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.
Soar Mill Cove Hotel - Three Nights for the Price of Two 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 - Three Night Spring 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 - Easter 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.
La Sablonnerie - Suite Upgrade Special Offer
Little Sark
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.
The Nare - 'Four Day Easter Break' Special Offer
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.
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
Ocean views are on show through the floor-to-ceiling windows from some of the rooms at this hotel, on a headland above St Ouen's Bay.
Watersmeet - Rambler's Package Special Offer
Woolacombe
‘The location is stunning, with views of the Devon coast with its sandy beaches and tumbled rocks,’ writes a reader delighted by this family-friendly hotel, promoted from the Shortlist this year.
Titchwell Manor - Walking Break Special Offer
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 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 - Easter Escapes by the Sea 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
Guests love the tranquillity and attentive service at Angus and Jane Fordyce’s Georgian mansion, set in open countryside close to the dunes and salt marshes of the Solway coast.
Blue Hayes - 10% Discount August 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 - 'Dine & Stay' 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 fishing village.
The Scarlet - 'Two Night Spend Time Together' 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 - Three Nights for the Price of Two 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 - Food Lovers Package Special Offer
Gairloch
Field-sports fans and whisky aficionados beat a path to this Victorian hunting lodge, in a ‘glorious location’ on a vast wooded estate by Loch Gairloch.
Hotel Meudon - Seasonal Springtime Special Offer
MAWNAN SMITH
Meandering down to a private beach, glorious subtropical gardens enfold this secluded Victorian mansion.
From £69 per night
The Manor Town House - 'Fizz and Free Lunches' Special Offer
Fishguard
Behind Helen and Chris Sheldon’s pastel blue-painted B&B is a secluded garden terrace with ‘spectacular’ views over Lower Town harbour and across Cardigan Bay.
Lewinnick Lodge - Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer
Newquay
On the craggy Pentire headland, this seaside-chic hotel looking north along the Cornish coast dispenses ‘fabulous’ views and the soothing Atlantic sounds.
Haven Hall Hotel - Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer
Shanklin
Breakfast on the terrace looking out to sea from this sprawling, cliff-top Edwardian house is ‘a wonderful start to each day’.
Knockderry House Hotel - Two Night Food and Wine Escape Special Offer
Helensburgh
‘Scottish baronial at its best: all towers and turrets’, Beth and Murdo Macleod’s ‘very well-organised’, dog-friendly hotel stands in manicured lawns by the shores of Loch Long.
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.
The Pier at Harwich
Harwich
Cranes, container ships, Holland-bound ferries . . . The views from this quayside Victorian hotel with its striking iron-lace balcony overlooking the Stour and Orwell estuaries, are ocean-going, stirring, never dull.
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
‘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.
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.
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
It has been an anniversary year at Lord and Lady Macdonald’s former hunting lodge ‘in a beautiful position’ on the shores of Loch Na Dal, with views to the Cuillin mountains.
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.