illed as a hotel of ‘quirky luxury’, The Master Builder’s hotel in Buckler’s Hard is full of eccentric little touches from the flags welcoming guests in the entrance hall, to the canon shaped doorstops and intriguing trinkets dotted about the individually designed bedrooms.

A Very Nice Room with glorious views over the Beaulieu River (cheaper rate Nice Rooms are also available in a modern annexe) comes adorned with an assortment of curiosities – ours included a collection of ornamental chests and a wooden fish on the windowsill.

It also sported a magnificent four poster bed with ornate carved posts and deliciously fluffy pillows – the miniature pots of face cream and lip balm found nestling here at turn down were a nice touch. In fact the whole building is pleasingly higgledy-piggledy, the sort of place you might expect to find a secret door or a revolving bookcase.

Our suite (which included a second single bedroom) was one of two off a small landing accessed via a short, steep stairway not dissimilar to the kind found onboard the fine old navy ships once built here at Buckler’s Hard.

In fact the hotel itself was once the home of Henry Adams, and his sons Balthazar and Edward, the master builders for Nelson’s navy (you can still see the old grassy ‘slips’ just below the hotel).

Following the decline of ship building in the 19th century, the building became a rented property and was the home of Lord Montagu’s boatman and unofficial harbour master Jim Thomas until his death in 1925 when it was converted into a hotel.

Today, brass door plates proudly declaring room names like ‘Victorious’ ‘Abundance’ and Swiftsure’ (all boats built by Adams) are a nod to the building’s prestigious nautical heritage. A theme reinforced (but never becoming twee) by seafaring artwork, rustic hurricane lamps and wood panelling.

Visitors can learn more about the history of Buckler’s Hard (including its role in World War Two when the site was requisitioned by the Admiralty) in museums housed in the historic cottages of the ‘village’.

A lazy boat trip along the Beaulieu River or a walk along its banks to Beaulieu village are also great ways of making the most of the Master Builder’s idyllic location, tucked discreetly at the end of the sloping grassy street that is Buckler’s Hard.

Many guests are happy to while away an hour or two in the hotel’s tranquil garden overlooking the water or enjoy a pint and a bar snack while sat on a picnic bench or inside by the roaring log fire if the weather dictates.

Finding your bearings inside the historic hotel can prove challenging but following the delicious scent emanating from the Riverside Restaurant seems like a sensible way to navigate.

Hearty British dishes on the menu include Lymington crab mayonnaise with pea panna cotta and chives, salad of smoked duck with sweet and sour cherries and pomegranate and a choice of fresh grilled fish from the local day boats.

Follow this up with Cornish Hake and garlic potato puree or fillet of pork with savoy cabbage and bacon, black pudding and devilled sauce and heap on side orders of green beans, new potatoes and generously cut chips by the bucket.

Sweet toothed guests can get stuck into indulgent treats like white chocolate mousse with banana and passion fruit sorbet, gooseberry and elderflower Eton Mess or sticky toffee pudding.

And – in keeping with the eccentric tag – diners are offered an elderflower vodka shot at the end of their meal (a mate for the cheeky little bottle of horseradish vodka they will discover placed by the bed in their room).

The emphasis at Master Builder’s is on laid back luxury. Nothing is too much trouble for the friendly staff and while the setting is tranquil and the surroundings undoubtedly luxurious, there is never a sense of tip-toeing around minding your Ps and Qs.

Once happily ensconced inside the tranquil bowels of the hotel with the clanking of rigging and calls of seagulls drifting in, it’s almost possible to imagine you really are adrift on an ocean voyage – leaving any stresses and concerns from the outside world firmly ashore.