Southampton is a city steeped in history and home to the Premier League football team Southampton FC, nicknamed the Saints. Stay here for seaside fun and to learn more about the UK’s seafaring past. Here are the best places to stay in Southampton, all bookable with Culture Trip.
In central Southampton, Elizabeth House is a happy marriage of two Victorian buildings, first opened as a hotel in the 1960s. Ensuite rooms are simple guesthouse-style affairs, with Mineral Spa toiletries and power showers. Common areas include an art-deco restaurant bar with an adjoining walled garden for the warmer months. Breakfast spans from healthy to hearty with a choice of peaches and granola or poached haddock.
Equidistant between Palmerston Park and Southampton’s historic waterfront, the Moxy is Marriott’s neon-lit take on a boutique hotel, with bags of character and individual accents aplenty. Unusual features include a stash of Gibson guitars and VOX speakers, inviting you to play; plus shipping containers and life rings that nod to Southampton’s nautical heritage. In the brightly decorated lobby-bar, check-in is accompanied by a gratis drink, so you can practise what sailors do best.
Dubbed as ‘the world’s first hometel’, Room2 stands out among Southampton’s hotels for offering self-catering options. Individually-styled studios bring together the best of hotel and home comforts. Each kitchenette comes complete with a recipe book for cooking in and suggestions for ordering takeaways and to-your-door groceries. Memory-foam king-size beds and blackout blinds pave the way for a good sleep. Superfast wifi and comfortable spaces set you up for work or play. Daily room sprucing is available, check-in is online and you get a full 24-hour stay window (from 2pm until 2pm), rather than being booted out before noon.
If you’re not immediately won over by the quirky cruise-ship design and port-side location of Southampton Harbour Hotel, the spa is likely to do the trick. The hotel’s nautical theme extends to beauty treatments, with a surprisingly good shell massage on offer. Rooms stick to the nautical theme, with blue walls and harbour views. As a plus, the hotel offers complimentary sherry and gin.
Ennio’s Italian restaurant is renowned locally, and the 10 rooms in this boutique hotel are equally luxurious. The five-star offering was once a warehouse where wealthy Titanic passengers stored their luggage before setting sail. It has a firm focus on quality, with king-size beds, L’Occitane toiletries and sumptuous velvet throws. Located a short walk from the ferry terminals, it’s in a prime location for exploring the town – but on colder days you’ll want to tuck into a plate of pasta before you leave.
Grand by name, grand by nature – this iconic building on the waterfront stands out thanks to its eye-catching glass pyramid design. It was sold to a new owner in 2021 and will be undergoing a makeover within the next few years, but the developers have promised to “retain its renowned ambience”. The hotel features a Marco Pierre White steakhouse and the relaxing Serenity Spa.
Built into the Medieval city walls, the Pig, a 12-bedroom boutique, instantly feels like somewhere special. There’s a modern country feel about the place, and the pine furniture, roll-top baths and enthusiastic staff make guests feel well looked after. Be sure to book dinner at the Pig in Brockenhurst; you’ll be chauffeured there in the hotel’s own Land Rover. The next morning, enjoy the deli counter where you can pick exactly what you fancy for breakfast.
Hugh McNaughtan contributed additional reporting to this article.
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