Dukey1

Will be arriving Heathrow the morning of October 25th (a Sunday); ship departs Southampton on the 27th.

Had thought of spending the time in London (been many times) but now considering somewhere within easy reach of Southampton by rail (Salisbury, perhaps) or we could also rent a car and drop it in Southampton.

Salisbury came to mind because of the cathedral; we have been to see the "stones" in Avebury but not really explored Wiltshire otherwise.

"Great" houses, museums, relaxing in beautiful countryside are of interest this time around. We live on the beach so seaside stays are not as much an interest although realize the "seaside" in the UK is unlike the seaside in other countries.

Sorry for the vagueness but am open to any suggestions and thanks very much for your thoughts.

janisj

Salisbury would be fine. Maybe Winchester.

But if it was me, I'd rent a car and stay somewhere in/near the New Forest. Lyndhurst, Lymington, Broadhurst, Beaulieu -- someplace like that. Really lovely scenery, Beaulieu, Bucklers Hard, maybe even a day trip to the Isle of Wight.

Bedar

Yes, Salisbury and Winchester would be nice. You might also have a look at the New Forest which will take you towards Southampton. I lived in the n. pig part of the Forest in the 70s. You'll also see wild ponies on the Commons. There was an article in the Telegraph travel section about it a few days ago. Where does your cruise go ?

Gardyloo

I too would look for a thatchy-roofy village in the New Forest or maybe the South Downs, something easily reachable from Southampton on cruise day, or from which you could do short visits to Salisbury or Winchester. Or, if you haven't seen it, a day visit to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton is a total blast. Or walk out the pier for some jellied eels.

Dukey1

Wow!!! Thanks for these suggestions. I'll have to use the map to even FIND the New Forest and will do that now.

To answer the question, the cruise is basically a re-positioning maneuver for a new ship which was recently launched and will take on the first revenue passengers in April for several European itineraries. After that, it will be based in the US for a few months. The trip is basically about <B>the ship</B> since there are no port calls between Southampton and New York.

Janisj, of those several locations you mention if you had to pick just one...?

tom_mn

A bit off the well trod tourist path is Stourhead with its famous landscape gardens, SE of Bath about 10 miles. It is also possible to hike the Watership Down sites if you are a fan of the book.

janisj

Anyplace really - each of those towns/villages would be good. I'd pick based on the best B&B or hotel you can find for your needs.

Brockenhurst is the largest -- maybe 3,000 population.

Lymington is on the water

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/26897433.jpg

Lyndhurst is a large village and closest to Southampton.

What is your budget?

Here are a few upper end properties:

http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our...-hotel-resort/
http://www.montaguarmshotel.co.uk
http://www.newforesthotels.co.uk/hotels/beaulieu-hotel/

But there are a lot of more moderate places.

Dukey1

Thank you, JanisJ...much appreciated. Budget is not an issue for us, very fortunately.

Tom_mn, thank you very much for that info.

flpab

We enjoyed Portsmouth and want to go back now to see the Mary Rose http://www.maryrose.org/ They had started it but not complete last visit. The HMS Victory was very impressive. Loved the Isle of Wight.

RM67

I've stayed here a few times:-

http://www.careysmanor.com/index.html

It's not ultra-luxurious, but pretty decent. I've only stayed in the modern wing, but I would suspect the manor rooms have a lot more character. The spa is very decent (if that's your thing), good food in the main restaurant, and I like how they serve coffee and homemade chocs by the fire afterwards. The location is lovely - a really pretty clearing right in the forest - I think this was actually a tudor hunting lodge at some point (only the old bit obviously). You are just a few miles drive from the coast - great views of the needles.

Dukey1

Thanks all for the additional comments. After looking at a lot of different properties we finally settled on the Montagu Arms in Beaulieu. It doesn't get the very highest ratings on TA and I can see from the pictures and from reading the various reviews that there could be a few minor issues upcoming. The beds are all doubles (as opposed to queens) and the Michelin oone-star restaurant is uniformly described as "expensive" (big surprise!) but we wanted to eat in it at least once. I suspect I'll need to reserve it waaaaay in advance.

The place is described as having an "elderly clientele" which really is of little concern since we don't plan on sleeping with any of them. I'm also looking forward to eating in the co-located pub-style restaurant.

For only two nights this will work for us unless the place turns out to be absolutely dreadful and the hotel requires full payment upfront so we are in and no longer worrying about that aspect of this trip.

The New Forest looks interesting (I watched a lot of the YouTube videos) and I am grateful it was suggested as an area to visit before this cruise.

Thank you again.

janisj

Definitely visit Beaulieu -- even if you aren't interested in cars/the motor museum.

The house/gardens/Abbey are lovely, and practically on your doorstep.