Fodor's Expert Review Mercure Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare Hotel

Built in the 1400s, this Elizabethan town house in the heart of Stratford is a vision right out of The Merry Wives of Windsor, with its nine gables and long, stunning, black-and-white, half-timber facade. Its restaurant, bar, and lounge have blackened beams and a pleasantly aged look, and the intelligently modernized interiors provide a touch of luxury. Heed the warning notice, though: "numerous stairs, sloping corridors, and low ceilings!" Hewn timbers carved with rose-and-thistle patterns decorate some of the rooms, which are furnished in greens, burgundies, and golds. The hotel’s restaurant is run by celebrity-chef Marco Pierre White with an emphasis on New York–inspired Italian food. Off-season deals are worth asking about.