A Southampton restaurateur has bought Bournemouth’s Durley Grange hotel - which has been featured on Sky TV’s Britain’s Best Breaks – off an asking price of £2.5m.

Durley Grange is set in the prestigious West Cliff area of Bournemouth within easy walking distance of both the town centre and the beaches.

It offers 51 en-suite bedrooms, a lounge and bar, a restaurant that can seat around 100 customers and a Mediterranean-style sun patio.

Leisure facilities include an indoor heated swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and solarium.

The buyer, Seyed Hassam Bani-Hashemian, also owns Nicks restaurant in Southampton

The Winchester office of Christie + Co sold the freehold on behalf of Paul Hedges, who has also put his nearby New Westcliff hotel up for sale.

By Angela Frewin