I was born and bred in Bournemouth and have lived here all my life. Why? Because it has so much to offer and plenty to do for everyone.
I shall explain! Ready for a long review? Good, get your cuppa and read why I think Bournemouth is one of the best places in the country to visit.
Where ... Read review
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Advantages: sun, sea, surf, views, countryside, night life! Bournemouth has it all Disadvantages: can be busy in peak times, and somewhat expensive.
...was born and bred in Bournemouth and have lived here all my life. Why? Because it has so much to offer and plenty to do for everyone.
I shall explain! Ready for a long review? Good, get your cuppa and read why I think Bournemouth is one of the best places in the country to visit.
Where is it???
Situated on the central south coast of England south west of Southampton off the m27 then onto the A31 through Ringwood. ... ...off the A35. Bournemouth is well sign posted and easy to get too. Its has its own international airport and train station. so its easily accessible by road, air and sea!
What’s there???
To start with there are the world famous sandy beaches, all 7 miles of them, consistently voted some of the best in the country. With the blue flag award for beach safety and cleanliness you can swim or let your little nippers in the ... more
I was born and bred in Bournemouth and have lived here all my life. Why? Because it has so much to offer and plenty to do for everyone. I shall explain! Ready for a long review? Good, get your cuppa and read why I think Bournemouth is one of the best places in the country to visit.
Where is it???
Situated on the central south coast of England south west of Southampton off the m27 then onto the A31 through Ringwood. From the west country it is situated east of Dorchester off the A35. Bournemouth is well sign posted and easy to get too. Its has its own international airport and train station. so its easily accessible by road, air and sea!
What’s there???
To start with there are the world famous sandy beaches, all 7 miles of them, consistently voted some of the best in the country. With the blue flag award for beach safety and cleanliness you can swim or let your little nippers in the water without worry. There are life guards on the beaches in peak times for your own piece of mind. The lifeguards run “kids zone” which is a system to ensure safety of children, the kids are provided with a wrist bad containing their name and number so if a child gets lost they can easily be re-united with their parents. Due to this system being introduced the number of children lost has halved.
There are sun loungers and windbreakers you can hire, or if your really flush you can hire a beach hut. Beach huts are expensive and vary in costs depending on the season, but they do offer running water, and usually cooking facilities, sun loungers, and sometimes toys for the kids to play with such as inflatable rings, and ball games. A lot varies depending on who is hiring the hut out. There is a promenade train running in summer, and also a cruise from Bournemouth pier to Poole if you fancy taking in the sea air.
The pier and sea front:
The Bournemouth pier offers amusement arcades, bars, clubs and restaurants and a night club, and the famous Imax complex which houses a cinema, night club and the Oceanarium. There is food for every taste from traditional fish and chips to fresh sea food and even Italian. There is a little funfair for the kiddies during peak times and a theatre situated on the pier with seasonal shows usually with top names starring. There is also a number of water sports available off the pier such as jet skiing, parascending, surfing and speedboat rides, these are pricey though so take enough money if you want to give these a whirl.
Just off the sea front is the lovely scenic Bournemouth gardens where you can just leisurely walk or sun bathe and in the summer you can listen to orchestral bands or buy an ice cream. The Bournemouth gardens are massive, it is all one long path leading from garden to garden with a lovely running stream from end to end. When you get to the end, its easy just follow the path and stream all the way back into Bournemouth again! If you fancy it also in a part of the gardens you can take a balloon ride to see the sights, they call it the Bournemouth eye. The balloon is tethered but non the less it still goes high so you wont catch me on it!
The town:
The town is great for serious shoppers offering top brand names including Next, Armani, and the big department stores such as Debenams and Dingles. Not forgetting famous Beales of Bournemouth and Poole which is a great department store offering the highest quality items, such as top brand perfumes, clothing and furniture. There are loads of places to eat, from MacDonald’s and Burger king to neat little bistros and cafes. The town is pedestrianised so with no cars shoppers can shop in piece and comfort without the need for horrible crossings!
Night life:
Plenty of bars and clubs, Bournemouth is really happening! Jumping Jaks on the Pier is my favourite! Good offers on drinks there! Bournemouth is fast becoming popular for stag and hen weekends, watch the prices on the drinks its expensive! It also has 2 casinos and a gala bingo. Plenty of shows in either the pavilion, and the B.I.C.
Car parking:
I have chosen to mention this separately as its one of the biggest downfalls in the town and the beach. The car parking is limited and very expensive especially on the sea front, where you can be charged £5 for an hours parking. I would suggest anyone visiting the town should take a bus or a taxi from where they are staying as the car park charges alone can make you broke before you have been shopping!
The B.I.C, Pavilion, and Pier theatres:
The pavilion theatre is in a Victorian style and is great for ballets, west end shows and musicals. The facilities are great with a bar and restaurant and some parking but not a lot!
The B.I.C is the venue for rock and pop concerts, musicals, conferences and summer shows. It is a bright and modern building with, again, a bar restaurant and café. It has parking but its expensive.
The Pier theatre shows the traditional summer shows.Out and about:
There are lots of places to visit in and around Bournemouth. Just north of Bournemouth past Ringwood is Paulton’s park, a great theme park for little kids.
The New Forest which has just got national park status. Around 10 miles north of Bournemouth With its breath taking scenery and the famous new forest ponies and quaint little village style pubs it’s a must see place to visit when in and around Bournemouth.
Christchurch is a great place to visit, well signposted from the main ring road from Bournemouth, with its old town and priory its worth a mention.
Poole: worthy of its own review Poole is a beautiful place, boasting miles and miles of sandy beaches, the famous Brownsea Island (one of the only places in the country to habit the red squirrel) if you are fit, from the Bournemouth pier turn left and keep walking! Eventually you come to Poole’s beaches and scenery. If you don’t fancy the walk you can catch a bus from Bournemouth to Poole, its around 3 miles away.
The Isle of Wight: just a small ferry ride away if you fancy a day trip!
Accomadation: with its row upon row of hotels and guest houses, there is plenty of accomodation to suit every budget. It gets very busy in peak times so i would imagine early booking to ensure the best places!
And much more! I really could go on all day! Oh look I have! I would really recommend Bournemouth to people. I have lived here all my life and I am never short of things to do, and places to go. I would take plenty of money though, and don’t worry about all the old people, it really isn’t the retirement capital of the country now!
Advantages: Not far to travel Disadvantages: It still in England
Well they used to say Bournemouth is where all the old people come to die…..erm I think not. Bournemouth is where I live and it is so not like many people think or imagine I think it really is the most beautiful place in England.
Ok so where is Bournemouth?
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Well Bournemouth is situated on the South coast of England. We are also within 15 minutes drive of the New Forest. Bournemouth is most easily accessible ... ...to you.
What does Bournemouth have to offer then?
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Are you kidding it has stacks. Bournemouth has so much to offer I am not sure I have enough time in the week to write about it all. I will try to list as many as I can but hey a girl only has so much time.
Shops
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We I believe are now a place to be reckoned with on the shopping front. Now being a girl who like s to shop I ...
kcjack 30.04.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bournemouth (England)
Advantages: lots to do Disadvantages: louts out late
As a frequent visitor of Bournemouth I thought it prudent to share my thoughts on the town, which really could be a city due to its size.
The town centre is a treat by day for any shopper. Many very well known shops and too some less known, including designer clothes shops, Debenhams, Beales, etc, are all within walking distance of each other, all being at various directions from Bournemouth Square. Good shops, well laid out, all user friendly, ... ...from the pier is the Bournemouth International Centre, or BIC as they call it locally. This houses restaurants, coffee bars, a swimming pool which has a wave machine,and two theatres, the main theatre has summer shows and groups visiting on a regular basis.
There are cinemas, casino, and hundreds of hotels all around, some of the hotels are included in seperate reports by me.
The Square and the beach is walkable through Bournemouth Winter Gardens. ...
willsmj 21.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bournemouth (England)
Bournemouth is often regarded as a quiet little retirement town but, since a radical redevelopment and rebranding of the town as a mediterranean resort, that is no longer the case. The town enjoys some of the finest weather in country, and the huge parks, fantastic beach and immaculate gardens which used to draw elderly holiday makers by the coachload are nowadays enjoyed by all ages. In fact, a large student presence (both local and foreign students) ... ...warning - don't drive into Bournemouth centre, it's a nightmare to park- first to find a space and then to pay for it. I believe an experimental Park and Ride scheme is running from a car park off the Wessex Way (The main road into Bournemouth, keep in the left lane after Ringwood). Better yet, park cheaply in Ringwood for as long as you need and catch a bus or coach for the last 10 miles. Everything you need in Bournemouth is within walking distance ...
dogscoff 17.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bournemouth (England)
Advantages: Bigger and better entertainment Disadvantages: poor parking facilities
Bournemouth has changed. The whole of the centre has been altered, there is now no access for vehicles into the centre of the town, purely pedestrian only. In some ways this is good, tourist trade has probably increased, there is a small cafe in the middle of the square where once stood the clock tower, access by foot is now safer than it used to be, plus you don't have to go through the many underpasses anymore (bad news for the buskers).
When ... ...was supposed to open some time ago but has not been completed yet.
All in all Bournemouth has definately improved over the last few years, lets hope that they don't get too carried away though, we want some of the town to remain recognisable.
Well worth a visit ...
sarah_stitch 17.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Bournemouth (England)
Advantages: Lovley in the summer Disadvantages: Rain,
Bournemouth is one of the favourite places I go to on Sundays. I live in Salisbury & its £5.75 (£4.50 OAP) to hop on a Wilts & Dorset bus to get to Bournemouth Triangle, which is 1 hr’s drive away by car. Its seven long sandy beaches, pier & shops are well worth visiting. There is also The Winter Gardens Park which hosted the Labour Conference this year. It has a crazy golf area with windmills & ponds, painting exhibitions & a band-stand where various ... ...30p to go on to Bournemouth pier, but the pier at Boscum is free with an area for fishing. On Bournemouth pier is The Pavilion theatre & café which can get quite busy during high season. There is also a part for fishing which can get a bit drafty, & there are various boat trips to Brownsea Island stopping at Pool on the way by, you always know the boat is in as it has a loud sounding horn. There is also an arcade which has the latest games, but not ...
LouiseTopp 03.12.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Bournemouth (England)
Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
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~Where is it?~
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