The Most Budget-Friendly Hotels in Bournemouth, England

The Royal Exeter is part of the fabric of Bournemouth – and it doesn’t cost a bomb to stay here either. Built in 1812 as the home of town founder Captain Lewis Tregonwell, you’ve all the centre of Bournemouth has to offer on your doorstep. This old classic has managed to move with the times too – BarSo is a great hangout and events space and there’s an air-conditioned workout room available as well.

Opened in 2004, The Orchid wears an oasis-of-calm vibe very well, thanks to a recent refurbishment and its position on a quiet road in East Cliff. The pillows on your bed have “love” stitched on them, there are attractive matt colours on the walls in the communal areas and a pretty terrace at the rear for drinking and eating. The Simply Double rooms are great value, with restful pastel shades and contemporary splashes of orange and pink on the walls. In a word: chilled.

Normally you have to break the bank to go eco-friendly, but not at The Green House, whose environmentally friendly credentials are nonetheless impeccable – solar power heats each of the 32 rooms, waste oil from the kitchen is made into fuel and the coffee beans are composted. You can get beauty treatments in your room, there’s free yoga every Tuesday evening and a special discount available at The Gym down the hill. The Arbor restaurant uses Fairtrade and organic local produce.

At Derby Manor you can enjoy luxury on a budget with furniture inspired by Versace, deep pile carpets and freestanding baths in some of the rooms. A full continental or English breakfast is included and the eggs are great as well ؘ– choose from florentine, royale or benedict. The boutique Edwardian guesthouse is exclusively for adults and is handy for the train station, as well as Boscombe beach. The afternoon tea is rather special, too.

Across the road from Derby Manor is sister hotel Langtry Manor, whose Victorian country-house style is down to former resident, Lillie Langtry, an entrepreneur, model and actress who was also the mistress of the then Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII (the Langtry Collection on the first floor tells of her life). It’s in a great location on the leafy streets of East Cliff, near Boscombe beach.

This is a really lively and fun hotel, full of pop-art pizazz and glorious art deco stylings. The pool in front of the hotel, and just across the road from a steep slope to the coast path and Boscombe Beach, is a big selling point. There are two dining options, the Ventana Grand Café & Cocktail Bar and Mirabelle Restaurant, where with any luck they’ll be serving the baked Mediterranean gnocchi – potato gnocchi with olives, artichoke and baby spinach, rustic tomato sauce and melted brie.

Run lovingly by Duncan and family, this intimate guesthouse serves a great breakfast, with an emphasis on locally sourced produce. The Westby has other green credentials, using eco-friendly power from Ecotricty and bio-friendly cleaning products, plus a focus on recycling and waste management. It’s handy for the O2 Academy and the centre of Boscombe, with a great mix of bars, cafés and shops – try coffee lovers’ favourite Cafe Boscanova for the pancake stacks, veggie and vegan dishes and bohemian buzz.

This restored Victorian guesthouse in Boscombe overlooks pretty Knyveton Gardens and has affordable single rooms. If you can stretch to it though, the luxury double ensuite is well worth it, plenty spacious with a bay window at the front of the property and views over the tennis courts and bowling green in the aforementioned gardens. Typical of the attention to detail shown by owners Jane and Ged is the beautiful greenery at the front of the property, leading you round to the entrance door at the side.