Hotel du Vin Stratford-upon-Avon

The hotel combines the historic building with modern interior design in a tasteful way that only Hotel du Vin are able to pull off. Like many hotels in historic buildings, each of the rooms is unique.

The hotel has 46 air-conditioned rooms and suites, which all have big comfortable king-size beds, a writing desk, a plasma TV, ironing facilities, a minibar, complimentary gin and tonic, tea and coffee making facilities including coffee machines and a large en suite bathroom with a walk-in drench shower. Three of the hotel’s rooms are adapted for guests with disabilities.

The hotel’s suites are larger with separate living and sleeping areas and include extras such as a roll-top bath.

Like other hotels in the Hotel du Vin chain, the emphasis here is on quality food and wine and Bistro du Vin, the hotel’s restaurant, is well regarded.

Bistro du Vin is a French-style bistro with an extensive wine list. The food can be good value compared with other restaurants of a similar standard, particularly if you eat from the prix fixe menu. The food here is primarily French classics alongside modern British dishes and it is noted for its signature Sunday lunch (which you can also get at other Hotels du Vin).

You can also dine in the lovely courtyard area, complete with an olive tree and lavender bushes, which can lend a Mediterranean feel if you’re lucky enough to visit on a sunny day.

The hotel also has a bar with a cosy atmosphere and a more casual menu than the restaurant. While the bar is a nice spot for a drink with a large selection of gin, rum and whisky, it would be a shame to spend all your time here when you could be out exploring Stratford’s many excellent pubs.

Even if you’re not staying here, it is worth popping in for the bar and restaurant or for Hotel du Vin’s excellent (but pricey) afternoon tea, which is served daily from noon till 5pm.

Hotel du Vin doesn’t have any of the extra features in its public areas that you find in other hotels in the same price range. This means that you won’t find a swimming pool, spa or a gym here but it does mean that the hotel can focus on the areas that matter the most such as the rooms and the bar and restaurant.

Free Wi-Fi wireless internet access is available throughout the hotel.

The hotel is on the western edge of the town centre and it is only a two-minute walk to Stratford-upon-Avon’s main shopping street. Most other points of interest in Stratford are within a 10-minute walk from here, except for Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, which is a 20-minute walk away.

Photos: Hotel du Vin [CC BY-ND 2.0]