Harbour Hotel Guildford

Harbour Hotel Guildford sits on Alexandra Terrace, close enough to the town centre that you can leave the car where it is and walk. That matters in Guildford, where parking is rarely the pleasant part of a day out. The hotel describes itself as boutique, and the offer runs across three things: rooms, a restaurant, and HarSPA, the hotel's wellness facility. Any one of them can be the reason you book. Together they make it a place you stay rather than simply pass through.

The £££ price band and the fine dining label are honest signals. This is not a casual drop-in for a quick plate before the cinema. Expect the pricing, pacing and service of a hotel restaurant that takes itself seriously, and budget accordingly. If you want to eat there without staying, it is worth checking directly whether non-residents can book and what the restaurant's hours are — hotel dining rooms often keep different times to high street places, and menus at this level change with the seasons. Do not travel on assumption.

Who is it for? Chiefly, people who want a town-centre base with something to come back to. That covers a couple doing a weekend in the Surrey Hills who would rather not stay out in a village; a spa booking with an overnight attached; a birthday or anniversary where the dinner and the room are meant to be part of the same evening. It also suits business travellers who want to walk to a meeting and then not have to think about the evening. A midweek dinner with friends would work if the occasion justifies the spend.

Before booking, a few practical points. Spa access at hotels varies — sometimes it is included for residents, sometimes it is a separate charge, sometimes day guests are welcome and sometimes they are not. Confirm what you are getting when you reserve rather than after you arrive. The same goes for treatment availability, which tends to book out ahead of weekends. And if the meal is the point of the trip, reserve the table at the same time as the room.

Guildford has a good spread of places to eat and stay, but relatively few that combine a central address with a spa and a serious kitchen under one roof. That is the position Harbour Hotel occupies here. It is not the cheapest bed in town and does not pretend to be. What it offers instead is convenience without compromise: you are in the middle of things, and you do not have to go anywhere else once you have arrived.

If you are choosing between this and a country-house stay further out, the question is simple. Do you want the hills on your doorstep, or the town? This is the town option, with the hills a short drive away.