Visit any Hotel du Vin, and there are three things of which you can be assured: you’ll sleep in a luxurious bed, you’ll bathe in a room bigger than some flats and you’ll eat a fantastic breakfast.

The chain specialises in taking old buildings and turning them into hotels, and one of the more recent additions to the roster — Poole — is a typical transformation. The old Mansion House, located in the quaint backstreets of this South West harbour town, is a grand building with a sweeping central staircase.

Poole has a (deserved) reputation for being a bit rowdy on weekend nights. But the hotel is well away from that, and is a haven of luxury. An afternoon stroll around the harbour, drinks in the bar, dinner in the bistro — as reliable in its simple, hearty food as the rest of the chain’s restaurants — and then retiring well rested and fed for a DVD on your plasma TV is a perfect way to enjoy a quick getaway. We managed all that with a three-month-old baby, who slept contentedly in the cot provided. We were greeted late at night by a receptionist who was efficient and friendly, and made sure we were given immediate access to our room so we could change the baby. Check-in followed our needs, not the hotel’s. And when we rang for various room service requirements during our stay, they arrived so soon we were genuinely puzzled how they did it. They even managed my Racing Post — a request which defeats many hotels. Other luxury hotels may offer all sorts of lures but the Hotel du Vin is a guarantee of comfort.

RATES: £115 to £275
TEL: 01202 785570