Quick Guide to a Weekend in Bournemouth.
I am working with some fantastic bloggers who have put together great guides to cities and places throughout the UK. What's better is that these bloggers live in these cities so they are the experts on all of the best things to see and do whilst you are there. Today we've got Giana, a 23-year-old lifestyle and travel blogger from Gibraltar. Her blog, Tea with Gi is fantastic and she's sharing her guide on How To Spend A Weekend In Bournemouth.
If you've read some of my previous posts, you may have caught on that I spent 3 years living in Bournemouth for University. I can't believe it's taken me that long to actually write a post on my 'second home' but I feel now that I've pretty much tried and tested every restaurant I can provide an accurate guide for things to see, eat and do in Bournemouth!
WHERE TO STAY
If you're a prospective student then, DORCHESTER HALLS! If you're just visiting then the only place I can recommend from experience is good ol' Premier Inn. It's 2 minutes away from the gardens and you can request a view of the sea. There are plenty of chain hotels near the town centre/seafront so all you need is a quick booking browse and you're sorted.
WHERE TO EAT
Unluckily for me, Bournemouth opened a BH2 food and cinema complex a month before I left so I didn't get much time to enjoy the restaurants inside. You can find your basic great chains in Bournemouth including Franco Manco, The Real Greek, Prezzo etc. As for my favourite independent restaurants in Bournemouth, I'd recommend Aruba for cocktails and burgers which is right on the beach front, Cosy Club for their Mac n Cheese and small plates and Bournemouth Pizza Co for their amazing wood-fired oven pizzas which is just 2 minutes from the train station - I spent most of my Tuesday's here during my first year of uni curing my hangovers.
WHAT TO DO
As much as I love Bournemouth, unless you're planning on treating it like a week in Zante and spending all your nights out and days in the beach there really isn't a plethora of things to do so a weekend is good enough. You obviously have the seafront, shops and gardens to wander about (including mini golf) but there are a lot of events and festivals that go on throughout the year so it's always good looking at the what's on events calendar. If you're into your sea life or travelling with kids under the age of 10 you can also find the Oceanarium along the seafront. In the summer there's also a zip line on the beach and I'm not sure when this happened but there's now a big wheel too.
Personally, I think Bournemouth is great at Christmas because all the Christmas markets are up and there's always live music and a sort of 'grotto' to drink some mulled wine with your pals, and an ice-skating rink too of course! If you want to venture a bit further away then the New Forest, Marwell Zoo and Durdle Door aren't far out of reach.
WHERE TO PARTY
I remember the week I moved to Bournemouth I was buying my iPhone in store and the guy was telling me that Bournemouth was dubbed the 'Ibiza of England'. I'm yet to have a night out in Newcastle or Manchester so I can't vouch for those cities, but I do know Bournemouth knows how to party. There's a reason it's so popular for stags and hen-do's! You can literally go out any night here, but my favourite clubs have to be Cameo(Wednesday's and the weekend) and has 3 dance floors, Halo (Monday's and weekend) and Lost Paradise(Monday's and Thursday's). The Triangle is also known for its gay clubs so there is something to suit all tastes.
Have you ever visited Bournemouth?
You can visit Giana's blog here.
If you enjoyed reading this post then you may also enjoy reading my Oxford Photo Diary.