La Fleur de Lys hotel in Dorset, England

In ENGLAND, an excellent hub from which we visited Avesbury, Stonehenge, Portsmouth, etc., was Shaftesbury, which is worth a stop in itself.

During our 3-day stay in April ’06, we stayed at La Fleur de Lys (Bleke St., Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 8AW, U.K.; phone 01747 853717 or visit www.lafleurdelys.co.uk).

It has a variety of rooms. We had a superior double room that was comfortably sized, had a full bath and shower and was well decorated and exceptionally clean. Its price was £110 ($207), which included breakfast. There was a small fridge in the room with beverages, one of which was a pint of fresh milk, something you often neglect to buy on a trip.

There is a bar/lounge with a fireplace and overstuffed couches and chairs. After a day in the car, you can tidy yourself up and then sink into a couch, enjoy a drink and make your selections from the dinner menu. They call you to come into the dining room when your meal’s ready. After dinner, if you like, you can return to the couch with your coffee. If the milk didn’t make you feel at home, that couch will!

The Fleur de Lys Restaurant offers 2- and 3-course set menus at £23.50 and £28.50 ($44 and $54) plus dining à la carte. In the course of our stay, we had three meals and tried four different appetizers, six main courses and four desserts. All were excellently prepared and served. The wine list was very good, with several half bottles available.

CHARLES GREEN

West Des Moines, IA