The Rutland Hotel

The Rutland takes up three addresses of a white Victorian terrace on Queens Promenade, five storeys of bay windows looking out over Douglas Bay.

From the pavement you get the full run of the facade: cream stone, a pillared porch, tiers of bays above it, the hotel name on a navy board over the door. Steps lead up into a bright hallway with a reception desk and a staircase behind it.

The seafront lounges

The rooms guests settle in here face the water. One lounge has armchairs pulled up to a deep bay window with the sea filling it. Another is broader and tiled, with a bar along one side and a red-panelled counter of bottles behind the stools. The dining room is laid with white cloths and orange napkins, and breakfast comes off a counter of croissants, cereals and hot trays.

The bedrooms

Bedrooms are plain and roomy: pale yellows and soft blues, green curtains, small framed seaside prints. Some are doubles with wooden headboards and a desk in the corner, some twins with beds set well apart, some singles with brass-effect frames. The executive doubles look over the bay and add a sofa bed. Bathrooms differ: a bath with the shower over it in one, a glass enclosure in marble-effect tile in another. Each has satellite TV, a telephone, a kettle tray and a hairdryer.

Along Queens Promenade

Queens Promenade runs above the sand at the northern end of the bay, so Douglas Beach is a walk down and the seafront into Douglas centre is flat the whole way. The horse tramway runs along the same front.

Who the Rutland suits

Guests who want the seafront rather than a kitchen of their own: a room, breakfast laid on, a bar, and somewhere downstairs to sit and watch the bay. It works for a couple of nights, a work trip, or a longer stay where the lounge matters as much as the room.