Grosvenor Arms hotel review

9 June 2014 06:35 am Shaftesbury in Dorset is the home of Gold Hill, the picturesque cobbled hill where Ridley Scott filmed that famous 1970s Hovis advertisement with the little boy on the bike. Standing at the top of the hill is like going back in time, with chocolate-box, thatched-roof cottages and an incredible view across Cranborne Chase and the beautiful Dorset countryside. This town is dripping with history and at the heart of it is The Grosvenor Arms: a traditional but stylish hotel, with 16 perfect rooms and a restaurant that is worlds apart from the scampi-and-chips fare of small town local pubs. The restaurant is a real highlight, with delicious pizzas from the wood oven, and several choices of where to eat: oak tables in the conservatory, a relaxed zinc topped table in the deli or the most comfortable leather banquettes in the restaurant. As for the rooms - all recently, and tastefully, refurbished - every detail has been thought of, from iPod docks to coffee machines and free WiFi.