CITY sanctuaries

Why not combine Christmas shopping or festive lights with a weekend break? These hotels offer comfort and value

- CHRIS MORLEY

Leonardo Hotel, Bristol

Less than 10 minutes on foot from Temple Meads station, Leonardo Hotel is a brilliant pick for explorers arriving by train. It's also just 10 minutes' walk from the attraction-packed harbourside and city centre, home of Bristol's annual Christmas Market from 7 November.

The hotel's entrance faces a landscaped square and its 197 rooms, spread over eight floors (with a fully accessible room on each floor), all feature bespoke, uber-comfy beds. It has a sustainable certification for its energy-efficient design and a gold Green Tourism badge.

Staff are warm and friendly (with the winning Bristolian habit of addressing everyone as 'my lovely'). The open-plan ground floor has enormous windows and mustard-yellow sofas that beckon you to kick back with a locally roasted coffee or West Country cider in hand.

* Doubles from £110, including breakfast; leonardohotels.co.uk

The Pilgrm, London