The Nici hotel: a touch of Miami on Bournemouth beach

With the British weather notoriously unreliable, it is comforting to know that you can escape the grey skies with a trip to Bournemouth's Nici hotel. Perched on the top of West Cliff, the Nici offers sweeping views over the sea, but inside it feels more like southeast Florida than the south coast of England.

A recent £25 million refurbishment has transformed the town's old Savoy into a fresh Miami-themed hotel and spa, the creation of entrepreneur and hotelier Nicolas Roach. Think candy pinks, flamingos and Che Guevara painted on Cuban cigar moulds. Art inspired by the likes of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol line the walls, and the upholstery is something to behold.

Why stay here?

The Miami theme carries through to the hotel's 88 guest rooms and suites. Large white beds are topped with grass-green throws and there are gold trimmings everywhere. Gold pineapple cocktail glasses sit on a mirror-topped drinks trolley in the corner, and at the heart of the bedroom is a free-standing bath.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

A handful of the rooms have a terrace, overlooking the sea and lush garden, where sunbeds, fire pits and a cabana area surround the 30-metre outdoor pool. The ground-floor rooms include outdoor Jacuzzis. That means you can do a quick dash from the pool into the warmth of your own personal hot tub.

The Nici Spa

Tucked away behind the bright hotel reception area is the dimly lit spa, winner of Glamour's Best Spa Near a Beach award last year. If you don't fancy the outdoor pool (it is heated but still a bit nippy out there on a cold day), there is an 18-metre alternative inside, complete with hydrotherapy pool, sauna and steam room, as well as a gym and relaxation rooms. Treatments include everything from a straightforward massage or facial to LED light therapy and a 60-minute sound therapy session using crystal sound bowls.

Eating and drinking

The hotel's South Beach restaurant offers dining inside or on a large terrace overlooking the pool. It's a relaxed affair, with a mix of comfortable armchairs and wooden spindle-back seating, art deco lights and gold cutlery. If you're after a seaside favourite, there is ale battered haddock and chips, or you can try the native lobster from the grill. Don't leave without tasting the South Beach Punch, a mix of Cointreau, cacao, pineapple, grenadine and the Nici's special rum blend. Return in the morning for a full English breakfast or continental buffet to soak it all up.

Alternatively, Old Harry Rocks, named after Dorset's chalk formations in the sea, is based at the bottom of the hotel's garden. It's a rustic beachside restaurant serving up lunches and dinners, including big sharing plates like surf and turf. The hotel also includes private dining spaces for up to 144 guests.

Things to do

Bournemouth's sandy beaches are just a short walk down West Cliff's zigzag path. The beach stretches all the way to Hengistbury Head in the east and Sandbanks in the west – 10 miles of shoreline to explore. Grab an ice cream and saunter down to the Victorian pier for the full British seaside experience. Or head to the Oceanarium, where you can get up close to sharks, penguins and a loggerhead turtle called Carrie.

The town has a range of pubs, bars and nightclubs, and Bournemouth International Centre, one of the biggest venues in southern England for exhibitions and live entertainment, is just a 10-minute walk from the hotel. Billy Ocean, Jimmy Carr and Cliff Richard are among the performers making an appearance later this year.

If you don't fancy straying too far, the hotel offers an in-house cinema, kids' club and board games. When that British sunshine appears, you might not want to leave the poolside with its panoramic sea views.

Hollie Clemence was a guest of the Nici Hotel and Spa.