Captain’s Club Hotel

You can relax on a terrace beside the River Stour to the sound of lapping waves and popping corks at this streamlined, nautical-themed luxury hotel, spa and popular wedding venue. Launched in 2006 on the site of the old Pontins, it’s as family- and dog-friendly as any holiday camp, but bingo has given way to boat trips, sing-songs to sybaritic spa days. ‘The position of the hotel is lovely,’ writes a reader, who recommends the £1 ferry trip across the water to walk the Stour Valley Way. There are river views through floor-to-ceiling windows, from cosy double and twin rooms, dog-friendly family rooms and luxury two- and three-bedroom self-catering suites. Food is served outdoors and in the restaurant, lounge and, on chilly days, by the fire in the Quay bar. Perhaps potted Dorset crab, fishcakes or Captain’s Club ciabatta from the lounge menu; Poole Bay oysters, mushroom linguine or rack of lamb in the restaurant. Breakfast is ‘excellent, with plenty of fruit and seeds and delicious yogurts’, the full English or veggie, antioxidant juice for the morning after the night before.