Best hotels in Bristol | CN Traveller

This hotel might not look like much from the outside (unless you’re into brutalism) yet step through its doors and The Bristol hits with full main character energy. Picture ornate frosted-glass chandeliers, elaborate flower arrangements, and wedding parties dressed to the nines, flutes of champagne in hand. Just off the lobby, a chessboard-patterned carpet leads upstairs to Rick’s Bar, which has a speakeasy spirit and a solid cocktail list (Rick’s Gin Martini is the go-to order). Just off the bar, find The River Grille, a slick brasserie serving steaks, seafood and the occasional French classic. The bright, airy space promises views of the Harbourside, and hosts live piano music at weekends. Elsewhere, the hotel’s 187 rooms are quietly elegant, decorated in soft, neutral tones and punctuated with floral cushions and bright-coloured armchairs. As locations go, The Bristol Hotel is hard to beat. The Hippodrome, M Shed Museum and Floating Harbour are all within a short walk away, while the Arnolfini Gallery is practically on the hotel’s doorstep.

Address: Prince St, Bristol BS1 4QF
Price: from about £118 per night

Hort’s Townhouse

Walking into an unassuming Young’s pub on Broad Street in the heart of Bristol, you’d never guess that just above are 19 gorgeous Art Deco-style rooms. Tiptoe upstairs, past bevelled mirrors and old-school Bugatti posters to find them. Depending on which one you enter, your eyes may gravitate towards oversized scalloped headboards, navy wood-panelled walls, luxuriant gold velvet curtains or sleek parquet floors – it’s like stepping back into the 1920s. Back downstairs, the Art Deco theme is more subtle: a dark, elegant palette, wood-panelled walls, clusters of framed photographs (some of Bristol), and leather banquette seating. It’s exactly the kind of place you’d want to hole up with a plate of fish and chips after a long day mooching around the city.

Address: 49 Broad St, Bristol BS1 2EP
Price: from about £119