No, this isn’t a view from a yacht in the South of France. This was taken from the deck of the Harbour Hotel, our home on our second night of our #3Generations road trip to the South East of England (to see where else we’ve been click here).
Today’s destination - Southampton!
Seen as the place for cruise ships (it’s the cruise capital of Europe!), it’s where the infamous Titanic set sail from, as well as having plenty of museums, art galleries and attractions to fill your time no matter how long or short your visit.
Where To Stay
Super comfy twin beds at the Harbour Hotel
Two sinks?! Wow!
There’s many oh-so-cool touches
The private deck was a hit with this crawler
Inspired by a super yacht, this is a pretty unique hotel!
The breakfast room
I may have had second helpings. It was so fresh and tasty!
Snuggles with grandma after a dip in the hotel pool
We were incredibly lucky to check-in to the stunning five star Harbour Hotel that only opened back in October ’17. After trying to check in at another hotel with a very similar name (d’oh) our jaws hit the floor when we were shown to our room with that view! The place screams luxury from the comfy beds to the powerful shower, it was a touch of pampering that mum and I thoroughly enjoyed (it all went over Everleigh’s head tbh).
We made the most of the brand new facilities with a dip in the lap pool and a cuppa on the enormous deck watching the world sail past and deciding that we could both get used to this life. Can you blame us?
What To Do
The SeaCity Museum is housed in a former Magistrates court
The rich maritime heritage of the city is explained
The Southampton FC exhibition that’s temporarily running
Trying to get the right spot in front of the green screen
The end result!
Silly hats optional
Because we spent too long lounging around at the hotel we ran out of time to really get our bearings and explore Southampton. Whoops. We did make sure to tick off the SeaCity Museum though. A place that explains Southampton’s role in the story of the Titanic along with the city’s maritime heritage. There was also a temporary Southampton FC exhibition on that even I, as a non football fan, found interesting. The best bit had to be the green screen photo opp. We struggled to position Everleigh as mum and I were laughing too much at her decidedly uninterested pose. Lunch in the on-site cafe was perfect for a tasty sandwich or coffee break.
Where To Eat
Head down pedestrianised Oxford Street to get to the pub
You can’t go wrong with a decent fish and chips
A short walk from our hotel was the White Star Tavern, a trendy gastro pub where hearty plates of classic pub grub are served. Located in the trendy part of town this place has bags of character, squashy chesterfield sofas and lit with industrial bulbs, basically a place you want to get comfy in for a good few hours. But sadly my hopes for a relaxing meal and having a catch up with my mum was scuppered as Everleigh decided she didn’t want to miss a second of the meal either. The joys of travelling with a one year old I guess!
I have to say that we both felt like celebs staying at the Harbour hotel. It was a very special break from reality for us! I’d love to return to Southampton and have a proper good look around, possibly before catching a cruise to some exotic destination … I can dream, right?!
Thanks to Tourism South East for sponsoring this trip. All views are 100% my own.
