Bristol hotels

In the Hotel du Vin’s case, it’s a huddle of sugar warehouses that give it such character. I’m fond of this place: I stayed when it first opened, part of the 1990s boutique boom that offered guests a fresh alternative to chain hotels, with a rolltop bath or two and decent food (and, of course, this is one of the best hotels in Bristol for its wine).

It may no longer feel as fresh as it was but it has weathered well. The courtyard is a buzzy, fun place to be in summer; the acorn-green bistro serves up reliable French-accented plates such as bourguignon and tarte tatin.

The wine list is as thick as your wrist. And the bedrooms make ample use of original features such as the cast-iron columns – book Harvey’s for the rooftop balcony.

An easy one to find: it’s the building with the large statue of Queen Victoria outside, next to the cathedral. This is Bristol’s original grand hotel, once simply known as The Royal in the days when guests included famous actors and politicians.

That sort of celebrity doesn’t stay now – since being rescued from oblivion by the Marriott group, it feels more business minded – but some of the romance remains. I love the incredible Palm Court with its stained-glass ceiling and balconies, and the chequerboard marble of its lobby.

Bedrooms, by comparison, are smart but fairly neutral, while chandeliers and oil paintings adorn the main lounge. There’s a decent enough steakhouse, whose leather banquettes are as red as the cuts; but the main draw of this large hotel is its central location close to the harbour – and its plentiful supply of rooms.

Bristol may have its historic, Georgian side – the Corn Exchange and the pretty terraces of Clifton Village, for example – but it’s also a very modern city, thanks in part to post-war rebuilding on bomb-damaged land.

Near the aquarium, The Bristol is a classic piece of brutalist architecture, its windows framed by distinctive concrete squares; next door is a listed 1960s car park with a diamond-shaped facade. Interiors are a whole lot softer, with jazzy-print fabrics in the bedrooms (the terracotta-coloured junior suites are most appealing, and this is a good option for accessible rooms) and a bar that feels almost tropical with its rattan furniture and planting.

It’s one of the best hotels in Bristol for cocktails – try a Sweet Sue (gin, lemon, cherry and vanilla) – while the harbour-facing restaurant sources many of its ingredients locally, from the native oysters to the catch of the day from Brixham.

This opened in 2021 just a short walk from the station in the Glassfields district – once the glassworks quarter but more recently one of Bristol’s industrial and distillery areas which is being regenerated. The Leonard is one of the new breed of bright, affordable hotels that values environmental credentials as much as design.

Its redbrick facade, meanwhile, reflects the surrounding warehouses, while the interiors have pops of colour and a starfield of globular lights, with dark blues, blond wood and Banksy-inspired artwork in the bedrooms.

I think it’s a good hotel for a night or two and would suit those looking for a co-working space, too. The restaurant does quick-fix meals, there are local craft ales in the bar, and the vintage shops and cafés of the Old Market are just five minutes away by foot.

Whereas the original Hotel du Vin in Bristol is all about its courtyard atmosphere and interior spaces, this younger sibling – opened in 2018 – is all about looking outward. It’s undoubtedly one of the best hotels in Bristol for its views: of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, to be exact, that grand Victorian achievement spanning the Avon Gorge.

It’s best seen through the picture windows or terrace of the restaurant – whose smokehouse and coal-fired grill puts serious cuts of meat and fish on the plate – or the bar, over a raspberry daiquiri.

Once a 19th-century spa, the hotel has kept original features such as stained-glass windows, marble staircase and wrought-iron canopy, and added amusing historic portraits (look carefully to see the joke) to the burgundy and dark-blue bedroom walls. The adjoining pub, also part of the hotel, is popular with locals.

I like the Moxy brand: they’re smart, seamless hotels that make clever use of space, with friendly staff and a can-do attitude. The one in Bristol is no different. It’s right opposite the Cabot Circus shopping centre and close to Riverside Park – so a 25-minute walk to Harbourside (though you may want to hop in a cab).

Bedrooms are on the small side but are as versatile as a Swiss Army knife, with fold-down work tables, Chromecast TVs, string bags to store things in, and a bedside table that doubles up as a chair, using a squashy brown sofa.

The lobby space, meanwhile, reminds me a little of a daytime TV studio (in a good way), with a mish-mash of chairs, sofas, small tables and long work benches, broken up by room dividers. It’s one of the best hotels in Bristol for solo travellers, as well as for co-working.

This is one of my all-time favourites in Bristol. Its owners opened their first hotel in Brighton in 2008 when they invited local artists to reimagine the interiors of a rundown B&B. Four more hotels followed – this is the most recent.

It’s set in a characterful building – a Victorian boot factory on a residential square near the cool Stokes Croft district – with an aesthetic that takes in bare brick walls and lots of vintage and upcycled furniture. A bamboo four-poster here, an African table lamp there, with pot plants and Pop Arty paintings all around.

If this suggests an artistic mess, it’s not: bedrooms are uncluttered and elegant, ranging from box room to the split-level Look Out. The restaurant/bar is a popular hangout for creatives, who come for the pizzas and cocktails such as the chai milk punch. One of the best hotels in Bristol for a boutique experience.

This off-shoot from the Soho House group began life in Oxfordshire, with the intention of giving the UK something it never had before: an American-style roadside motel with a retro diner. This is the second one, 11 miles outside Bristol on the M5.

So it’s not one for those who want to see all the city sights, but it’s a smart and very affordable option for those who want to dip in and out, then explore the West Country by car. Both the Bristol Zoo Project and inland surfing at The Wave are nearby.

It’s very stylish, looking to Scandinavia for its bedroom design rather than the Midwest, and with bunk rooms for families and groups of friends. The General Store is a one-stop shop for cocktails, snacks and essentials; there are charging points for electric vehicles. One of the best hotels in Bristol for exploring the wider region.

This is more of a smart B&B than a fully-fledged hotel (reception closes at 8 pm), but it’s one of the best hotels in Bristol for its bedrooms. There are just 12 of them, spread across the four floors of a former Georgian merchant’s townhouse. The loft suites are the most desirable, with twin aspect views over Clifton Village and parkland – and all furnished with shuttered windows, wood panelling and freestanding baths. Many have bay windows.

I like the sense of an unhurried pace of life here and the space to breathe. The owner’s impressive art collection decorates the walls – lots of local artists (no Banksy but there’s an original David Hockney). And while there’s no restaurant, the breakfasts are lavish and you can find good restaurants on nearby Whiteladies Road.

One of Bristol’s top hotel choices, this opened in 2023 in one of the city’s architectural secrets: the former Everard’s Printing Works, an Art Nouveau building with a beautifully coloured tiled facade. Walk inside and there’s an expansive lobby with a staircase curving upwards and an angel mural by local artist Inkie decorating the walls.

This is one of the best hotels in Bristol for street art – one of the city’s specialities – as it looks out over a house-sized cartoon wolf on a neighbouring wall. But elsewhere, the hotel does well on its orange-tinged rooms (all 255 of them), which are smart although not oozing with character; and its restaurant, which feels like a destination in itself, with lots of porridge on the menu at breakfast and more comfort-food favourites at other times.