Here are the Good Hotel Guide’s Editor's Choice top 10 seaside hotels.
2023 Editor's Choice Seaside Hotels
Editor’s Choice Seaside Hotels
Polurrian on the Lizard - Island Suite Special Offer
Mullion
The spectacular setting of this white clifftop edifice, with mesmerising sea views through its walls of windows, takes some beating. Walk down to the hotel’s own cove, just ten minutes away, or take a longer hike along the South West Coast Path, which runs alongside.
The Nare - Coronation Celebrations Special Offers
Veryan-in-Roseland
A self-styled country hotel by the sea, The Nare has beautiful gardens leading to the sands of Carne beach. You can enjoy breathtaking views from some of the bedrooms, or fully immerse yourself in the picture by taking one of the hotel’s two boats to explore the Cornish coast.
Rathmullan House
Rathmullan
If you’re lucky you may see a dolphin or a porpoise here; the family-fun hotel on the shores of Lough Swilly has a three-kilometre beach at the bottom of its garden. The best rooms have lough views on show through bay windows, and fresh seafood is served in the restaurant.
Scarista House
Isle of Harris
We love the edge-of-the-world location at Scarista, on miles of remote, crowd-free sands. If the sea is a tad nippy for swimming, try your hand at surfing, kayaking or sailing, then return to a feast cooked by owner Patricia Martin. Two bedrooms have sea-facing sitting areas.
The Gallivant
Camber
With a cool New England feel and a laid-back vibe, this hotel lies over the road from glorious Camber Sands. Rooms are decked out in nautical shades; the full package includes all-day elevenses, wine at 5pm and wellness classes. You can take your dog but not your kids.
The Seaside Boarding House
Burton Bradstock
It feels like a mix between Edward Hopper’s Cape Cod and an Edwardian seaside hotel here on Chesil Beach. Interiors are filled with marine salvage, seascapes and antique-shop finds while the bright and light rooms all have views of the coast.
No. 33
Hunstanton
It may not be on the seafront, but Jeanne Whittome’s B&B is still a top spot to stay in the Victorian seaside town in the only west-facing resort on England’s east coast. The Coast Path runs from ‘sunny Hunny’ to Cromer, and a concierge service can arrange everything from bike hire to birdwatching.
South Sands
Salcombe
A sheltered beach is just steps away from the rooms of this smart contemporary hotel. Head out on a boat or relax in the sun before tucking into some local crab on the terrace. The best room has two slipper baths in a bay window, perfect for admiring the sea view.
From £215 per night
Hotel Portmeirion
Portmeirion
For a beach stay with a difference, check into the hotel Clough Williams-Ellis designed as the focal point for his ideal village. Overlooking the golden sands of the Dwyryd estuary, it makes a great base to explore both the Italianate resort and for coastal walks, preferably accompanied by an ice cream.
2022 Editor's Choice Seaside Hotels
Editor’s Choice Seaside Hotels
Trefeddian Hotel - 'June Breaks and Midweek Escapes' Special Offer
Aberdovey
With a welcome as large as the stupendous views from its perch above Cardigan Bay, this family-run hotel is perfectly situated for hearty outdoor activities, from golf (with a view of the sea) to sailing, paddle- boarding and pony-trekking.
Driftwood Hotel
Porthscatho
Seaside views don’t get much better than from this dreamily located hotel overlooking Gerrans Bay – and you can get to the beach easily along its own pathway. All but one of the comfortable, boho-chic rooms look out on to the coast.
Viewfield House
Portree
Sweeping views of the Sound of Raasay from the 20-acre grounds are complemented by fine Victorian interiors
– stuffed eagles, Turkey carpets, antique furniture, a grand piano. After a full Scottish, go sailing aboard the family yacht.
Tresanton
St Mawes
All the bedrooms in this shipshape former yacht club have glittering sea views, and you can dine outside on its waterside terraces. The nautical feel – even the staff wear blue and white uniforms – adds a touch of Riviera glamour.
The Henley
Bigbury-on-Sea
There’s a touch of nostalgia at this Edwardian bolthole with a panorama of the Avon estuary from its sun terrace. Tumbling plants and towering potted palms, Lloyd Loom chairs, vintage wallpapers and velvet quilts recall a gentler era.
The Gallivant
Camber
This adults-only hotel over the road from the sand dunes is a seriously funky little place, with a cool Californian vibe. It offers half-board-only overnight stays, which include elevenses, English vino and a yoga session on the beach.
The Pig on the Beach
Studland
You will love being beside the seaside at this eccentric, gabled and turreted villa, with shabby-chic bedrooms, vintage bric-a-brac, excellent food served in the
conservatory and sun-squinting views of the chalk cliffs of Studland Bay.
The Colonsay
Colonsay
Escape to this harbourside hotel, which enjoys views across to Jura and welcomes the locals in the bar and well-regarded restaurant. A restful sleep is assured in the modern rooms; awake refreshed to explore the island’s white-sand beaches.
Rosleague Manor
Letterfrack
Go wild on the Atlantic Way at this pink Regency house, with sloping lawns and views across Ballinakill Bay in Connemara. Interiors are filled with antiques, plump sofas, brass beds and log fires. Seven rooms have sea views.
2021 Editor's Choice Seaside Hotels
Editor’s Choice Seaside Hotels
Soar Mill Cove Hotel - 20% Discount Staycation Saver Special Offer
Salcombe
You get the very best of the British seaside at Keith Makepeace’s family-friendly hotel. A trail leads to the uncrowded beach, bedrooms have sea views, the menu is rich in seafood and there is easy access to the South West Coast Path.
The Nare - Coronation Celebrations Special Offers
Veryan-in-Roseland
Not only does this family-friendly hotel have beautifully landscaped gardens leading to a secluded bay, but it also has two boats for outings on the ocean. You can explore the creeks and rivers of the Cornish coast by yacht or motor launch.
Rathmullan House
Rathmullan
It may be on the Wild Atlantic Way but this family-run hotel also has a three- kilometre beach on the shores of Lough Swilly at the bottom of its garden. There are lough views from some of the rooms, and the restaurant features local seafood.
Scarista House
Isle of Harris
The sea may be a tad frosty from the three-mile stretch of sand in front of this Isle of Harris hotel, but it’s gloriously remote and crowd free. Try your hand at sea sports on the island, including surfing, kayaking and sailing.
The Pig on the Beach
Studland
Robin Hutson’s litter of Pig hotels is known for its foodie credentials, but in this one the specials on the menu come with a sea view. A path leads down to Studland Bay and the hotel’s beach hut; spa cabins look on to the waves.
The Ship Inn
Elie
With its own cricket team and a pitch on the beach a stone’s throw away, this Scottish pub looking out across the Firth of Forth is pretty unique. Games are tide dependent but the bay views from nautical rooms should bowl you over all the time.
Artist Residence Brighton
Brighton
For somewhere that encapsulates the spirit of bohemian Brighton, look no further than this mural-bedaubed hotel, with views to pebbles and pier. There’s a fun atmosphere, with cocktails and ping-pong as well as sea views and street art.
2020 Editor's Choice Seaside Hotels
Editor’s Choice Seaside Hotels
Soar Mill Cove Hotel - 20% Discount Staycation Saver Special Offer
Salcombe
A single-storey hotel enfolded in a gorse-clad valley, a stroll through National Trust land to the eponymous cove, has been in the Makepeace family for three generations.
Talland Bay Hotel - 'Meet the Makers' Special Offer
Talland-By-Looe
In 'one of the most idyllic spots ever', this dog-friendly hotel 'near the end of an extremely narrow lane' overlooks cliff-top gardens filled with larky sculpture and Wonderland whimsy.
The Blakeney Hotel
Holt
‘A wonderful reminder of the delight a well-run, imaginative hotel can offer,’ reads one of many good reports of this family-friendly hotel with shimmering vistas over estuary and salt marsh.
Porth Tocyn Hotel
Abersoch
Guide readers are unswervingly loyal to this family-friendly country house by the sea, with peerless views to Snowdonia across Cardigan Bay, run by the Fletcher-Brewer family since opening in 1948.
Rathmullan House
Rathmullan
Pass the little gate lodge to drive up to this bay-fronted country house in wooded grounds edged by a beach on Lough Swilly.
Tresanton
St Mawes
‘You feel as though you’re on the French Riviera’ at Olga Polizzi’s seaside hotel ‘in one of the most idyllic locations you could hope to come across’.
The Pierhouse
Port Appin
‘This is a really lovely hotel in a wonderful location,’ writes a reader, after a stay at Gordon Campbell Gray’s whitewashed former piermaster’s house on the shores of Loch Linnhe, by the jetty where the Lismore ferry docks.
The Royal Hotel
Ventnor
Afternoon tea in the conservatory or on the terrace overlooking sub-tropical gardens is one of many highlights of this venerable Victorian hotel whose legions of loyal guests book their favourite room year after year.
The Gallivant
Camber
The name says it all: a place to skip along Camber Sands, enjoy backgammon in the bar, chill in the garden or relax with yoga – and with no children to disturb the peace.
Seaside Hotel of the Year 2019 (Cesar Winner)
Editor’s Choice Seaside Hotels
The Nare - Coronation Celebrations Special Offers
Veryan-in-Roseland
‘A year spent without a visit to The Nare is a year wasted,’ writes a returning guest of this perennially popular country house hotel overlooking the sands of Carne Bay.
2019 Editor's Choice Seaside Hotels
Editor’s Choice Seaside Hotels
The White Horse - Free Bottle of House Wine Special Offer
Brancaster Staithe
There are Brancaster oysters and beer- battered cod on the bar menu at this family-run inn with views across the salt marshes to the sea. Close by are miles of unspoilt honey-hued sandy beaches, perfect for kite-surfing.
Trefeddian Hotel - 'June Breaks and Midweek Escapes' Special Offer
Aberdovey
A hotel for family holidays, not boutique or trendy, but relaxed, with the beach just across the road, sea-facing lounges, packed lunches to order, children’s supper, tea on the terrace, a putting green, and good, old-fashioned hospitality.
Cary Arms & Spa - 'Celebration Hideaway' Special Offer
Babbacombe
You can arrive by sea and moor at this secluded hotel, which clings to the cliffs above the Teign estuary. Beach huts in tropical coastal gardens have wall-to-wall glass doors, a sunbathing deck, views across Lyme Bay.
Hell Bay Hotel
Bryher
Outside, calm protected beaches and dreamy views of outlying islets. Inside, rooms with a breezy New England style, an acclaimed collection of Cornish art and a menu highlighting gloriously fresh produce from the Isles of Scilly. Its crab shack is a popular summer fixture.
Argyll Hotel
Iona
The best tables in the sun lounge gaze across the water to Mull at this owner-run hotel occupying a row of crofters’ cottages. Menus embrace locally caught fish, hand-creeled langoustines, crab and lobster, organic garden produce.
Tresanton
St Mawes
All bedrooms have views across Falmouth Bay to St Anthony’s lighthouse, at Olga Polizzi’s relaxed but stylish hotel. You can sail aboard a vintage yacht or just hang out in the Beach Club, lunch on oysters or a crab sandwich with champagne.
The Seaside Boarding House
Burton Bradstock
On Chesil Beach, drawing inspiration from Edward Hopper’s Cape Cod, this is a hip but laid-back operation. All bedrooms have a sea view. You can eat on the terrace – crab sandwiches, home-made ices, Dorset cream tea.
Artist Residence Brighton
Brighton
From sea-view balcony rooms to the basement Bunkhouse and ‘Below Deck’, this Regency seafront hotel is as cool and quirky as Brighton itself. Breakfast in The Set includes scrambled rare-breed Cacklebean eggs with local smoked mackerel.
2018 Editor's Choice Seaside Hotels
Editor’s Choice Seaside Hotels
The Nare - Coronation Celebrations Special Offers
Veryan-in-Roseland
‘A year spent without a visit to The Nare is a year wasted,’ writes a returning guest of this perennially popular country house hotel overlooking the sands of Carne Bay.
Cary Arms & Spa - 'Celebration Hideaway' Special Offer
Babbacombe
A cosy beamed pub is the warm heart of this hotel, in the shelter of wooded, red sandstone cliffs that reminded the young Queen Victoria of ‘a ballet or a play where nymphs appear’.
The Blakeney Hotel
Holt
‘A wonderful reminder of the delight a well-run, imaginative hotel can offer,’ reads one of many good reports of this family-friendly hotel with shimmering vistas over estuary and salt marsh.
Porth Tocyn Hotel
Abersoch
Guide readers are unswervingly loyal to this family-friendly country house by the sea, with peerless views to Snowdonia across Cardigan Bay, run by the Fletcher-Brewer family since opening in 1948.
Tresanton
St Mawes
‘You feel as though you’re on the French Riviera’ at Olga Polizzi’s seaside hotel ‘in one of the most idyllic locations you could hope to come across’.
The Beach
Bude
The old, pointy-gabled Victorian Summerleaze Court Hotel hardly knows itself these days, with its cool New England style and sunny terrace above a sandy surfers’ beach.
The Pig on the Beach
Studland
There is a fairy-tale aspect with more than a hint of Hogwarts to this 1820s marine villa with a sandy beach at the bottom of the garden in a village that inspired Noddy’s Toy Town.
The Seaside Boarding House
Burton Bradstock
A playful mix of Edward Hopper’s Cape Cod and Edwardian seaside hotel, this white-painted villa above Chesil Beach has an easy-going stylishness, conducive to fun.
The Idle Rocks
St Mawes
A cream tea (jam first, the Cornish way) on the waterside terrace of this Edwardian hotel in a fishing village on the Fal estuary is a perfect way to enjoy fine weather.
2017 Editor's Choice Seaside Hotels
Editor’s Choice Seaside Hotels
Soar Mill Cove Hotel - 20% Discount Staycation Saver Special Offer
Salcombe
A single-storey hotel enfolded in a gorse-clad valley, a stroll through National Trust land to the eponymous cove, has been in the Makepeace family for three generations.
The Nare - Coronation Celebrations Special Offers
Veryan-in-Roseland
‘A year spent without a visit to The Nare is a year wasted,’ writes a returning guest of this perennially popular country house hotel overlooking the sands of Carne Bay.
The White Horse - Free Bottle of House Wine Special Offer
Brancaster Staithe
The superb setting of the Nye family’s hotel overlooking salt marshes to the sea and Scolt Head Island is matched by a ‘really good atmosphere’, say readers, who visit year after year.
The Old Coastguard - Winter Escape Special Offer
Penzance
‘My favourite hotel anywhere in the world,’ writes a reader, of this welcoming pub-with-rooms in an enchanting fishing village.
Cary Arms & Spa - 'Celebration Hideaway' Special Offer
Babbacombe
A cosy beamed pub is the warm heart of this hotel, in the shelter of wooded, red sandstone cliffs that reminded the young Queen Victoria of ‘a ballet or a play where nymphs appear’.
Driftwood Hotel
Porthscatho
‘A very nice hotel with its own private beach, secluded and quiet,’ writes a reader of this cliff-top hotel in gardens overlooking Gerrans Bay.
The Pig on the Beach
Studland
There is a fairy-tale aspect with more than a hint of Hogwarts to this 1820s marine villa with a sandy beach at the bottom of the garden in a village that inspired Noddy’s Toy Town.
The Idle Rocks
St Mawes
A cream tea (jam first, the Cornish way) on the waterside terrace of this Edwardian hotel in a fishing village on the Fal estuary is a perfect way to enjoy fine weather.
Hotels chosen in 2016
Editor’s Choice Seaside Hotels
Hell Bay Hotel
Bryher
Sitting above a secluded cove on Bryher’s rugged west-facing coast, with 'nothing in between to Canada', this pretty blue-and-white weatherboarded farmhouse-turned-hotel is a '10/10 experience’, say smitten guests.
The Henley
Bigbury-on-Sea
The 'spectacular views of the rugged coastline' over Bigbury-on-Sea's sands towards Burgh Island are what first impress about this former Edwardian holiday home, but guests also appreciate the 'inventive, tasty and well-cooked' food and the 'warm, jovial and friendly' owners.
The Colonsay
Colonsay
The ferry from Oban brings you to the sole hotel on a beautiful island of fine sandy beaches, heather-clad hills, wild goats, ancient woodland, peat bogs and tidal flats. NOTE: The hotel announced as of August 4, 2022 that it was under new ownership and management.