Hotel Indigo Exeter, an IHG Hotel: Travel Daily Hotel Review
Travel Daily Editor Clare, recently visited the new Hotel Indigo in Exeter's City centre for an overnight stay.
The boutique hotel is in prime position, right in the centre of Exeter on the High Street, and just a stone's throw from the City's magnificent Cathedral.
After a morning spent shopping or checking out the sights of this historic city, Hotel Indigo Exeter, provides the perfect place for locals and visitors alike, to relax, grab a bite to eat, or catch up with friends in elegant and welcoming surroundings.
Locals will remember the building being home to House of Fraser or Dingles, but prior to this, and originally, it was home to Colson's Department Store, one of the first department stores in the region. The store sold haberdashery, millinery, and teas among other things.
Welcome
You are immediately warmly welcomed into The Hotel Indigo Exeter.
Upon arrival, the bar is straight ahead of you, Colson's Restaurant to the left and behind the bar area, and the reception desk to the right.
This area is such a warm and welcoming space, with clever lighting and lots of comfy chairs and sofas with plump cushions in teal and burnt orange.
Teal stools line the bar where the original Colson's signage hangs overhead. The reception check in sits upon a glass unit displaying old perfume bottles and jewellery. The eye is continually drawn to interesting pieces of art on the walls and the beautiful, intricate constellation charts on the ceiling.
Even the lifts aren't dull. They are decorated with old receipts from Colson's of Exeter and covered with hand written scribbles. Be careful though, there are 2 lifts with one stopping at the odd floor numbers and one stopping at the even numbers. Those who remember the old department store will be able to relate to this due to the rabbit warren of floors, half floors and levels. The doors also caught us out for the first few lift journeys as you enter the lift in one direction and leave it through another direction. This all adds to the fun.
The staff here are extremely friendly and helpful, every member of staff we had contact with couldn't do more to help. With this being a new addition to the Exeter Hotel scene, this was very much appreciated. There has obviously been significant investment into the staff training which will pay dividends, and will set Hotel Indigo Exeter apart from the crowd.
Rest
The hotel has 104 bedrooms and suites, with three distinct styles, all reflecting the City's history.
Our Cathedral Heritage Room
The 'Cathedral Heritage' rooms are decorated in a jewel colour palate, with brass detailing and plush velvet headboards. These rooms just ooze opulence and pay homage to Exeter Cathedral, which can be seen from a number of the guest rooms. Some rooms also have balconies or terraces.
The 'House That Moved' guest rooms are particularly interesting. They feature timber panelling, muted traditional colours with quirky patterned wallpaper. Inspiration has been taken from a house that literally moved nearby in Exeter. The timber framed property began its life in the early 1400's in Edmund Street, but in the 1960's new road plans for the city meant it was set to be demolished. A long campaign to save the property, thought to be one of the oldest timber framed properties in Devon, ensued. Eventually the house was moved some 200 metres to where it currently stands on West Street, at the bottom of Stepcote Hill (another historic spot to add to your Exeter sightseeing list).
The House That Moved Guest Room
'Colson's Department Store' rooms have been designed to reflect the original department store and feature haberdashery elements in its design. Lots of wood, glass fronted wardrobes and department store design details give these rooms a really homely feel.
We stayed in a Cathedral Heritage Room which had a huge window overlooking the historic buildings on Catherine Street with the Cathedral in the background.
A pretty good morning coffee spot
The room had a large super king bed with luxury Egyptian Cotton bedding. There was also space for a sofa at the bottom of the bed, two armchairs and a coffee table, the perfect place to relax with a book and a coffee from the Nespresso machine in the room. The wardrobe is an attractive design feature in itself, designed to look like a haberdashery cupboard with a brass mesh door. The bathroom was stunning with a huge walk-in rainfall shower and standalone bath tub. UK brand Bramley toiletries are provided and you can even play music in the bathroom with your own control panel on the wall, amazing!
Eat and Drink
There are numerous food and drink options at the Hotel Indigo, Exeter.
On the ground floor you have Colson's Bar and Restaurant.
The bar area is a lovely space to stop for a drink or coffee throughout the day and into the evening. A very relaxing space with comfy sofas and chairs to sink into. Just behind the bar area is the restaurant.
The restaurant describes its food as a unique take on contemporary British cuisine. The restaurant is headed up by Charlotte Vincent, a name you may recognise from last year's Great British Menu, Charlotte represented the South West.
Ingredients are locally sourced from Devon and Cornwall and cooked over charcoal and wood on a custom-made Ox grill.
For starter we went for venison & wild boar scotch egg with black garlic aioli and lightly spiced crab cake with mango & papaya salsa, both absolutely delicious.
Our main courses were lamb cannon, kohlrabi, faggot & jus and herb crusted halibut with courgette verde and balsamic tomatoes. Other options included glazed beef cheek and harissa spiced tagliatelle as well as plenty of options from the grill and classics menu. The restaurant also has a Sunday lunch menu, which we have heard great things about, as well as afternoon tea. Breakfast is also served in the restaurant for hotel guests with continental buffet style, and a cooked breakfast menu to choose from. We went for continental followed by eggs benedict, a very yummy start to the day. Hot drinks are served to your table.
The Dugout Sports Bar, located beneath the hotel, accessed by steps outside, serves drinks and bar snacks, think chicken wings, burgers, dirty fries. The perfect food to snack on whilst watching some live sport of which there is plenty to choose from with multiple screens.
A visit to Becketts Champagne and Cocktail Bar is an experience in itself. The bar is located on the hotels roof and with just 100 seats is an exclusive affair, be sure to reserve a table ahead of time, particularly on a sunny day as this is already a very popular spot.
Panoramic views over the Cathedral Green, the city itself and the countryside down to the Coast make this the place to be in Exeter. A view that is hard to beat and an expert team of staff on hand to mix up the perfect cocktail.
Wellness
The Retreat Spa offers the ultimate relaxation.
Located in the basement, there are two luxurious hydro pool hot tubs as well as a sauna and steam room and niagara falls rainfall shower.
Loungers are available all featuring a button to call for extra drinks. A range of treatments and spa experiences are available to book.
There is a fully equipped fitness suite on site which features treadmills, bikes, cross trainers and a rower, as well as various fixed weight training equipment, free weights, kettlebells, exercise balls, medicine balls and resistance bands. Unfortunately this was not reviewed first hand, we were preoccupied sampling all of the refreshment facilities on offer at the hotel!
Location
Hotel Indigo is ideally located to explore all that Devon's Capital City has to offer.
The hotel is located right in the city centre within walking distance to all of the historic parts of the city including the Cathedral, city walls, Gandy Street and only a 5 minute walk from Exeter Quayside and the River Exe. The same could be said for access as, within a 5 minute walk you have Exeter Central train station and the main bus station.
Exeter would also make a great twin centre break, a couple of nights in the city combined with a few nights on the Devonshire/Cornish Coast or even Dartmoor. There are plenty of gorgeous beaches to explore in both Counties too.
Overall
Overall, we had a lovely stay at Hotel Indigo Exeter. The hotel has been beautifully decorated throughout and the customer service top notch.
If you are visiting Exeter, Becketts Rooftop Champagne and Cocktail bar is well worth a visit for its views alone.
Hotel Indigo Exeter is a welcome addition to the city.
