Orchid Hotel Bournemouth #HotelReview

We chose The Orchid Hotel in Bournemouth as it was a great location in a quiet semi-residential/hotel area, just a few mins walk from the beach and town with a free car park. This boutique hotel was furnished and decorated to a high standard in a minimalist style exactly to my liking, with splashes of colour with nice pieces of art amongst clean crisp lines. Even the guest toilets downstairs were amazing and worth going down there just to look at the art, décor and clever design. There is a beautiful courtyard garden with plenty of seating and hanging chairs.

hotel cottage garden with table and chairs — English country garden

We opted for a deluxe room with a king-size bed that cost £130 a night with breakfast for two. We don’t normally spend over £100 on UK hotels so this was an extravagant treat for us to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Room 117 was beautiful. The huge bed was really comfy. The room had a kettle with Dorset Tea and Nescafe Coffee and a filter coffee maker with fresh milk on request. There was also a safe which is great for longer stays. The bathroom was large and modern with free funky toiletries and fluffy white towels and flannels. The shower had a good spray and I did have a long bath here too. There was plenty of hot water that filled the tub up quickly. Everywhere was impeccably clean.

hotel bedroom with kingsize bed and sofa — Room 117

fluffy white bathroom towels and funky toiletries

Breakfast was good with a freshly cooked full English of choice and plenty of help yourself items such as cereals, yogurt, and pastries.

plate of full english breakfast — Freshly cooked full English breakfast

Now my only negative is that our room was above the restaurant where loud music was being played all afternoon and evening. I don’t like to complain but when it started up again the next morning I went to ask if we could move. The staff on reception were excellent and offered me a choice of two other rooms. One was a cosy room up in the eaves at the back of the hotel which was gorgeous with an amazing bathroom but it had a much smaller bed. I was also offered Room 115 which was the same as 117 but situated further along above the reception. Nothing could be heard from here, perfect.

So, it was a lovely hotel but the noise issue really put a dampener on it for me, especially as our stay was for such an occasion. I have to give credit to the staff on duty who were friendly and understanding and sorted it out to my satisfaction. So, would I recommend it? Yes, but if chart music is an issue ask for any other room apart from 117. It’s a shame because that room was amazing. The hotel has told me that they are looking into soundproofing it, so it’s clearly been commented on by others too. Incidentally, it didn’t bother my husband in the slightest so it really is a personal thing.

*If you are planning a hotel stay, check out Booking.com where you can currently get a £15 credit or Quidco and Topcashback who offer cashback on bookings with most top booking agents.

view of beach cliffs and bournemouth pier — View from clifftops 5 mins walk from the hotel

Things to do locally:
Bournemouth and Boscombe Beaches – miles of flat sandy beaches perfect for walking, sunbathing, shell collecting and swimming
Bournemouth Pier – pier attractions, Zipline and fairground
Bournemouth Town Centre – lots of pubs, eateries and shops
Pavillion Gardens Bournemouth – a huge park with a stream, table tennis tables, mini golf, aviary, café and beautiful gardens and green areas.
Boscombe Chine Gardens – a pleasant walk through from Boscombe Pier back to Bournemouth. There are table tennis tables and a swing ball set up at the pier end, a lovely little park for children with water features, and a mini-golf course and café. Beautifully kept gardens and quintessentially English cottage near the café end.

Where we ate:
Harry Ramsdens Bournemouth Pier
We got a takeaway cod n chips for two that was freshly cooked fresh while we waited and didn’t take long. Reasonably priced for the name and location (right on the beach). You could help yourself to plastic knives and forks, napkins and salt and vinegar but you did have to buy sachets of ketchup! There is a restaurant here but we took ours to sit on the seafront to eat. I’m not generally a fish lover but this was really tasty and of good size portion.

Neptune Harvester Boscombe Pier
We had lovely meals of rotisserie chicken and a mixed grill, with a salad bar. There is plenty of seating inside or out with a view of the beach. Service can be a little slow if busy but staff were polite, friendly and efficient.

rockery gardens and lawn Pavillion Bournemouth — Pavillion Rock Gardens

You may also like to read my blogs of nearby attractions and accommodation:

* In and Around Poole
* Free and Cheap Things to Do in Mudeford and Christchurch
* Free and Cheap Things to Do in North Devon

More photos of The Orchid Hotel and Bournemouth, Boscombe & Poole

If you are looking for hotels in this area, feel free to use our personal referral code for Booking.com where you and I may both get a £15 credit after your stay.

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If using other booking agents you can also sign up to Topcashback or Quidco to earn cashback on your stays. You may get an introductory gift depending on current offers, and I may get a referral credit if you reach a certain spend.

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* current offer at 13.11.18

stormy pink sky sun setting over the ocean