Foresters Hall

Not yet a boutique-hotel hotbed, the port town of Cowes, on the north coast of the Isle of Wight, can certainly support at least one stylish lodging. The Georgian townhouse that’s now home to Foresters Hall has long been a local fixture — it’s named for its original use as a meeting place for the Ancient Order of Foresters — but its most recent chapter began in 2022, when Sarah Curran and Peter Sussman, a couple of film-industry professionals, sought to parlay their years of experience as travelers into their first hospitality venture.

Its accommodations are divided between the main house, the adjacent Lodge, and the poolside Garden Suites. They’re all different, as is typical of historical houses, though they’re united by the decorative eye of their proprietors, who have outfitted Foresters Hall with period-correct Georgian decorative elements as well as contemporary pieces and artworks collected during the couple’s pre-Foresters life.

That saltwater swimming pool is a welcome surprise; no less welcome is the restaurant, Smoking Lobster at Foresters Hall, a Mediterranean-influenced sequel to the town’s other highly regarded Smoking Lobster. And quite aside from the restaurant’s own wine list, the hotel features its own impressive collection of bottles selected by your hosts themselves.