Britannia House

In a coastal town on the edge of the New Forest, with cosy pubs, cobbled back streets and fine Georgian architecture, this Victorian red brick house overlooking the marina is a much-loved B&B that half imagines it’s a stately home. Rhineland-born owner Tobias Feilke is a natural host, as generous with local knowledge and conversation as he has been with fabrics and soft furnishings, swags and tassels, pictures and curios. New arrivals step into a hall displaying a jolly assortment of hats, a suit of armour and a collection of pipes. A dual-aspect first-floor drawing room has views of the marina with the Solent beyond. The Britannia Suite, styled in black and gold, has a bath and walk-in shower. The quietest is the Courtyard, a hand-painted bedroom overlooking the evergreen enclosed garden. There is also a duplex apartment in a town house opposite, with stairs to a lounge with a balcony and views to the Isle of Wight. The kitchen is the warm heart and social hub of the operation, just the place for a kaffeeklatsch, or breakfast cooked on the Aga by Tobias, before a stroll around the harbour. (GB)