Be it a drink in the lounge or an iron sent up to your room, if you want anything at Number 38, ask for it before 8pm. After that, the communal areas close, the friendly staff sign off and, essentially, this handsome B&B shuts down for the night and guests can access only a lobby and stairwell bereft of life but for owner Adam Dorrien Smith's striking art collection.
Depending on your point of view, this either gives the nine-bedroom townhouse an eerie, Mary Celeste feel, or turns it into an oasis of serenity. You are just off busy Whiteladies Road, but looking out over either the Downs or the city below. Real life traffic, noise, people seems very remote. But for an occasional door closing or floorboard creaking, you could imagine you are the only guest. Any celebrity looking to hide away with a lover (late arrivals let themselves in with an access code), should have Number 38 on speed dial.
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