Captain’s Club Hotel

Short of piping you aboard, they could scarcely be more welcoming at this luxurious, fun, dog-friendly hotel, with the sleek lines of a cruise ship, on the banks of the Stour. ‘We had a super time. They couldn’t have looked after us better,’ wrote a trusted reader on a fourth visit. Accommodation ranges from cosy doubles to self-catering family suites. The style is smart contemporary, with river views through floor-to-ceiling windows. All have 24-hour room service and aromatherapy toiletries. ‘The hospitality tray had assorted tea bags, coffee pods for the espresso machine, home-made ginger biscuits in a Kilner jar.’ There is casual all-day dining in the Club Lounge and on the terrace; a more formal ambience in the restaurant. Typical dishes: moules frites, steak from the plancha, risotto of New Forest mushrooms. ‘The quality and presentation was excellent.’ On a chilly day you might have drinks and nibbles by the fire in the Quay bar, with live jazz on Sundays. Breakfast, served until 11 am, brings Loch Fyne smoked salmon, the full English, full vegetarian, eggs Benedict with Dorset ham. (JC, IM)