Southampton Harbour Hotel & Spa

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Harbour Hotels has 15 venues across the UK. From Cornwall to Bristol, these luxury hotels peek out over the water, and we were delighted to be invited to Southampton Harbour Hotel to see all that it had to offer.

Hotel Review: Southampton Harbour Hotel & Spa

At first glance, you would be forgiven for mistaking this hotel for a superyacht! The only 5-star hotel in the city, Southampton Harbour Hotel & Spa, is located right in the harbour, a contemporary design in a small marina. My first impressions were that this would be an incredible location for a seaside wedding. The location is stunning, and the hotel turned out to match!

Our suite

Natural light pours in through the expansive glass panels that surround the hotel, it’s beautifully light, with stunning views of the marina and Solent beyond.

The hotel has 119 luxury rooms, including 10 suites and 10 studios. We checked in and were shown to our suite – the Presidential Suite on the fifth floor. Décor is, of course, nautical, with a navy and white palette. It’s fresh, modern, light and bright.

The suite itself was breathtaking. Warm and homely whilst being utterly luxurious, it had a beautiful dining area and a comfy corner sofa.

The sweeping doors led to the balcony and more sea views, which I think would be the perfect spot for some fun parties.

Ideal for a mini-moon or stag or hen party! There was champagne on ice for us and some binoculars to gaze upon the water, and we also spotted the signature sherry and gin crystal decanters that every Harbour Hotel room holds.

With signature SHH pillows and super soft 400 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, the bed was so inviting, and the whole suite just had the air of relaxed luxury. His and hers basins and a walk-in shower completed the bathroom, with White Company products ready to use. The suite was so spacious you could live there – I’d consider moving in, waking up to those sea views every day!

HarSPA

Southampton Harbour Hotel’s HarSPA is just lovely. It boasts a swimming pool as well as a hydrotherapy pool, steam room, mud rasul and gym.

A balcony with sun loungers allows a little relaxation under the sun, and the spa is surrounded by windows, so you can always see the sea!

My massage was incredible, the steam room was relaxing and I just couldn’t fault the spa, it would be perfect for a pre or post-wedding retreat. Just a stone’s throw from the New Forest, the location would be gorgeous to just slip away for a short escape in nature, with the sea, the forest and the ultimate luxury of the spa.

Weddings at Southampton Harbour Hotel

If you’re after a contemporary nautical vibe for your wedding, this is the place for you! The hotel has two locations for your wedding, is fully licensed, and you can even hire the whole hotel for a weekend celebration. Georgina gave us a tour of the available spaces before we enjoyed our evening meal.

The Bow has a capacity of 350 guests, with 250 for dining. With floor-to-ceiling windows, it has wonderful panoramic views of the marina and Solent.

The Needles is slightly smaller with a capacity of 150 guests or 100 for dining. Again, it has sweeping views through its floor-to-ceiling windows.

Both rooms are flooded with natural light, and with so many windows and a neutral colour palette, would be easy to stamp your own personality on. The smaller room, The Needles, can be divided up even further, into four smaller rooms, so the hotel is well-placed to cater for a wedding of any size.

Decorated with fresh flowers, greenery and sparkling lights, these rooms would be ideal for a fresh, contemporary wedding, with the sea providing a gorgeous backdrop. Wedding breakfast menu options are packed with locally sourced ingredients, and the team can recommend local suppliers to provide everything you need for your day.

Eating at Southampton Harbour Hotel

There are a couple of options for dining at the hotel; HarBAR on 6^th, a spectacular rooftop bar, kitchen and club, and The Jetty, sister restaurant to The Jetty in Christchurch and offering locally-caught seafood with more of those stunning sea views.

We dined at HarBAR, which has floor-to-ceiling windows and great views, and we just had to sample some local seafood. The menu has great variety, with mackerel ceviche or maple-cured beef fillet as options to start and monkfish, duck and steak as mains.

I chose beautiful scallops as a starter, served with celeriac puree, apple jelly and hazelnuts, and it was truly incredible. A fillet of salmon followed, with green tagliatelle and white wine cream which was so delicious, the best salmon I think I’ve eaten! Delicious dark chocolate, coffee and whisky mousse finished the meal perfectly.

The restaurant manager, Jamie was so friendly, suggesting a different wine for each dish, and the restaurant itself was spacious and romantic, overlooking the water (of course!).

Turndown at Southampton Harbour Hotel

With curtains drawn and the room turned down, we were ready for a sleep after such a gorgeous meal, but we couldn’t resist a peek behind the curtains, to see the harbour all lit up; it was breathtaking, just so pretty.

We slept soundly, but couldn’t wait to see the sunrise, so left the curtains open for a natural wake-up call.

Breakfast at Southampton Harbour Hotel and some final thoughts

A fresh and hot vegetarian full English buffet awaited us, and we took our time over it, not wanting to leave!

This is a stunning modern, light, luxury hotel, perfect for a romantic getaway, minimoon, pre-wedding party or retreat, and just a stunning location for a wedding. It has something for everyone, and with those views over the harbour, you can imagine you’re docked on a superyacht anywhere in the world! We can not recommend the hotel highly enough, we were treated so well.

We were lucky enough to visit another Harbour Hotel, Christchurch Harbour Hotel, and you can read our review here.

Book your wedding or luxury weekend away here