The Grosvenor Plymouth

The Grosvenor Plymouth suits divers who want a proper town base rather than an isolated resort. You stay in a period townhouse near Plymouth Hoe, with a guest lounge, a bar and an easy route towards the waterfront when the day's diving is done.

The mood is practical and quietly traditional: modern decoration inside, a comfortable shared lounge for putting your feet up, and a separate TV room when the weather turns properly South West. Free WiFi throughout the hotel also means you can sort tomorrow's plans without having to negotiate with the mobile signal.

You are in Plymouth, at 7–11 Elliot Street in The Hoe district, with direct access towards the sea and the water about 0.03 miles away. Plymouth Hoe is roughly 0.15 miles from the hotel, so a short stroll brings you to the open waterfront rather than another anonymous ring road.

Plymouth city centre is within walking distance, with restaurants and cafés close by. Everest Spice is about 0.1 miles away, Maritimo around 0.2 miles, and The Plymouth Hoe Club roughly 0.1 miles. Plymouth Railway Station is about 1 mile on foot, while the ferry port is about 0.5 miles away.

For a change of scenery on dry land, Dartmoor National Park is around a 20-minute drive away. Devil's Point Beach is about 1.3 miles on foot; Kingsand and Cawsand are further round the coast, at roughly 8 and 9 miles by road respectively.

The room choice is less about decorative frills and more about choosing the space that matches your trip. Solo divers have a compact single room, couples can step up to the Superior Double or Grand Suite for a little more room to settle in, and families have layouts designed around two adults and children. The family rooms are the sensible choice when wet bags, jackets and ordinary luggage all arrive together; the smallest doubles are better treated as efficient bases than places for spreading out.

Every room has a private bathroom with a shower or bath, towels, toiletries and a hairdryer. Tea and coffee facilities, an electric kettle, a desk, a wardrobe and a flat-screen TV cover the useful evening basics. Free WiFi works in the rooms, and a fan is available for warmer nights; heating is there when Plymouth delivers the other sort of weather.

The important practical detail is upstairs living: all rooms are at least one flight of stairs up, and there is no lift. Families can request cots or extra beds in eligible rooms, while luggage storage gives you somewhere to leave bags before check-in or after check-out.

Breakfast is included, and it is served in the basement breakfast room. Expect a broad range of cereals, fruit salad and croissants, with vegan and vegetarian choices as well. That gives you enough to build a sensible start before getting into a drysuit, rather than relying on a heroic coffee and optimism.

Back at the hotel, the well-stocked bar is the natural place for the first drink and the post-dive debrief. There is also a coffee house on site, plus tea and coffee facilities in the rooms. Wine and champagne are available as well, though the hotel does not set out an evening restaurant or room-service programme here.

For dinner, the location does the heavy lifting. Restaurants and bars are close enough for a short walk, including Maritimo and Everest Spice, while nearby cafés cover the lighter end of the appetite scale. You can eat out without turning the evening into another expedition.

The easiest non-diving plan is a walk across Plymouth Hoe and along the waterfront. The sea is close, the city centre is walkable, and the surrounding streets give you more to do than simply watching the same hotel corridor until dinner. If you want a longer outing, Dartmoor is around 20 minutes away by car.

Back indoors, the guest lounge offers seating for an unhurried spell with a book or a drink, while the TV room has a flat-screen television and comfortable seating. Board games and puzzles are available for the sort of evening when your legs have had enough of sightseeing.

There is no need to organise every hour. The hotel works for a couple who wants a waterfront walk and a quiet drink, or for a family that needs a straightforward base with family rooms and a shared space after a full day out.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 21:30, and you need to give the hotel your expected arrival time in advance. Photo identification and a credit card are required at check-in, while the minimum check-in age is 18. Check-out falls between 11:00 and 12:00, depending on the booking details attached to your stay.

Parking is limited to nine spaces, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with further parking on the road outside. The hotel also offers luggage storage. If you are travelling by train, Plymouth station is about 1 mile away on foot; Newquay Cornwall Airport is about 44 miles by road and Exeter International Airport about 47 miles by road.

The building has stairs rather than a lift, with every room at least one flight up. Children of any age are welcome, and cots or extra beds can be requested in suitable rooms. Pets are not allowed.