The Winchester Hotel, Winchester Review – for a weekend break

The picturesque Hampshire town of Winchester is the ideal place for a weekend of shopping, sightseeing and walking. I met up with my sister at The Winchester Hotel where we stayed for two nights while explore the area. Read on for my review of the Winchester hotel and everything we got up to.

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Entering The Hotel

The Winchester Hotel is a modern brick and glass fronted building with a public car park immediately in front, which doesn’t add to the curb appeal. However, things improve once you enter through the glass-fronted sliding doors into a stylish, modern reception area.

To the right is the Gershwin bar with lots of dark wood, leather chairs and attractive colored glass with a grand piano which I imagine will be tinkling away for drinks that evening.

The hotel is on the edge of town but only a 10 minute walk to the historic center of Winchester and also a short walk from the station, with London only an hour’s train ride away. Their free car park is a real bonus in Winchester, as parking is in short supply in the town center that was never built for cars.

Our Twin Room

On checking in, we are directed to our second floor room, which we can either reach the long way via the lift or the short way via the stairs. Up two flights and at the end of the corridor we find our twin room, under the sloping roof and facing the car park.

It’s not huge and is a little dark with only one small window but is nicely decorated with plenty of storage space and everything we need to use as a base for the weekend.

The Bathroom

A very attractive bathroom had clean, modern fittings, a large mirror and Taylors of London toiletries. There’s an efficient shower above the deep bath in which we enjoy a long hot soak after we’ve walked part of the South Downs Way.

We appreciate the full length mirror, spacious wardrobe, ironing board and hairdryer tucked away in its own compartment in the desk area – a girl always likes to look her best.

There’s a kettle with everything you need to make that essential early morning cup of tea and a fridge to store our snacks with a couple of bottles of complimentary water.

For the bloggers among us there’s a safe to leave my laptop and  free Wi-Fi too – it’s the kind of hotel where I’d happily stay for business as well as for a weekend break in Winchester.

Dinner at The Old Vine

We only stop long enough to leave our bags and then we’re off into town. Our booking for dinner is at The Old Vine, near the Cathedral. This 18th century inn has bags of character, with a restaurant full of old beams. Its old fashioned charm has been given a bit of designer treatment.

They pride themselves on using local ingredients. I go for the smoked salmon mousse with salad which is both pretty and delicious. A pan-fried confit of duck salad scattered with pomegranate seeds followed – very Nigella. It’s all very convivial with plenty of real ales to try and the menu is reasonably priced too.

Breakfast in the Restaurant Area

After a good night’s sleep back at The Winchester Hotel, we allow ourselves a bit of a lie-in before going down to breakfast. In the restaurant area that’s just beyond the bar there are two seating areas to choose from.

We sit in the one that’s light and airy with glass windows along one side facing out to the car-park. Lipstick pink blinds and frosted tree motifs cleverly disguise the view.

The other area is separated by a dark wood dividing wall and is more cozy with shimmering wall-paper and cream leather banquettes as well as more of that colored glass on display.

The Breakfast selection

Once seated we are immediately offered coffee or tea which is brought to our table. We really enjoy the buffet selection of cereals with nuts, seed and dried fruit. There’s also pastries, breads, and a range of cooked breakfast dishes.

The staff are all extremely helpful and we are impressed with the attentive service. Everything we asked for was brought to us very quickly.

After breakfast we pop downstairs to investigate the pool and spa. Although we don’t have time for a dip, it looks very inviting. There’s a small shaped pool and some loungers, more a place for relaxing after a treatment than for a proper swim. If you want exercise you can always use the gym.

Visiting Winchester Cathedral

Fortified by our excellent breakfast we walk into Winchester’s historic center. We head for Winchester cathedral where we find a farmer’s market in full swing. There are plenty of tempting cakes, cheeses and pies to choose from. We decide to buy our lunch of chicken pie and lardy cake to have as a picnic later.

The cathedral is one of Winchester’s main attractions. There’s a charge to visit except at times of worship. Inside there’s a lot to see and guided tours run every half hour or so.

Although the guide’s talk is fascinating, we decide to hire an audio-guide so that we can go at our own speed. It explained all about the Cathedral’s history. We visited the grave of Jane Austin and the flooded crypt with a surreal Antony Gormley sculpture ankle deep in water.

There’s a pleasant glass café in the courtyard opposite, but we skirt around to the cathedral close and admire the flowers in the small Dean Garnier garden. Then we went through the Medieval city gate where we find the house where Jane Austin spent her last weeks before she died.

The Wolvesey Castle and Winchester City Mill

Past the Winchester College we find Wolvesey Castle, the former Bishop’s palace, now in ruins and run by National Heritage. Further on we follow the pretty river walk towards the Winchester City Mill. This is run by the National Trust.

We see grain being ground into flour by the millers and find out about the otters that live under the mill race. By now it’s around lunch time but after our hotel breakfast we’re not yet ready to eat our farmer’s market goodies.

We head back to The Winchester Hotel to pick up our cars and drive a little way out of town for the start of the walk we’ve planned on part of the South Downs Way.

The Flowerpots Inn

Having two cars means that we can do it the lazy way and park a car at each end of the walk, taking us the rest of the afternoon. We walked along wooded lanes with views of the bright yellow rapeseed fields. There’s the odd hare and startled pheasant scuttling away.

The day ends with a Shandy and a lamb hot-pot at The Flowerpots Inn. It has a brewery attached and has won numerous awards for its real ale. Then it’s back to the Winchester Hotel for a long soak in the bath to recover from our walk and another comfortable night.

The Great Hall

It’s Sunday morning and after an excellent breakfast we walk back into town again. There are a couple more things that we don’t want to miss – read about everything we saw in my article 10 fun things to do in Winchester.

We see The Great Hall with the 13th Century painted King Arthur table hanging on the wall. Then we walk a little further up the hill into the Peninsula Barracks.

This was built as a palace for Charles II and then turned into a military barracks. Now these beautiful buildings are private apartments but there are several military museums housed in the grounds.

Mid-morning and it’s time to check out of The Winchester Hotel. So, we decide to drive out of Winchester though the Hampshire countryside.

Visiting Hinton Ampner

Our first stop is the National Trust property of Hinton Ampner. Here we find a country house that was built at the end of the 18th Century. Its interiors were remodeled in elegant Georgian style after a fire that devastated the house in 1960.

The gardens are beautiful too with herbaceous borders overlooking the landscaped parkland. Wildflowers were enclosed by clipped hedges and a pretty All Saints church.

After a late lunch in the tea rooms in the stables my sister heads for home. But, my curiosity has been aroused by the Winchester connections with Jane Austen. I continue to the village of Chawton at the former home of Jane Austen.

It is now open to the public as a Jane Austen House Museum. This was the house where Jane Austen wrote many of her most popular novels. It gave me a fascinating insight into her family life.

The Winchester Hotel

I hope you’re not out of breath after our whistle-stop tour of Winchester and the surrounding area. Actually, there’s far more to see than you could pack into just one weekend. 

The Winchester Hotel provided an attractive and comfortable base for all our explorations and I’d happily stay there again. I’d recommend the hotel for couples and groups of friends who want a high quality and modern hotel. It is well located if you’re arriving by car or train for a visit to Winchester and the Hampshire countryside.

The Winchester Hotel, Worthy Lane, Winchester, SO23 7AB,  Tel: 01962 709988

What we liked about The Winchester Hotel

• Stylish décor in the reception, bar and restaurant areas
• Comfortable, well designed modern style bedrooms and bathrooms with all the amenities you could wish for
• Excellent buffet breakfast, nicely presented with a wide selection to choose from
• High levels of service and friendly, helpful staff
• A good location if driving or arriving by train with a free car park and walking distance to Winchester town center
• Attractive spa and pool area if you like to relax

But not so keen on

• There are no gardens and its probably not a place you’d want to spend much time in the day
• Our room was a little dark and on the small side for 2 people
• With a public car park in front of the hotel, the hotel is lacking in curb appeal

(But these are minor quibbles – the hotel is one of the most popular in Winchester and we could see why.)

Read Next

Discover the Jane Austen trail – in Chawton and Winchester

More articles about Winchester

• 10 things to do in Winchester for a fun weekend
• Meeting Mona Lisa – Boll-Art in Winchester
• Walking the South Downs Way near Winchester

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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