Fodor's Expert Review Hotel du Vin & Bistro

A Victorian hospital in the city center got a makeover from this superhip chain, but it retains such original details as the ironwork double stairway and marble columns. Beyond the imposing redbrick exterior is an inner courtyard with a retractable roof, which is a great summertime outdoor space and a lovely location for afternoon tea year-round. Bedrooms are sleek and contemporary, with leather-encased sleigh beds, slippers and robes, and a choice of drinking glasses to accompany the minibar. The bistro is redolent of fin-de-siècle Paris, and in the Bubble Lounge you can sample a wide variety of champagne.