The Drake Hotel

The Drake is a small family-run hotel in Windsor Villas on Lockyer Street, a house from the 1820s or 1830s that was originally home to a senior naval officer. The public rooms keep their period features, and there's a bar and lounge and free parking at the front and back. The Hoe promenade is about two minutes' walk away. Room counts vary between listings, so check the number of rooms when you book. It's a mainstream hotel, not a gay venue. The Swallow and Sappho's on Bretonside and OMG on the Barbican are the places to go for the city's small queer scene.