My accommodation host for my 29 September – 3 October 2009 trip to Bournemouth was the Cumberland Hotel arranged courtesy of Hotels.com who offer a wide choice of hotels in Bournemouth.

The Art Deco style hotel is located on the sea front, close to the town centre and Bournemouth Pier.

The Cumberland Hotel, Bournemouth

I was in room 407 which has a south facing balcony with a sea view. The weather was warm and sunny for my first three days, so I spent quite a bit of time enjoying the sunshine and the views from the balcony. In fact I was loathe to leave the balcony as I couldn’t think of anywhere in the area that I’d rather be.

The bedroom is pretty spacious with two padded chairs, in addition to the chair at the desk, where you could sit to watch TV or read as opposed to having to sit on the bed. The bed is king size, comfy but rather low, sitting on a wooden frame which I bumped into several times when walking around the room. There’s loads of wardrobe space. I liked the decor of the room, I thought it gave the room some character.

The bathroom is large and looked as though it had been recently re-tiled. The shower head above the bath is rather old fashioned and there’s a shower curtain.

Breakfast was very good with a large selection of fresh fruit, cereal, croissant, pastries and a hot buffet selection. I thought that some of the tables in the restaurant were a bit close together, making it hard to get in and out when going back and forward to the buffet table.

All the staff I spoke to and observed were customer focused, proactive and very helpful to several older, less mobile guests.

Wifi is available free of charge in the Ventana lounge. I always had a very good signal and was able to upload videos and download software updates quickly. The lounge area is quite sumptuous, with comfortable velvety sofas.

The outdoor pool is a good size with plenty of sun loungers.

The outdoor swimming pool, Cumberland Hotel Bournemouth

If you fancy few days in Bournemouth, I’d recommend that you stump up for a room with a sea view balcony at the Cumberland Hotel. You do have to pay a supplement but if you plan to spend some time relaxing at the hotel, it’s well worth paying the extra.

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