At The Chapel, Bruton, Somerset | les Deux Messieurs

Friday, 16.00

An in-the-know local friend has raved to us about At The Chapel, a ‘restaurant with rooms’ in Bruton. From outside, little suggests that there’s more to this restrained building than meets the eye. But as we enter, we see bakers at work and displays of beautiful breads and cakes through a large picture window. Blow the diet – we’ll be trying some of those later!

Double doors open into a dramatic central space – the former chapel – with soaring ceiling and a centre-piece cascading chandelier. We’re warmly greeted and checked in; “Settle into your room and then come on down for cocktail!” we’re told – these are our kind of people.

16.10
We’re shown upstairs to Room 2. A massive stained glass window imbues the room with softly diffused light. The bed is super-king size, simply clothed in white. The walls, too, are white; colour comes from a bold modern artwork and coloured panels in the window.

A long wooden counter runs along one wall and we spot a tray with ice, limes and glasses ready for us to make welcome drinks. The stylish seating area with a shaggy rug, sleek modern armchair and lamp that would look at home in any design museum.

We’re shown how to use the touch-screen remote control that operates the TV and sound system; there’s a cordless iPod dock too that impresses music-loving Monsieur 2. The combination of minimal, monastic decor with cool modern furniture and state-of-the-art technology ticks all our boxes.

16.55
Time for cocktails al fresco on the terrace. The hand-built flint walls and climbing vines remind us of Tuscany, and there’s a beautiful view over the rooftops of the town.

The cocktail list is replete with classics, and a few bespoke creations. Our dry Martini and Moscow Mule are expertly-made, and huge – we imagine we’re in Sex And The City.

19.05
After a leisurely stroll around Bruton, we change and head back downstairs, stopping to admire the impressive sculpture above the bar.

The sun’s still shining outside, and we decide to make the most of it, stepping back out onto the terrace for pre-dinner drinks, Cosmos this time. When we’ve finished we order some Prosecco and a plate of antipasti to go with it; it’s wonderful, especially the smoky roasted peppers which have been cooked in the pizza oven.

20.07
We’re shown to our table in the dining room. Now night’s fallen and the lights have gone down, the room is dark, sexy and buzzy – it’s exciting! We take ages to choose from the mouth-watering menu, while nibbling on fantastic sourdough from the bakery.

We love what we eventually settle on; Monsieur 2’s chicken liver pate has real depth of flavour while my salad of perfectly pink wood pigeon with figs and bacon is cleverly composed.

Main courses are equally accomplished. My Lyme Bay sea bream with tomato salsa, fennel and courgettes is light, fresh and a really beautiful piece of fish. Monsieur 2’s huge rare rib-eye steak is gorgeous and he particularly likes the punchy peppercorn sauce and super-crisp fries. We finish with perfect puddings, a sinfully rich chocolate Nemesis and baked New York-style cheesecake with strawberries.

We drink a bottle of crisp Albarino from At The Chapel’s excellent wine list, and like it so much that we order some to take home with us from their wine shop! Service throughout is spot on – courteous, enthusiastic and attentive. We stumble up to bed happy.

23.12
Time to sleep. The bed is so comfy, with massive squashy pillows; we’re out for the count in minutes.

Saturday 07.40
Waking up to sunshine peeking round the curtains, we make a pot of Teapigs tea (with fresh Somerset milk from the fridge) and reach out of the door for the breakfast tray that’s thoughtfully provided – a croissant, baked during the night, with butter and home-made jam. They’re without doubt the best croissants we’ve ever tasted. What a start to the day!

08.20
We shower in the huge wet-room – so much space to splash around in! – with the fab REN products provided. There’s a massive bathtub too – this bathroom has definitely been designed with deux messieurs in mind.

08.58
We head down to the restaurant for breakfast, Monsieur 2 immediately ordering another of those delicious croissants. The menu’s concise and covers all the bases – cereals, pastries, eggs, bacon sarnies…

Monsieur 2 fancies poached eggs which aren’t on the menu but are rustled up for him – and perfectly. The room’s busy with locals, guests – and a rather famous TV presenter!

11.15
After one last cup of great coffee, we decide to head off; we could happily stay here all day but we’re going to visit beautiful Bath, just eleven miles away.


Everything about our stay has been simply perfect, from the stunning room, to those cocktails Carrie would kill for, the delicious food, wonderful service and thrilling atmosphere. The thoughtfulness and generosity that characterise how At The Chapel is run completely redefine what ‘luxury’ is.

Our time here has been a pure quality experience – and that’s something money just can’t buy. Not to mention, we have rather fallen for the owners’ Newfoundland dogs.

Our rating: We’ve given this gay friendly boutique hotel in Somerset, South West England, top marks – a full 5 star rating.
View more on At the Chapel and what to do in the area at deuxmessieurs.com

Zanzibar, Hastings

Thursday, 18.47 It’s tipping down with rain as our train pulls in, late, at St Leonard's Warrior Square station. It’s such a short walk - just across the Square and along the promenade - to Zanzibar, our hotel for the night, that we decide to forego a taxi.

She's not amused and at first, nor are we

But we still get soaked, and miserable; on the way we pass a statue of a very glum-looking Queen Victoria and like Her Majesty we're not amused either.

18.52 All cares are forgotten though the moment we arrive at Zanzibar. We’re greeted with a warm “Ah, I’ve been expecting you!” by duty manager Monica and given a quick show-round.

The decor’s very calming; the well-travelled owners have collected beautiful sculptures, religious artefacts and furniture from around the world and we spot many a quiet corner that would be perfect for meditation. 

Monica also points out the library of books and DVDs, from which we’re invited to help ourselves any time, and then taken upstairs to our room.

19.00 The eight rooms at Zanzibar take their names from favourite places the owners have been; ours is South America. It's fabulous, two rooms knocked into one, divided by a theatrical ceiling-to-floor curtain. On one side there’s the sleeping and living area, with a huge wooden bed and a dining table by the sash window looking out to sea. There’s even a telescope! 

To watch the boys go by!

The other side resembles our own private spa, with an immense bath tub, his-and-his limestone sinks, loads of full-size Elemis products and super-fluffy towels, robes and slippers. The only thing we don’t love is that there’s no door on the loo, it’s just tucked away in a corner; Monsieur 2 and I love each other very much and share most things, but there’s a line.

The bath is huge. And has Elemis goodies. Love.

19.10 We’ve been asked to choose what we’d like for breakfast from a lengthy menu and bring it down when we go for dinner. There’s no indication of what the supplements are for Champagne, or for having breakfast in bed, and then we realise why - there aren’t any. It’s all included! Neither of us can think of anywhere we’ve stayed where bubbly at breakfast comes as standard!

19.46 We change and go downstairs to the hotel restaurant Pier Nine, where another pleasant surprise awaits us -  a complimentary welcome drink! As we sip our G&Ts we choose from the modern bistro menu.

Monsieur 2 starts with fantastic crisp seafood fritto misto while I enjoy a fiddly-to-eat but delicious combination of dressed crab with potted shrimps. For our main courses I see off a good quality, if slightly dry, rare breed pork chop with mini jacket potatoes; Monsieur 2’s rib eye steak is on the blue side of rare but he decides to persevere and it’s terrific, especially dipped into the tangy red wine gravy.

Puddings - salted caramel ice cream with roasted mango puree, and Baileys arctic roll - are lick-the-plate-clean perfect. It’s been a lovely meal; with the room’s bright pastel colours and driftwood furniture, coupled with the sea view, it’s felt like eating in our own private beach-house.  

Friendly, playful service from L.A.-born waitress Jackie has been a hoot, and at just £40 each it’s one of the best, and best-value, meals we’ve had in quite a while. 

21.40
Back in the South America room we slip into the super-comfy bed and cuddle up to watch a DVD from the library - Shakespeare In Love suits our romantic mood and we fall asleep happily afterwards...  Friday 08.30
A blissful start to the day - a lovely soak in the bath with my free newspaper (another complimentary item that’s usually charged for!) Stapled to the front is the day’s weather forecast and suggestions for what to do in the town - so thoughtful!

Forecast for the day: fun and sun!

09.30
On the dot of the requested time, there’s a knock on the door and breakfast’s brought in. What a feast! 

Just the first part of our brilliant breakfast.

Great granola, juicy fresh fruit, Hastings kipper with melted butter and a poached egg for me and a full English for Monsieur 2, along with freshly-squeezed juice, tea and of course that decadent glass of bubbly. This really is the life.

Kipper for breakfast - delicious!

We fool around with our telescope watching the sea - and boys - from our window.

10.59

We know we’ve really liked somewhere when we wait until the very last minute to leave, and that’s exactly what we do at Zanzibar.

We’ve loved the warmth of welcome from all the staff, the sense of tranquility and escape, and the generosity of having so much included in the room rate that would be extra elsewhere. As we step out onto the promenade, the sun now shining in contrast to yesterday’s rain, we’re already talking about when we can come back again.

N: Zanzibar International Hotel A: 9 Eversfield Place, St Leonards-On-Sea, Hastings, East Sussex TN37 6BY

W: www.zanzibarhotel.co.uk

T: 01424 460109

E: info@zanzibarhotel.co.uk
Our rating: *****

The Hoxton Urban Lodge, Hoxton, East London

Shoreditch, London
Monsieur and I love the nightlife of London’s edgy East End but not the epic journey home, so just for once we’ve decided to treat ourselves to a night in a hotel. The Hoxton on Great Eastern Street is a great location, runs regular £1 sales on rooms, and bills itself as an ‘Urban Lodge’ - a home away from home. Perfect, we thought, let's give it a try.

Friday, 6.35
Entering from the street, The Hoxton feels more like a cool club than a hotel - the lobby is teeming with people, mostly trendy Shoreditch types but quite a few City suits too. At the Reception desk we’re greeted by a friendly jeans-clad girl who runs through what’s included in our (very reasonable, pre-paid online) room rate: WiFi, an hour’s UK landline calls and a light Pret breakfast. Amazing!

6.42

Oh how we needed that bed

The leather-lined lift sets the tone for the rest of the hotel - sexy, dark, a little louche. As we get out on the fifth floor and make our way along the moodily-lit corridor it feels like we’re in a David Lynch movie. Our room is large, light and plush without being luxurious, feeling more like a private apartment than a hotel.

Cute notes around our room - we don't mind if we do!

We’re certainly made to feel at home by the quirky signs around the room; they’re more like the kind of helpful Post-Its a friend would leave you than the usual stiff instructions we see in hotels.


Another homely touch is the free mineral water and fresh milk in the fridge to which we’re cheerfully encouraged to ‘Just help yourself’. We like.

7.00
The view out over the City is superb but we don’t have too long to enjoy it - we’re booked in for dinner at Hoxton Grill downstairs. The restaurant is located off the lobby of The Hoxton but is operated by Soho House Group, and it shows in both the decor (which reminds us of the dining room at Soho House Berlin) and the super-polished but informal service. The menu’s great, a selection of modern American diner favourites with some brasserie classics.

Loved the Hoxton Grill, and our flirt with the waiter

Monsieur 2 keeps it simple with tomato soup followed by steak and chips, both excellent - the soup flecked with shreds of fresh basil, the steak a 10oz rump cooked exactly medium-rare just how he likes it. I try salt beef hash - thick slices of good beef on a fat potato cake, topped with a poached egg - and tiger prawn and chorizo gumbo. I love the glossy, spicy sauce and huge shell-on prawns, but I’m not convinced that the slices of thin sausage aren’t frankfurter rather than chorizo. We’re glad we let our gorgeous, flirty waiter talk us into dessert; the raspberry ripple cheesecake and ultra-decadent banana fudge sundae are fantastic.

9.08
Stuffed and a little drowsy we decide to revive with a shower back in our room. The sleek slate-tiled bathroom has a gorgeous rainfall shower, just what we need to bring us back to life before heading out into the night...

9.40
The gay scene in this part of London is small but perfectly formed and as edgily unconventional as the area’s fashionable population. We start off at the George & Dragon on Hackney Road, a bric-a-brac stuffed pub playing great music, then move on to the Nelson’s Head up the road. Finally we head for The Joiners Arms, the cool, grimy bar-club. We love the place and only stagger out when the lights go up.

3.16 (ahem)

Quirky touches around our room made us feel right at home

Staying at The Hox was definitely a good idea - we’re falling into bed fifteen minutes after leaving The Joiners not the usual hour-plus. Looks like we’re not the only ones to have sampled the area’s nocturnal delights - many doors on our corridor are displaying the fun ‘Go Away!’ swing-tags and there’s some serious moaning-and-groaning coming from a few doors down...



Saturday, 10.20

Our Breakfast Bags were very welcome first thing.

Thank God we only have to reach out the door to their dedicated hook for our breakfast bags. Granola, juice and a banana, plus fresh coffee from the in-room selection, take the edge off our hangovers.

11.17
After a long shower, we’re feeling human again and decide to brave the journey home. Checking out, we realise it’s only the second time we’ve needed to interact with The Hoxton’s staff as guests are left so completely to their own devices. It’s in keeping with the home-from-home ethos but maybe feels a little impersonal.

11.23
As we leave, the lobby’s just as buzzing as when we arrived; The Hoxton rocks right around the clock. We’ll certainly consider it for our next night out up East and definitely be back for more fab food and flirting with the staff at Hoxton Grill.

N: The Hoxton
T: 020 75501000
A: 81 Great Eastern Street, London, EC2A 3HU
W: hoxtonhotels.com
Our rating:

Join us on Twitter: @deuxmessieurs
Learn more about The Hoxton's £1 sales at hoxtonhotels.com