It's a nice surprise to find a comfort-able, stylish - and affordable - hotel right in the midle of a town centre.
The Bristol Hotel was the city's first modern hotel, built in 1960, alongside its Floating Harbour. Around the same time the harbour was regenerated and emerged as a tourist area - but not in the usual tacky sense. The area is attractive, busy and fun. And very close by.
Some rooms have views of the harbour tip where it narrows down to a canal. Our room overlooked the wharf, and it was easy to pick out Bristol's handsome cathedral and the university neogothic tower.
Our room also featured an exquisitely comfortable bed and modern touches, such as an iPod dock and Nespresso machine.
The River Grille restaurant, handsome in brown wood and floor-to-ceiling windows, was a great space to devour the huge breakfast buffet while watching the activity on the harbour walk and footbridge. By night the lighting is dimmed and it transforms into something more romantic. The à la carte dinner menu was extensive and full of south-western delicacies.
There is plenty to see and do just five minutes away: the Aquarium, the Science Centre, the Architecture Centre and a wave of wharfside restaurants and shops, as well as Bristol Packet boat trips. Even the buskers are worth listening to.
Then there is the M Shed, a museum of Bristol life, and the Harbour Railway, where you can sign up to drive a real steam train.
The pièce de resistance, and a great day out for the family, is the superb SS Great Britain, Brunel's giant ship, exquisitely restored after it had sailed a million miles around the world - easily the best display of its kind I've ever seen. It includes giant propellers, three-storey pistons and a fully kitted-out museum. Plus you have the opportunity to take your own pictures wearing Victorian garb. A must-see.
Tip: The most elegant way to arrive is by train to Bristol Temple Meads and from there by Bristol Ferry boat.
And of course, it's worth noting that Bristol is Britain's premier cycling town; you can find out more from www.bristolcyclingcampaign.org.uk.
