The Priory
Idyllically situated by a Saxon church with gardens bordered by the River Frome, this 16th-century priory has cast off its monk’s habit to become a characterful hotel. More
Good Hotel Guide Review
Idyllically situated by a Saxon church with gardens bordered by the River Frome, this 16th-century priory has cast off its monkâs habit to become a characterful hotel. Each beautifully styled bedroom has its own charm, some with beams, sloping ceilings, and antiques, perhaps up steep staircases tucked in the eaves with river views, others looking on to the garden or courtyard. All have binoculars, fresh fruit and milk. The most opulent are in the waterside Boat House, where Mallard mini-suite has a four-poster, a balcony, a spa bath and walk-in shower, and Swan has a lounge with French doors to a riverside veranda. âEven in February, walking the short distance to the restaurant was not a chore,â writes a trusted reader. Dinner is no longer served in the ârather gloomyâ Abbotâs Cellar, but in the âlight, modernâ garden restaurant, where Stephan Guinebaultâs menus include dishes such as loin of Purbeck venison with thyme jus or beetroot and goatâs cheese risotto. âDinner was excellent, and breakfast equally goodâ with freshly squeezed juices, grilled kipper, smoked fish, crushed avocado on sourdough toast. (ML, and others)
Hotel details
Address
Church Green
Wareham
Dorset
BH20 4ND
England
Telephone
01929 551666
Bedrooms
17. Some on ground floor, 4 suites in Boat House, 1 suitable for disabled.
Open
all year.
Facilities
sitting room, drawing room, snug bar, 2 dining rooms, in-room TV (Freeview), spa treatments, 4½-acre gardens (croquet, river frontage, moorings, fishing), parking, EV charging, restaurant wheelchair accessible.
Background music
in public rooms; pianist in drawing room Sat evenings ‘and special occasions’.
Children
not under 14.
Dogs
not allowed.
Credit cards
Amex, MC, Visa.
Prices
B&B doubles from £220, singles from £176. Fixed-price dinner £57.50. 1-night bookings refused high season, peak weekends.
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