Southernhay House

Between 1805 and 1812 this handsome Grade II Listed Georgian villa was the residence of Major William Fitzpatrick who worked for the East India Company. For many years it was then used as medical consulting rooms for physicians before becoming offices occupied by chartered accountants. In 2011, the property was bought and converted into a chic city hotel by husband and wife team Tony Orchard and Deborah Clark. The hoteliers have a knack for blowing new life into old buildings, originally owning the iconic Burgh Island for 17 years. Eleven elegant, luxury rooms are named after industry trades such as Sugar, Cotton and Ivory and designed for ultimate comfort and modernity with stylish open-plan bathrooms in larger guest rooms, deep metallic bathtubs and double sink stands. A private apartment in the townhouse opposite the hotel offers self-catering in a loft-like space. Understandably it’s become a popular choice for parents of university students. Bespoke cocktails like The Orientalist (in reference to Fitzpatrick’s nickname) can be quaffed in the bar - an Exeter hotspot. The seasonal menu in the dining room offers dishes such as seafood stew served with miniature loaves, beetroot gnocchi and chicken and chorizo paella. Breakfast is a feast and the staff are charming and helpful.

 

Written by Laura Campbell

• Restrictions on children
• Adult only
• Sit-out Terrace
• Bar
• Parking

• Wifi
• Restaurant
• Room service
• Garden

• Designer Shopping
• Located 5 minutes from Princesshay Quarter which is packed with high-end stores.
• Museums
• Make a trip to the fascinating Royal Albert Memorial Museum.

• Sights nearby
• Visit the impressive Exeter Cathedral dating back to 1400.

Why do people love staying in your hotel? It offers a friendly degree of formality, like staying in your favourite relative's country house. The decor is softly luxe, with historic touches that mean it could have been here for ever - although the amenities are bang up to date!
What is there to do in the area? We're in the heart of Exeter's historic center. If a walking trail through 2,000 years of busy bourgeoise history is too tiring - there are plenty of quirky shops, an awe-inspiring High Gothic Cathedral and the OG Victorian Collector's Museum just minutes away.
What kind of breakfast do you offer? The full works. A healthy, personalised continental breakfast is followed by a la carte: anything goes from The Full Devon, to scrambled tofu with spinach and confit tomatoes, any manner of eggs to a crowd-pleasing grilled kipper!
Do you offer other meals? And can you recommend good places to eat out locally? Yes: we have a full service restaurant and our menu changes monthly. It's small, market-driven and all prepped and cooked on site from our daily deliveries. We have our favourites locally - all independent and all tried and tested by our staff before recommendation.
Which are your most popular room types, and why? All the rooms are truly individual. Not only because it's more fun to design and maintain that way, but because the historic nature of the House lends itself to personalised touches. probably our most consistently popular rooms are the luxury suites with full-on roll top baths in the bedrooms....
What facilities do you have for children and can you fit extra beds in your rooms ? We don't. We've taken the view this is not really a kids' kind of place (well, the very small) and all of our rooms have double beds. Older children are more than welcome to stay if they can share a bed with one parent, or sleep in an adjoining room on their own - it's up to the parents to judge if they are comfortable with that.
What message would you like to give The Hotel Guru readers? The UK does not have its share of independent hotels, run with passion and conviction. If you want good vibes during your stay, you want to put yourself in the hands of people that really care about you as an individual. But you already knew that...because you're reading this!