From Wikitravel

Bournemouth [1] is a seaside resort town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England.

[edit] Understand

Bournemouth’s spa magic has been revitalised and history is repeating itself. A century ago the cream of Victorian society including royalty flocked to Bournemouth’s pine forest landscape of luxurious villas.

They were eager to sample the relaxing ambience of the town, breathe its healthy air, bath in the pure sea water and unwind at leisure. In Tess of the D’Urbervilles Thomas Hardy affectionately described Bournemouth as ‘a Mediterranean lounging place on the English Channel’. The aroma and perfume of the pine trees were considered health-giving and many a famous person came here to take advantage of it including J.R.R. Tolkien and D.H. Lawrence.

The first spa hotel was built in 1885 - the Mont Dore Hotel (now Bournemouth’s Town Hall) Apart from luxury rooms and tennis courts, the hotel also offered the Mont Dore cure which was said to be a healing water and could not be found anywhere else in England. Sea and pure water from the Bourne stream were pumped into the basement of the hotel to allow the additional luxury of soaking and perspiring in Turkish and salt baths.

Since then, Bournemouth has grown into a thriving seaside resort and many of the big hotels offer spa treatments of their own as well as spa and beauty boutiques peppered throughout the town centre catering for men as well as women.

The pine trees still exist and visitors can still stroll through ‘Pine Walk’ in Bournemouth Gardens today to breath in the healthy air. During the summer, the Pine Walk Open Air Art Exhibition is held here.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By Train

SouthWest Trains from London and other locations on the South coast.

[edit] By Bus

MegaBus from London via Winchester.

[edit] By Airplane

Several airlines fly directly into Bournemouth Airport [2] from various destinations throughout Europe.

[edit] Get around

Bournemouth is small enough to walk around, but local bus services operate frequently within the city center.

Taxi services in Bournemouth are cheap for short journeys, with an initial charge of approximately £2. It is best to call for a cab rather than to queue at a rank near Holdenhurst for the best fare.

[edit][add listing] See

Bournemouth is famous for its 7 miles of golden sandy beaches and clean seas. The Pier is almost in the middle of the beach and offers a small fair, boat trips, an arcade and some other shops.

[edit] Museums and galleries

• Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum - located on the Eastcliff. [3] This museum and gallery has some wonderful collections of 19th century art and Japanese artifacts. The interior of the museum alone is worth seeing because it is lavishly decorated and shows the Victorian interests in eccentric collecting and other cultures, especially Japan and China. Admission free.
• The Atrium Gallery at Bournemouth University.

[edit] Landmarks

• St.Peter's Church. The famous author Mary Shelly who wrote 'Frankenstein' is buried in the churchyard of this church along with the heart of her husband the Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelly.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Bournemouth Oceanarium. [4]
• Bournemouth Eye, tethered balloon flights. [5]
• Bournemouth International Centre - concerts and exhibitions. [6]

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Hunts Clothing, 780 Christchurch Road, Boscombe (Pokesdown end of Boscombe), ☎ 01202394033, [7]. 9-5 Monday to Friday, 10-4 Saturdays. Outsized menswear shop. edit

Bournemouth has a good range of shops with mainly well known high street outlets in the centre but also many independent shops. Examples of large stores are Beales, Dingles, Debenhams and Marks & Spencers. The Boscombe area is well known for its many antique shops and for those who are into designer, vintage, and specialist clothes, Westbourne offers a good variety of designer boutiques.

For out of town shopping the massive Castlepoint Shopping centre is excellent and beautifully laid out, http://www.castlepointshopping.com

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Jimmy's - Provides stylish Brasserie surroundings with an excellent menu.

• West Beach - Excellent frontline seafood restaurant adjacent to Bournemouth Pier. Definitely not cheap, but aboard the beachfront decked area, about as close to dining Californian-style as you'll get in the UK!

• Aruba - On Bournemouth Pier has a fantastic menu based on the carribean with outstanding decor a must see when in Bournemouth.

• Jumbo - All you can eat chinese, you'll eat plenty as the food is fantastic!

[edit][add listing] Drink

At night the town comes alive with a vibrant pub and club scene. It is one of Britain's most popular clubbing locations, with many stag and hen parties held in Bournemouth. There are over 40 nightclub venues which are open every day of the week. On busy clubnights, roughly 30,000 people are out in Bournemouth. The Triangle area in Bournemouth is where the gay community is concentrated with several gay friendly clubs and pubs. Most night clubs are located in and around town centre, with the exception of the Opera House in Boscombe.

• 1812 [8] - A Jazz music night club in the first mansion in Bournemouth.
• Crank [9] - Lounging in a stylish new night club in town centre.
• Landmarc [10] - Fine dining and clubbing in a refurbished church.
• 2XS [11] - The biggest gay-friendly venue.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

The American travel writer Bill Bryson commented on the amazing number of hotels there seem to be in Bournemouth, but there are so many because the town developed as a seaside resort in the 19th century and that is still its primary function.

[edit] Budget

• Russel Court - A cheap hotel in Bournemouth, is the Russel Court. At £35 per night, it's pretty reasonable. Handy for the beach too - just 200 metres away down Bath Road.

• Travelodge - Christchurch Road near Derby Road offers budget accommodation from £49 per night (providing you book in advance!)

• Premier Inn - New premier Inns are under construction further along Christchurch Road towards Boscombe Gardens and also on Poole Road in Westbourne.

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

• The Royal Bath Hotel near Westover Road, central to shopping and the beach.

[edit] Get out

• Corfe Castle - approximately an hour and a half hour away by bus through Sandbanks, the 4th most expensive post code in the world and the Isle of Purbeck - part of a World Heritage coastal zone. Take the open top bus via the Sandbanks ferry in the summer for approx £5 from central Bournemouth and change at Swanage.

• The New Forest - half an hour way to the East

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