HAMPSHIRE & DORSET - England 2012 and the Best of Wales - page 310

at the Brasserie (see above). Insider tip: The hotel website occasionally advertises
low-season doubles at £99 for direct bookings.
Quay St., Yarmouth, Isle of Wight PO41 0PE. www.thegeorge.co.uk. & 01983/760331. Fax [phone].
17 units. £190-£287 double. Rates include English breakfast. 2-night minimum Sat. AE, MC, V. Parking £6.
Amenities: Restaurant (see above); bar; room service. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer. Bus: 7
Seaview Hotel Old-fashioned seaside charm is what the Isle of Wight is all
about—and few places capture that mood as well as the Seaview. There's been a hotel
here since 1898, and rooms in the original building retain a traditional feel (but no
shortage of modern comforts). Go for a Gold room at the front for giant bay windows
and Solent views. Newer “Seaview Modern” rooms are larger and pleasantly contem-
porary, but lack the character of the nautically themed main building. Hotel staff is
as welcoming as anywhere on this friendly island.
High St., Seaview, Isle of Wight PO34 5EX. www.seaviewhotel.co.uk. & 01983/612711. Fax 01983/
613729. 28 units. £125-£220 double; from £210 suite. Rates include English breakfast. MC, V. Free street
parking. Amenities: Restaurant; bar. In room: TV/DVD, CD player, Internet (free). Bus: 8.

7

BOURNEMOUTH
104 miles SW of London; 31 miles SW of Southampton
This south-coast resort at the doorstep of the New Forest didn't just happen:
Bournemouth was carefully planned and executed—a true city in a garden, with
Dorset's best sandy beach —and it's filled with an abundance of Victorian and
Edwardian architecture. (The resort was discovered back in Queen Victoria's day, when
sea bathing became an institution, and the beach hut was “invented” here in 1908.)
Bournemouth's most distinguished feature is its chines—narrow, shrub-filled,
steep-sided ravines along the coastline. For the best view of them, walk along the
waterfront promenade, appropriately called the Undercliff. These days, the artificial
reef off adjacent Boscombe attracts a surfing crowd, who pack the sands alongside
the traditional bucket-and-spade family visitors.
Essentials
GETTING THERE A train from London's Waterloo Station to Bournemouth takes
2 hours, with frequent service throughout the day, with round-trips from around £49.
Bournemouth also has direct rail links with the New Forest (including Brockenhurst),
Birmingham, and Manchester.
If you're driving, take the M3 southwest from London then the M27 westbound, fol-
lowed by the A31, and then the A338 south to Bournemouth. Insider tip: In summer
months, the A31 and A338 can get very busy. Leave early, or bring plenty of patience.
VISITOR INFORMATION The Tourist Information Centre is at Westover
Road ( & 08450/511701; www.bournemouth.co.uk). From June through August,
it's open daily from 9:30am to 5pm. Between February and May, and during October
and November, it's open Monday to Saturday 10am to 4:30pm. In December and
January, hours are Monday to Friday 10:30am to 4pm. For more on local beaches and
watersports, see www.coastwiththemost.com .
Exploring Bournemouth & Boscombe
It's probably only worth a special journey here if you (or the children) like a beach .
This seaside resort has 7 miles of uninterrupted sands stretching from Hengistbury Head