No. 1 Pery Square

Once a youth hostel, this hotel at the corner of a late Georgian terrace has definitely waved away any thoughts of backpackers’ basics, swapping them for boutique chic. 'Just the job for a city-break hotel', with 'sensible prices and a handy car park', it overlooks the People’s Park, with its Victorian bandstand and towering Rice Monument. It is filled with period pieces, chandeliers and elegant decor, with a spa in the vaulted basement, and a small kitchen garden. Four glamorous bedrooms in the main house are named after former Pery Square residents, each with original features, a handmade brass-and-gilt bed, a roll-top copper bath and monsoon shower. Three have park views; three overlook the kitchen garden and dining terrace. A converted rates office links the original townhouse to a new extension, where smart, contemporary rooms have super-king or king-size bed and monsoon shower. All have Voya organic toiletries, robes, slippers, room service. Meals are served in the first-floor Sash restaurant on Friday and Saturday evening, where dishes might include Atlantic cod, clams, consommé, samphire and sorrel. It's a little less formal in the Long Room, or you can eat alfresco in the garden. Two-course seasonal dinners are served midweek in the Long Room and in Sash at weekends. (Peter Davies)