Berwick Lodge

Statement furniture, chandeliers and mosaic-floored bathrooms give an elegant and exotic edge to the guest rooms at Berwick Lodge, a boutique country house hotel on the outskirts of Bristol that has all the hallmarks of Old England but inside displays the colour and flair of Turkey. Fabric, furnishings and artefacts from Istanbul decorate the guest rooms and complement the building’s original character and features. This marriage of styles from east and west is a reflection of the English-Turkish roots of the hotel’s owners who have spent over a decade creating this luxury retreat.

Each of the 14 rooms at Berwick Lodge has its own character and style; there’s nothing homogenous here. You certainly won’t find another bed like the one in Troya, which was created from the carved wooden pulpit of an old church, with steps leading up to each side and a flatscreen TV rising from the foot of the bed. A number of other rooms have four-poster or sleigh beds and there are roll-top baths and mosaic floors in the most luxurious bathrooms. Whichever room you choose, an en-suite bathroom, TV and tea- and coffee-making facilities come as standard – even though the decoration is anything but.

Downstairs, the hotel’s restaurant, Hattusa, has a similarly sumptuous style, serving up Modern British cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner — not to mention afternoon tea, which can, in good weather, be taken outside in the garden (or in the cosy lounge with an open fire, depending on the season). From parts of the grounds and hotel, you can see all the way to Wales, thanks to the hotel’s location in the far northwest of Bristol. This means it’s easy to reach from the M5 and not far to the M4 crossing over the Severn, and is an ideal base from which to explore this part of the South West. You couldn't get much closer to Bristol's inland surfing lagoon, The Wave, and Bristol city centre isn't far away either. Whether you want to explore the city or escape it, this country-style hotel beyond the suburbs is a very enticing retreat.