The Best Hotels in Lymington

Lymington Hotels

The clink-clank sound of sailboats floats along on the fresh salty Solent air, while deck shoe-clad retirees potter down to the pub, fishermen cast an eye over their daily catch and mums catch up on the gossip in a local café. Prosperous Lymington truly comes alive in summer, when hordes of tourists head here to catch a ferry to the Isle of Wight, mooch around the cobbled Georgian town centre, or take day trips into the New Forest.

Things to see

Without doubt, Lymington’s biggest pull is as a base for exploring the New Forest. This rural National Park of ancient woodland, colourful heath and babbling brooks offers plenty of chance to hop on your bike and head off into bird-filled meadows, or don your hiking boots and set foot in the historic forests strewn with handsome New Forest ponies. For something more sedate, jump in the car for a drive through the rural lanes - though watch out for the nonchalant ponies – stopping for a hearty roast at one of the area’s traditional log-fired inns. In summer the park’s awash with campers and day trippers, all happily crisscrossing the roads, trails and streams. Back in Lymington, take a wander through the array of bookshops, nautical stores and chandleries in town, before heading to St. Barbe Museum to brush up on the area’s history as a port and market town.

Hotels in Lymington

Lymington excels at providing accommodation with true countryside charm. Large period properties, rural barn conversions and wood smoke-filled inns offer accommodation for all budgets. If you’re looking for luxury hotels, take your pick from boutique B&Bs and country guesthouses, while those on a budget should look among the town’s 2 and 3-star rated B&Bs, or the self-catering cottages that scatter the countryside. As a New Forest hotspot with the added draw as a stopping off point to the Isle of Wight, practically all of the town’s accommodation offers modern-day amenities such as WiFi, en-suite bathrooms and a full English breakfast.

Where to stay

Bustling Lymington is an ever-popular choice for New Forest holidays. Its Georgian town centre pulls in crowds in the summer months, while its Pier Ferry Port is continuously busy with cars and foot passengers heading to and from the Isle of Wight. If you’re stopping in town before heading to the island, the port area puts you within a stone’s throw of the terminal for those daunting early morning ferries. Walking around the cobbled town streets is a charm, so the town centre will suit those who want to explore on foot, while the surrounding countryside offers peaceful rural seclusion.

How to get to Lymington

The New Forest is renowned as being a traffic nightmare in summer, when the rural lanes just can’t cope with the sheer number of visitors. It’s perfectly feasible to leave the car at home – and green too – as trains run from Brockenhurst mainline station to Lymington. The town also has a major terminal for ferries to and from Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. Once in Lymington, local buses head out to villages and towns in the New Forest, or you could rent a bike to really get into the countryside spirit.