Trip GrapevineTop places, picked by travellers

Southampton · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels in the business district, Southampton

Stefan Bauer

Stefan Bauer The American west

Updated 1 September 2026 · 54 Southampton hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Southampton, out of the 54 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.9 down to 4.826073.

The Old Mill Inn is the one I would book myself.

The Old Mill Inn

Highest rated of the five

The Old Mill Inn

★★★★★4.9 from 774 reviews

The Old Mill Inn comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.9 from 774 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 3 star property, found under historic centre and around $195 a night on the dates we checked.

54 hotels in Southampton qualified for this list and five made it. kimball upstairs: Private Elegant 2 Bedroom Close To Everything In The Valley is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Bara drink without going back out
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze
  • Kitchenettebreakfast on your own schedule
  • Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. The Old Mill Inn1

    The Old Mill Inn

    ★★★★★4.9 from 774 reviews

    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

    Check rates Read more

  2. kimball upstairs: Private Elegant 2 Bedroom Close To Everything In The Valley2

    kimball upstairs: Private Elegant 2 Bedroom Close To Everything In The Valley

    ★★★★★4.9041076 from 538 reviews

      Check rates Read more

    • Hadley Amherst Location.Explore the Valley Colleges!3

      Hadley Amherst Location.Explore the Valley Colleges!

      ★★★★★4.969257 from 296 reviews

        Check rates Read more

      • The Creation Station is a cozy place so make yourself at home.4

        The Creation Station is a cozy place so make yourself at home.

        ★★★★★5 from 247 reviews

          Check rates Read more

        • Fearlessrose vacation Rental 895

          Fearlessrose vacation Rental 89

          ★★★★★4.826073 from 438 reviews

            Check rates Read more

          How this list was put together

          54 Southampton hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

          Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

          The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

          What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

          Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

          Stefan Bauer

          Stefan Bauer The American west

          Chases total solar eclipses. Seven of them on four continents, from Wyoming to a fishing town in Chile. Banks days off through the on-call rota and books the trips years ahead, because eclipse dates do not move.

          Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.