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Britannia Magic - FIVE STAR B&B!

Britannia House - Lymington's only five star rated B&B and still fantastic!

Like many of you, my first visit to Lymington eight years ago was based on the recommendation of various friends and in no small part because I was drawn to the combination of nautical atmosphere and miles of open countryside on the doorstep. I'd been told it was an elegant place with loads of great restaurants and quintessentially English pubs in the surrounding villages as well as being somewhere my female companion could infuriate me with hours of browsing around market stalls and independent shops.

From our London flat, I surfed blindly for the right combination of romantic ambience to carry favour and for my part, those practical essentials like secure

parking and a central location to allow for that extra few glasses of wine for at least one evening, without fear of losing one's license. Britannia House was the only one at that time which ticked all those boxes and the pictures seemed to indicate a nice atmosphere and a bit of quality, but with that appealing eccentricity and attention to detail that makes a place stand out.

After a grotty journey down the M3 in the pouring rain and at the end of a very long week, we turned off at Junction 2 of the M27 to take the route across the Forest, at the time shrouded in sheet rain-filled darkness and wound our way into Lymington feeling somewhat miserable and pessimistic about the weekend. Turning into Mill Lane just the other side of the level crossing, we cut through towards Britannia House which we knew was located at the bottom of Station Street, and out

of the gloom we could see in front of us a truly warming vision. Spotlessly elegant and brightly lit, our home for a few days stood proudly in front of us, and our hosts, conscious of our imminent arrival were standing at the front door with beaming smiles and a King's welcome. Feeling like we'd fought our way across Bodmin Moor and stumbled across Jamaica Inn, we parked the car in one of the off-road spaces and were led to a stunning room where we were pleased to say the photos on the website, had if anything understated the luxury, and the little touches like bathrobes etc. I had previously requested, were carefully arranged on the large sumptuous bed which looked especially inviting that night I remember.

With that sense of relief you get from knowing you've picked a good one, we asked where we could go for a simple pub meal and were guided to the King's Head just down the road where a log fire and a host of Lymington locals embraced and fed us well into the evening. Numbed from the cold and rain by copious amounts of wine and laughter, we wound our way back to bed via Lymington's Quay where the glow of oil fired lamps flickered from the moored yachts and fishing boats and couples like us walked hand in hand oblivious to the wind and rain. Not long later, we were fast asleep in our new home from home, totally content and looking forward to the next couple of days.

The next morning we woke to bright sunshine and soon found ourselves sitting in the wonderful breakfast area which is again bright and spotlessly clean. The combination of the

adjacent open-plan aga warmed kitchen and attractive decor and the masts of yachts literally over the street, further evaporated any remaining city related stress and we tucked into a truly marvellous breakfast and chatted to a couple of the other guests and our hosts. The rest of that weekend was equally as satisfying and I'll save that for another time. In any event, I should say that that weekend at Britannia House was our very first impression of Lymington and a year later we moved down here permanently. A wedding, parenthood and eight years later; we still have a huge affection for Britannia House, for many reasons, and I have often wondered how many people have been through its doors and welcomed to Lymington with the same warmth we discovered. More recently I decided to find out!

Some years ago Britannia House was bought from our previous hosts by Tobias Feilke who from humble beginnings at the world famous Brenner's Park Hotel in Germany, went to Chewton Glen as assistant Manager to Peter Crome and fell in love with the area. Bringing years of experience at the very top of the hotel industry, and as the new guardian of this 'personally cherished' gateway to the town, I was keen to spend some time with Tobias and get an update on what he has added to the business and had a great time being shown round only a few days ago.

I am genuinely pleased to say that not only has that feeling of understated elegance and warmth of welcome not been lost, it has been even more greatly enhanced. Put simply, Tobias is an exceptionally nice guy, who does not compromise on quality and whose background in five star hotels around the world is self-evident. Sure he has an underlying professionalism and treats the business very seriously, but he is also one of those rare people who through sheer hard work and skill has allowed himself also, the opportunity to create an environment where he can enjoy life and meet new people from one of the finest locations in the country if not Europe or the world.

In subsequent visits after we had first discovered Britannia House, we were often frustrated because their only three rooms were fully booked and found ourselves in much inferior accommodation out of town. Tobias has since added a further three rooms in one of the architect designed properties over the road which he has recently acquired and decorated to the same high standard. I gather these rooms have been quickly filled as well but by booking well in advance you can at least have a greater chance of getting in. Also new to the portfolio is an up-market self-catering option for up to six guests, with three en-suite bedrooms, open-plan kitchen and large living room and a balcony with views over the harbour and Isle of Wight. (This is seasonally available subject to availability.)

If you are looking for high quality accommodation in central Lymington, especially with the benefit of off-road parking, you will be hard pushed to beat Britannia House and if like us all those years ago, you are looking for somewhere to escape recession depression and enjoy the simpler things in life, then Lymington is uniquely addictive and is the perfect antidote to your stress. I should also mention that on many occasions we would also not even bother with the car and take the train down here. The train from Waterloo to Brockenhurst is only an hour and a half and the gorgeous slam-door train from there to sleepy Lymington Town Station just down the road from Britannia House is like something out of an old movie and the half hourly service chugs gently across the open forest and arrives at the door of this oasis by the water, that is Britannia House. Similarly, one stop on the train to Lymington Pier at the end of the line and you can take the Isle of Wight ferry across to Yarmouth where the delights of The George and Salty's await to further remind you that life can be fun for a while. If you are only escaping for the weekend, then this way you can eat, drink, be merry and do your bit for the environment! For those still tied to the office, then Wi-Fi facilities and even a laptop can be provided should you need it so that you can read your emails in peace in the wonderfully presented upstairs lounge.

To find out more about Britannia House, check out the website at www.britannia-house.com, but do trust me when I say that it really is first class and one of our top recommendations here at LDC! Lastly I'd also like to congratulate Tobias on his recent engagement and hope that the Britannia 'magic' also brings him many years of future happiness too! ;-) JS

Britannia House (www.britannia-house.com)

Mill Lane

Lymington

Hampshire

SO41 9AY

Tel: +44 (0) 1590 672091