Bristol is on a high: two of its best-known residents, Wallace & Gromit, have been chosen as Visit England ambassadors and the city was recently named among the top ten most popular destinations to visit in the UK by TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor described Bristol as "a quirky British city with beautiful hilly vistas and plenty of historic sites to explore. Anyone interested in ships will have a blast aboard Brunel's ss Great Britain, the world's first great ocean liner, and the Matthew, a replica of the ship upon which John Cabot sailed to America in the 15th century, while the graceful Clifton Suspension Bridge is another must-see".

Fittingly, then, The Bristol Hotel (www.doylecollection.com/bristol), an award winner itself having been named the city's Large Hotel of the Year 2012, has launched a "Discover the Dock" package costing from just £114. The package includes a 45-minute tour of the harbour on The Bristol Packet, which will help visitors to see the historic sites mentioned by TripAdvisor, as well as to get their bearings and learn all about Bristol, while sitting back and relaxing on the water.

Back on land, The Bristol Hotel's location right on the city's Harbourside provides the perfect base for exploring this vibrant city and its many upcoming events, with something to suit everyone.  Just a couple of minutes' walk from The Bristol Hotel stands the contemporary arts centre known as the Arnolfini, with M Shed, the museum for all things Bristol, just over the bridge. Walk a little further into Spike Island to visit ss Great Britain, built in Bristol by Brunel, and Spike Island Artspace, another contemporary art venue.

Walk the other way, north from the hotel, if your main interest is shopping. Broadmead and Cabot Circus, much of which are pedestrianised, are home to over 100 shops, including well-known brands such as Reiss, Harvey Nichols, Topshop and House of Fraser. Quirky individual shops can be found on Park Street, which is more of a traditional "High Street".

In the evenings, various venues offer a wide range of entertainment. The Bristol Old Vic presents plays old and new, while the Bristol Hippodrome specialises in hosting many West End shows; Colston Hall and St George's put on music from classical to contemporary, as well as  talks and comedy.  For art house cinema, head for The Watershed.

Events over the coming months vary from the ancient (Bristol Museum & Art Gallery's Pharoah: King of Egypt, a touring exhibition from the British Museum in situ till 21st July) to the modern (Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, recently named one of the top three tourism events in the UK, 8th to 11th August), not forgetting the Harbour Festival from 26th to 28th July, one of the UK's largest public festivals and a smorgasbord of musical and artistic performances that take place, appropriately given our watery theme, along the harbour front!

There's also a little of everything else in between. For example, there are food festivals (such as Foodies Festival on 12th to 14th July), cultural events (like St Paul's Afrikan Caribbean Carnival on 6th July and the Bristol Festival of Puppetry 2013 from 30th August to 8th September) and family-friendly things to see (Festival of Nature on 15th & 16th June and Gromit Unleashed: a trail of 70 Gromit works of art, from 1st July to 7th September). And all of them within walking distance of The Bristol Hotel.

The Bristol Hotel's "Discover the Dock" package includes overnight accommodation and breakfast for two, two tickets for a 45-minute Bristol Packet tour, free parking, free Wifi and free use of the hotel gym. Prices start from £114 per room per night. Additional nights at The Bristol Hotel cost from £89 per night, room only, making a weekend in Bristol an affordable luxury.

For more details & to book, visit www.doylecollection.com/bristol.

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Notes for Editors
The Bristol Hotel, currently Bristol's Large Hotel of the Year, is located in the heart of the city, between the historic cobbled Narrow Quay and elegant Queen Square, just a few minutes' walk from major cultural landmarks such as The Bristol Old Vic, Arnolfini, Watershed, SS Great Britain and M Shed, as well as the fabulous new shopping district of Cabot Circus.

The Bristol Hotel has 187 rooms and suites, which are among the largest and most luxurious in the city. All of the rooms have been completely restyled, refurnished and re-equipped in the last few years, with the deluxe rooms and juniors suites having additional luxuries such as media hubs and Nespresso coffee machines.

The Bristol Hotel has an outstanding, self-contained Meetings and Events Centre with rooms for as few as six people or as many as 400. Executive boardrooms, large breakout rooms and an impressive main suite are all equipped with the latest technology and luxurious decorative touches.

The Bristol Hotel is housed in a distinctive 1960s building, recognised as a prime example of the Modern architectural movement.

For more details, please visit the website: www.doylecollection.com/bristol

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For more details, hi res images and/or to book a review visit, please contact:

Sue Heady
Heady Communications
T: 01608 651 692 / 078 5595 0705
E: sue@headycommunications.com