Bournemouth is in many ways the quintessential English seaside town. A warm climate, miles of sandy beaches, and beautiful scenery come together easily, creating something of a national treasure. Its history is fairly brief, by English standards at least, with the first iteration of Bournemouth proper being founded in 1810 as a health resort. Prior to that, the area was largely unremarkable, deserted heathland, barely known except by fishermen and smugglers. In true Victorian fashion, the arrival of the railway really kicked things off, creating huge growth, and Bournemouth became a town in 1870.

No. 5 Durley Road dates from this period, a grand villa that’s been carefully refurbished with 19 contemporary rooms. The No. 5’s goal is to offer guests a space to truly call their home away from home, a place to feel comfortable and to enjoy all that makes this part of England special.  Built in 1860 as one of a pair of Italianate style stucco villas, No. 5 Durley Road is in fact one of the oldest buildings in Bournemouth and is Grade II listed.

Owner Gerry Wilton has a remarkable tale, and an already lengthy relationship with this fantastic building. Things began when Gerry was instrumental in introducing the chocolate fountain to the UK.

“Back in 2006, we had started a chocolate business, renting out chocolate fountains and running chocolate workshop classes. It grew exponentially and we quickly needed larger offices with space. We came up with the idea of buying a hotel that would give us all the space we needed, and if it all went wrong we would have rooms we could rent out,” says Gerry. “Having moved in, we quickly realised that it would make a superb boutique hotel, so after the first summer we closed and completely refurbished the 15 rooms. We rebranded as The Chocolate Boutique Hotel and it went through the roof, everyone wanted to stay. We had a perfect venue to run our chocolate workshops and display the chocolate fountains.”

Never one to sit on his laurels, Gerry wanted to try something new. 14 years later he set out to create a new upscale property, more befitting his ambitions, and No. 5 Durley Road was born.

“The breakfast room and bar were big rooms but hardly used, especially as more and more guests chose the ‘room only’ option. In total we were able to create 4 more rooms, all mini suite, executive or family rooms, giving us a total of 19 rooms,” Gerry tells us. Though in a town known for tourism, boasting around 16,000 beds, No. 5 is about more than its size. Rooms are opulently fitted and decorated, the aim being to match the modern, luxurious interiors with the unique grandeur of the villa exterior. It’s all done on a pleasing scale that suits the vibe of the property, and the No. 5 brand.