. (Nicholas Jones)

The Green House Hotel, Bournemouth, Hotel Review

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