Foresters Hall

Foresters Hall Hotel Review | Hotels Above Par

"Perched on a quiet street in Cowes’s old town, this Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse turned boutique hotel feels like a private home with the polish of a design-forward inn — a 14-room hideaway refreshed in 2023 by husband-and-wife TV and film producers Peter Sussman and Sara Curran. Interiors channel a warm contemporary-classic aesthetic: Chesterfield sofas, roll-top tubs, brass fittings and moody blue walls against pale Georgian bones, with wooden floors, vintage light fixtures and plenty of natural light. It doubles as a mini-gallery, displaying pieces from the owners’ collection (Alex Katz, Annie Leibovitz, Josef Karsh) and a showstopping Lisa Ridgers split-canvas poppy painting sourced from nearby Cowes Gallery, and the curation and tactile materials make the visual storytelling feel personal rather than performative. Many individually designed suites overlook the harbour or terraced garden and are fitted with British-designed furniture, plush blankets, Roberts radios and bathrooms stocked with Cowshed amenities and GHD hair tools (several rooms boast freestanding soaking tubs). The south-facing courtyard — loungers, a white picket-fenced saltwater pool and a bold mural, The Diver by 3D Joe & Max — is perfect for sunny afternoons, and guests can borrow pastel-hued Foffa bikes to explore Cowes. While the bedrooms exude charm, some public spaces like the bar and library could use more warmth or layering to match them, and service can lag during busy stretches; overall it feels four-star in rating but five-star in style and service." - Lucy Halfhead