Antelope by Greene King Inns

Five centuries of history are built into the character of this inn, including part of the original 15th-century building. You get a traditional pub atmosphere rather than a purpose-built seaside resort: a bar with an open fire in winter, a courtyard garden in summer, and the sort of setting that suits a proper drink after a day by the water.

The Antelope by Greene King Inns is a practical base for a couple, a solo diver or a small family who would rather stay in a working harbour town than in a resort built around hotel facilities. The mood changes with the calendar. Summer gives you the courtyard; winter gives you the fire. Neither requires a motivational speech.

You are in Poole, on the quay beside Poole Harbour. That puts the hotel in the town rather than directly on a sandy beach, with Poole Beach about 0.4 miles away on foot and Hamworthy Beach about 0.6 miles away. Sandbanks Beach is around 2.8 miles away and takes about ten minutes by car, depending on traffic and the mood of the road.

Poole railway station is roughly 0.5 miles away on foot, so arriving by train is realistic if you are travelling light. Bournemouth Airport is about 9 miles away by road, with the drive taking around 18 minutes. Southampton Airport is a longer option, at roughly 35 miles by road.

The quay puts everyday life close at hand. Bingleys Bistro, Pizzeria Valona and Storm are all within a few minutes' walk, while The Brewhouse and Queen Mary provide nearby alternatives for a drink. For a change of scenery, Hamworthy Park is about 1.1 miles away on foot, Poole Park around 1.3 miles, and Brownsea Island Nature Reserve roughly 3.5 miles by road.

The room choice is straightforward rather than theatrical: doubles for couples, twins when sharing means keeping your own mattress, a single room for solo travel, and a family room with a double bed and sofa bed. The Superior Double Room gives couples the larger double-room format. If you are travelling alone, the Small Double Room is designed for a single occupant, while the Single Room keeps things simpler still.

The rooms are compact in the smaller categories, so pack with restraint. A double room or twin room gives you a sensible base for two, while the Family Room creates more flexibility for a pair travelling with extra luggage or wanting a separate sofa bed. Every listed room has its own bathroom apart from the Small Double Room, whose room details require particular attention before you book.

For the practical end of the day, you have free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, a television, a wardrobe or cupboard, towels, toiletries and a hairdryer. An electric kettle and tea- and coffee-making facilities matter more than they sound when you return tired and damp around the edges. Heating is provided, and upper floors are reached by stairs only, so the room choice is worth considering if stairs and dive bags are not your favourite training partners.

The nautical-themed Smuggler’s restaurant is the main reason to stay in for dinner. Its seasonal menu uses locally sourced ingredients, including freshly caught fish, so the food has a clear connection with the harbour setting rather than being an anonymous hotel menu. There is enough breadth for a proper meal after diving, when a snack pretending to be dinner will not pass inspection.

Breakfast is a Full English or Irish breakfast, which is the sort of start that asks for a sensible surface interval afterwards. The traditional bar serves Real Ales and fine wines, giving you a choice between a pint by the fire and something more deliberate in the glass. There is one bar in the hotel, alongside the restaurant.

The bar is also where the evening caveat sits. Live music takes place on Thursdays and Fridays, and weddings and other functions are held regularly, with music continuing until midnight. If you need a quiet night for an early start, ask the hotel for a quiet room before arrival; this is not the place to assume that the last table being cleared means the building has gone to sleep.

This is a town inn, not a leisure complex, so your non-diving time is based around the setting rather than a timetable of hotel activities. The courtyard garden gives you somewhere outdoors in summer, while the bar’s open fire provides the natural headquarters in winter. Add a drink, a book and a few hours without neoprene, and the evening has a perfectly workable plan.

When you want to stretch your legs, Poole Beach is within walking distance, and Hamworthy Beach is a little farther on. Poole Park offers another easy outing, while Hamworthy Park gives you a green space near the water. These are useful options for a couple who want to do something together without turning a recovery day into an expedition.

For a larger outing, Brownsea Island Nature Reserve is around 3.5 miles away by road. Sandbanks Beach is about 2.8 miles away, and Studland Bay around 4.5 miles by road. The hotel itself keeps things simpler: garden, fire, town and harbour. Sometimes that is enough; your legs may have already submitted their own activity programme.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 22:00, with check-out by 11:00. There is no age requirement for check-in, and children of any age are welcome. Cots and extra beds are not available, so the Family Room’s existing double bed and sofa bed are important when planning sleeping arrangements rather than relying on furniture appearing by magic.

Pets are allowed on request, and charges may apply. Payment is by card, as cash is not accepted. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and the accommodation includes non-smoking rooms and non-smoking areas, with a designated smoking area.

The hotel is about a ten-minute drive from Sandbanks Beach and roughly five minutes by car from Poole Harbour and the cross-Channel ferries to France. If you are travelling for an early departure, check the live-music and function calendar with the hotel, particularly for Thursday and Friday nights. The building’s upper floors are accessible by stairs only, another small but useful detail to keep in mind when choosing your room.