Hotels by the sea
Polurrian on the Lizard - Island Suite Special Offer
Mullion
While some of us bring home a fridge magnet or a Cornishware mug, businessman Andrew Long has gone one better and bought a hotel.
Chewton Glen - 'Your Stay Your Way' £100 Credit Special Offer
New Milton
This quintessential English country house with spa, pools, kids’ club, elegant bedrooms and fun tree houses, hits all the right luxurious notes for a romantic or family stay.
Soar Mill Cove Hotel - 2 night Summer Staycation Special Offer
Salcombe
Binoculars are supplied for dolphin- spotting at this much-loved, family- friendly hotel. Bedrooms have glass doors leading to patio or balcony, views of cove and coastal gardens, or National Trust countryside. Wild-flower walks and beach days beckon.
Talland Bay Hotel - 'Coastal Paths and Bubble Baths' Special Offer
Talland-By-Looe
There is such a spirit of caprice about this cliff-top hotel, with its playful décor, its sub-tropical gardens filled with whimsical sculptures. A place for leisure and pleasure, with sea views from many bedrooms, alfresco dining on the terrace.
Knockinaam Lodge - Family Suite Special Offer
Portpatrick
Where the road ends and the Irish Sea begins, this former Victorian hunting lodge with a private cove is secluded, unapologetically traditional and rich in comforts and good food.
The Nare - '40 Winks Break' Special Offer
Veryan-in-Roseland
‘It’s like going back in time to more gracious living,’ writes a reader after an annual visit to the Ashworth family's hotel in sub-tropical gardens above Carne Beach.
Bedruthan Hotel and Spa - 'Simply Bedruthan' Special Offer
Mawgan Porth
Seen through walls of windows, the sea is a huge presence at this family-run hotel ‘in a fabulous location’ on the cliffs above a surfers’ beach.
The Atlantic Hotel - Celebration Gourmet Break Special Offer
St Brelade
Glamorous ocean vistas are on show through the floor-to-ceiling windows of this hotel, which sits on a headland above St Ouen’s Bay.
Titchwell Manor - Last Minute Summer Special Offers
Brancaster
With views over meadows and marshes to the sea, this hotel with award-winning dining bedazzles with its vibrant interiors within the walls of a Victorian farmhouse.
The Royal Hotel - 'Sensational Staycations' Special Offer
Ventnor
Set on the cliff top, in sub-tropical gardens with pool and geranium terrace, this 19th- century former coaching inn found great favour this year. The style is country house, smart but relaxed, with fine cooking of local ingredients.
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 - 'Winter Warmer' 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.
Cavens - Up to 15% Discount Special Offer
Dumfries
'A genuine oasis of tranquility', Angus and Jane Fordyce’s Georgian mansion is set in open countryside close to the dunes and salt marshes of the Solway coast.
Blue Hayes - 10% Discount October Special Offer
St Ives
After a day browsing the galleries of this buzzy, arty town, you can escape the crowds to sit serenely sipping cocktails in the sub-tropical gardens at Malcolm Herring’s small hotel.
Seaham Hall - 'Autumn Nights' Special Offer
Seaham
Garden suites with hot tubs, a state-of-the-art spa, brightly coloured sofas under gleaming chandeliers . . . this country house hotel offers luxury with a contemporary edge.
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 Cornish fishing village.
The Gurnard’s Head - Winter Escape Special Offer
St Ives
Friendly, unfussy, effortlessly stylish, Charles and Edmund Inkin’s dining pub ‘retains a sense of the peacefulness, remoteness and wildness that make this part of the world so very lovely’.
The Scarlet - 'Advanced Purchase' Special Offer
Mawgan Porth
Eco values as well as enjoyment are fundamental to this cliff-top hotel, with sea thrift-covered roof, sweeping curves, reed-filtered pool and walls of windows to soak up the light and the seascape.
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.
Shieldaig Lodge - 'Oh So Sweet' Special Offer
Gairloch
Whale-watching, spectacular sunsets and starry, starry nights are among the wonders at this Victorian former hunting lodge on a wooded estate lapped by Loch Gairloch.
Locanda on the Weir - August Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer
Porlock Weir
Where Exmoor meets the Bristol Channel, this foodie retreat which oozes personality and style in its eclectic rooms is 'probably as good as it gets for a small hotel', write readers.
Hotel Meudon - 'Pre-Christmas Celebration' Special Offer
MAWNAN SMITH
Meandering down to a private beach, glorious subtropical gardens enfold this secluded Victorian mansion.
From £69 per night
Lewinnick Lodge - Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer
Newquay
They market this seaside hotel on Cornwall's craggy Pentire headland as having rooms on the edge of the Atlantic, and they're not kidding: the views towards Towan Head and Fistral beach from most of the bedrooms are breathtaking.
The Blakeney Hotel
Holt
Kids enjoy crabbing and mud, glorious mud, on the quay at this well-run hotel. Older guests prefer local crab in a sandwich with chilled Picpoul de Pinet. All love north Norfolk’s unspoilt beaches, the indoor pool, seal trips to Blakeney Point.
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.
Morston Hall
Holt
Birdwatchers and bon vivants beat a path to Tracy and Galton Blackiston’s Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms in a flint farmhouse with Blakeney nature reserve on the doorstep.
The Seafood Restaurant
Padstow
If you can't get enough of the freshest of seafood at this restaurant-with-rooms, you can learn to prepare your own lobster for grilling and the perfect hollandaise sauce at Rick Stein's cookery school across the road.
Driftwood Hotel
Porthscatho
‘This hotel is all about position – on the cliffs above the beach and beautiful gardens,’ a reader writes.
Star Castle
St Mary's
You can sit on the ramparts and watch for puffins, seals and invading armadas over a cream tea at this Elizabethan artillery castle and family-run hotel within star-shaped walls.
Porth Tocyn Hotel
Abersoch
The first generation of children to stay at this family-run hotel will be grandparents or great-grandparents now, but the timeless beauty of the view across Cardigan Bay, the fun of a safe sandy beach, great food and warm hospitality are as they ever were.
Cnapan
Newport
With a home-from-home ambience, this Georgian B&B on Newport’s main street is an ideal base from which to explore the Pembrokeshire Coast national park.
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.
La Fregate
St Peter Port
High on the clifftop above St Peter Port, this town house hotel has enviable views over the harbour and neighbouring islands, sleek bedrooms and an established reputation for its food.
La Sablonnerie
Little Sark
La Sablonnerie is currently closed. Please contact the hotel to discuss future dates. A horse-drawn carriage conveys you over a dramatic, narrow isthmus 80 metres above the sea to this 17th-century farmhouse on a tiny island with no airstrip, no tarmac road, and no cars.
Gregans Castle Hotel
Ballyvaughan
It may not be a castle but this rambling 18th-century manor house, wrapped in gardens and with views over the otherworldly karst landscape of the Burren, has its own romantic charm.
Rathmullan House
Rathmullan
Overlooking the long sea arm of Lough Swilly, this Georgian house in wooded grounds on the Wild Atlantic Way, is family-run and family-friendly. There are play facilities, an indoor pool, a choice of dining options, a beach at the end of the garden.
Scarista House
Isle of Harris
The long drive is worth it to this edge-of-the-world location, where a Georgian manse, with pretty, traditional rooms and superb food, overlooks a long sandy beach.
Kinloch Lodge
Sleat
'In a beautiful position' on the shores of Loch Na Dal, in the lee of a wooded hill, this former hunting lodge offers 'comfortable bedrooms and public rooms and excellent food'.
Burgh Island Hotel
Bigbury-on-Sea
Pack your Schiaparelli gowns, beach pants and playsuits, and board the 'sea tractor' for a trip back to the 1930s at this Art Deco hotel on a tidal island where the beau monde came to play.
Tresanton
St Mawes
Olga Polizzi’s labour of love has been contrived from a former yacht club and fishermen’s cottages to create a harmonious whole. Works of Cornish art hang in sea- facing bedrooms. Dine alfresco, enjoy the beach club, sail on a vintage yacht.
Hotels by the sea
British weather aside, when the summer is in full swing it’s the perfect time to head to the seaside. With bucket and spade in hand, whether you’re looking for a family holiday or a romantic mini break, British beach hotels have a reputation for historic charm and the most spectacular scenery across England, Scotland and Wales.
The variety of hotels is something we often talk about – you hear seaside and it’s so often simply connected with family holidays. Of course, there are few places as charming or as wholesome as our beaches to take children to enjoy the summer (or indeed a bracing walk in the winter), but there’s also a wealth of opportunity for a luxurious or romantic break.
Amongst the top destinations are luxurious spa hotels across the country, offering wonderful food, pristine surroundings and a sophisticated experience where you can relax and unwind. With views to counter all others, hotels in and around the seaside town of Salcombe have been wowing visitors for decades, surrounded by the South West Coast Path, glorious beaches, rural vistas and with a superb Salcombe Dairy ice cream never far away.
In Scotland, the rugged beauty of the landscape is really something that belongs in storybooks. It’s a favourite location amongst hikers and those seeking adventure, peppered with shingle beaches and marshland that’s a delight for the senses. Alternatively, the Channel Islands have a wealth of spectacular escapism to offer, providing a sense of stepping back in time combined with natural beauty – for those who love to watch the wildlife go by, the likes of Jersey and Guernsey are a treat.
This is a selection of all of our hotels by the sea.