Fifty Shades of Grey

We were pleasantly surprised on arrival at the Hotel du Vin in Winchester earlier this week. Our room, although not huge, was clean, well designed and extremely comfortable, and had the benefit of a large ensuite bathroom. Never one to miss a photo opportunity I set to work with my camera before unpacking my bag. The hotel is described as being housed within one of Winchester’s most important Georgian buildings dating back to 1715.

The 24 individually decorated bedrooms feature scrumptious hand sprung mattresses with goose feathered duvets and pillows which are covered in stunningly soft Egyptian cotton covers and cases, Nespresso coffee facilities, mini-bars, satellite television and air conditioning. The bathrooms, meanwhile, boast monsoon power showers which are renowned; oversized baths, fluffy towels and robes.

We were not disappointed. Our light and airy room was decorated in muted shades of grey and teal. Perhaps not as many as fifty, but the subtle variety of textures and finishes flowed effortlessly across the furniture, light fittings, upholstery fabric, wallpaper, paintwork, tiles and window blinds, giving a modern chic appearance.

This was the first Hotel du Vin. It was opened in 1994 by James Martin as Head Chef at the tender age of 22, where he purportedly changed the menu everyday.   It was a spring-board to the hotel opening up 9 further hotels over the next 10 years. Despite not actually eating in the Bistro we had an immensely enjoyable time exploring the the delights of Winchester. Visit https://www.hotelduvin.com/locations/winchester/?gclid=CKPAnPq-4sMCFRHKtAodxSIAKA