Forest Lodge Hotel, Lyndhurst, New Forest

Just a five-minute stroll into the centre of Lyndhurst, this is a great location to explore the New Forest giving you access to the boutique shops and bars of the town as well as the acres of countryside that surrounds it. In summer you can catch the open-top tourist bus. The wonderful rhododendrons and azaleas of Rhinefield Ornamental Drive are a five minute drive away. The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is 15 minutes by car.

By car: 25 minutes from Southampton, 33 minutes from Bournemouth and 2 hours from Bristol. Free parking is available at the hotel.

By train: Brockenhurst, Beaulieu Road and Ashurst New Forest stations are a 10-minute drive away, with trains from Bournemouth (30 mins) and Southampton Central (10 mins). Book trains.

A conservatory in the entrance area of this Georgian building lets in lots of light and outside there is plenty of colourful planting. Cosy up on a leather sofa in the lounge or take a stool at the bar. The breakfast room with its floor-to-ceiling windows is a prime spot for weddings.

Service is friendly by a young and enthusiastic team who will offer to help you carry your bags up the stairs to the rooms. You may have to walk several corridors to get to the indoor pool and bathrobes are only provided in the higher room category, so it is worth requesting one if necessary.

• Restaurant

• Bar

• Indoor swimming pool
• Family rooms
• Accessible room

• Terrace

• Garden

• Family-friendly
• Pet-friendly

• Free parking

• Free Wi-Fi

The rooms feel a bit corporate with cream-painted walls and dark wood furniture, with throws and cushions in muted colours of sage and orange. Bathrooms come with surprisingly powerful showers, albeit with many of them above the bath. Superior rooms boast robes and coffee machines.

Room types: Cosy Keepers, Classic Agisters, Superior Crowns, Family Verderer

Key amenities: ensuite bathroom with Temple Spa bath products, TV, 24-hour room service, tea and coffee-making facilities, free Wi-Fi

Although the restaurant lacks a little atmosphere (the breakfast room with its floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the garden is much brighter), the food at the 1820 Grill and Brasserie is very good. They pride themselves on hand-cut steaks but also presented a perfectly cooked herb-crumb hake fillet with crab bisque.

1820 Grill and Brasserie: classic dining, local steaks, afternoon teas. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Mains from £14. Breakfast is served in the bright and airy Forest Room.