For a naughty weekend away, the Hotel du Vin chain is a favourite and its Bristol outpost is particularly cool if you're trying to impress. Lying in a restored 1700s sugar warehouse close to the waterfront, it's all stunning double-height loft suites, low-lit bistro and courtyard drinking. The 40 bedrooms' interiors won't disappoint, particularly the delightfully squishy white Egyptian cotton linen on the huge king-size beds and free-standing roll top baths big enough for two.
This is the place to book if you want 24 hours away somewhere romantic and tranquil that won't bankrupt you. All 12 rooms are named after poets at this country retreat and I particularly liked Shakespeare, with its sunken bath and outside garden and hot tub. However, my favourite part of the hotel was the separate pool house with heated outside pool, honesty bar, music and magazines: a little bit of LA in Essex. And dinner just down the road on the terrace at Le Talbooth overlooking the River Stour is a treat, particularly the Monday barbecue night.
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