We have just returned home from a wonderful family stay at The Bristol Hotel. The hotel is in the trendy Harbourside area of Bristol and is a great base to explore the city. This is our review of The Bristol Hotel.
The 1960’s building of The Bristol Hotel was originally built as a motel, and is now a listed building along with the concrete honeycomb façade of the adjoining car park. First impressions aside, the exterior belies the beautiful interior of the hotel.
As you enter the bright and open lobby area with beautiful flower displays, you have the feeling of impending luxury. On a table in the centre of the lobby there were complimentary newspapers and fruit infused water.
Check-in was welcoming, fast and efficient and although check-in was from 2pm our rooms were ready on arrival at 10.30am. There are lots of beautiful communal spaces to relax in, with a stylish bar, a lounge with comfy sofas, and a bright glass-fronted restaurant.
We were given our keys for each room and the children were extremely excited about having their own bedroom during our stay. As you step out of the lift onto the second floor the hallways en route to our rooms feature circular sofas and luxury oversized floor lamps.
Rooms
The hotel has 187 rooms across four different categories – standard, superior, deluxe and a junior suite.
Our two interconnecting Superior rooms were modern and tastefully decorated, with a cool contemporary décor . Our rooms came with a double-sized bed, a seating area with a comfy armchair as well as a great size desk and plenty of power points if you needed to catch up on work.
The beds had the highest quality linens and were extremely comfortable and we certainly had a good night’s sleep.
Our rooms contained the facilities you’d expect in this standard of hotel – large flat screen TV, complimentary high speed WiFi, tea and coffee making facilities and a selection of magazines.
But there were also so many thoughtful little touches. We arrived back to the hotel after a busy day in Bristol and were pleasantly welcomed with a plate of handmade macaroons, small chocolates, mineral water and small gifts for the children. This was a greatly appreciated gesture and what makes The Bristol such a special family hotel.
In the girls bedroom they soon made themselves at home by decorating the beds with their favourite soft toys.
In each room there was also a cupboard with a full-length mirror on the door which contained the safe, iron, and ironing board.
Our bedrooms had a city view whilst other bedrooms offered a harbour view. The secondary glazing kept any noise from the busy road to a minimum and we were not disturbed during the night.
The smart beige and black marble en-suite bathrooms were compact consisting of a shower over the bath but were maintained to a very high standard and came complete with delightful Temple Spa toiletries.
The Deluxe and junior suite rooms at The Bristol boast upgraded facilities such as a Nespresso coffee making machine, bathrobe and slippers, complimentary newspaper and a later check out time
River Grille Restaurant
After a busy day out in Bristol we didn’t want to venture out again and chose to make it easy dining at The River Grille, the hotel’s restaurant for our evening meal.
With exquisite floor to ceiling windows and Harbourside views the setting was calm and relaxed yet very child friendly. The live piano music in the background added to the ambience, much to the delight of my daughter who is a keen pianist.
Whilst we were waiting for our main course a complimentary salmon mousse canape was served . My husband ordered a locally sourced rib eye steak from 28 day aged West Country beef and I ordered The Bristol Burger which came with fries. Our meals were delicious and the service was great.
The hotel offered a children’s menu, which was a little limited in choice but this was not an issue as the chef made the girls hand battered locally caught cod, fries and mushy peas. The children’s meals were very reasonably priced at £5 and were of the highest quality.
There was an extensive cocktail menu to choose from and I choose my favourite champagne peach Bellini, whilst my husband enjoyed a local Bath ale.
The dinner experience was highly rated with very attentive, highly trained staff. We would highly recommend the River Grille to dine in whether a local or staying at the hotel.
Breakfast
Breakfast was absolutely fantastic at The Bristol Hotel, served in the River Grille restaurant it had fabulous views of the waterfront. With live background music from the pianist on the mezzanine level it was very pleasant way to start the day.
We were greeted upon arrival and a beautiful buffet selection awaited us which included, a selection of cereals, dried fruit and nuts selection, pastries, muffins, a gluten free section, fresh fruit, yogurts, cold meats and salmon and a hot breakfast counter.
We were advised the juice of the day was apple and cranberry which was a hit with my youngest daughter and the smoothie of the day was raspberry.
Lots of the items on the breakfast menu such as the cakes and breads were homemade and we loved the fact that the majority of the food selection on offer was locally sourced and of the highest quality.
Once more the level of service received during breakfast was exceptional and this high level of customer service is a credit to the hotel management because it really does make a difference during your stay. They even provided the girls with paper bags so they could take away their favourite breakfast items such as fresh fruit, yogurts and muffins to take with us on our trip to Bristol Zoo.
The location
After checking in to our room we enjoyed making the most of the hotel’s great location at Bristol Harbourside consisting of family friendly café’s, restaurants and attractions.
We visited The Bristol Aquarium and the At-Bristol Science Centre which was right on our doorstep. Within 15 minutes you are able to reach the majority of Bristol’s main attractions such as Brunel’s SS Great Britain, The MShed, the Cathedral, the Hippodrome Theatre and shopping at the fabulous Cabot Circus.
Clifton and Bristol Zoo which we visited on our last day in Bristol was just a 10 minute drive away.
The hotel was easy to find by car and there was an NCP car park adjacent to the hotel with plenty of spaces available. Guests can validate their parking ticket at the hotel reception and pay a lower daily charge of £5 per day or on some room packages complimentary parking is available.
Overall
The Bristol Hotel is an excellent family friendly luxury hotel and is highly recommended. We had such a wonderful stay and it was the perfect location for us explore the great family attractions that Bristol has to offer.
Our Video Review
The Bristol Hotel
Address: The Harbourside, Prince Street, Bristol BS1 4QF
Tel +44 (0) 117 923 0333 E-mail: bristol@doylecollection.com
Web Address – The Bristol Hotel
Wow that breakfast does look amazing and they have a smoothie of the day?! My boys wouldn’t want to leave!
I’m very pleased to hear they have interconnecting rooms too. Very handy for families.
We loved the Bristol Hotel and the city of Bristol. The breakfast was superb and the hotel was amazing, perfect for families especially with interconnecting rooms.