‘A beacon of urbanity and flair on the quay’, Paul Milsom’s hotel is praised for its ‘obliging, well-intentioned’ staff. Refurbishment has resulted in a slick ground-floor bar with ‘a serious gin and cocktail “library”’, and a chic first-floor restaurant and estuary-view terrace, Guide inspectors discovered in 2017. Bedrooms are ‘generously stocked with good-quality drinks and biscuits’ (‘chilled glasses in the fridge, too – nice’). ‘Our room overlooked the navy yard and estuary – a pleasure at dusk, when the ships and cargo cranes on the water light up. The room lacked pizzazz, but was clean and comfortable. We slept well.’ By day, lunch on ‘satisfying bowls of chowder’ in the bar; at night, join the ‘encouraging mix of locals and visitors’ in the split-level restaurant. (‘Critiques about uneven meals were handled with grace.’)At breakfast, ‘a gleaming copper table holds a neat buffet (shame about the packaged cereals)’. ‘We were served by a lovely, good-humoured woman – exactly who you want to see in the morning.’ Among the ‘interesting variety’ of cooked dishes, ‘I loved the perfectly ripe avocado and expertly fried egg served on a thick slice of rye bread’.