Best UK seaside hotels

Our undercover inspectors stay at hundreds of UK hotels to bring you honest and impartial reviews you can trust.

While we've stayed in some shabby seaside hotels, there are plenty of beautiful beach front properties that we'd return to without hesitation. Our best seaside hotels offer quality, value for money and some spectacular sea views. 

We completed stays at the hotels included within the past two years. Prices are for a Saturday night (peak price) and correct at the time of publication. All scores are out of five.

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Harbour Beach Club Hotel & Spa, Salcombe, Devon

Score: 4.5

Book your seaside stay with Booking.com

Peak Price: £331

Enjoy uninterrupted sea views from a wraparound terrace that makes the most of the secluded South Sands location. From the complimentary champagne welcome and coffee on departure to the free resort activities, along with boat and shuttle transfers to Salcombe harbour, you’ll feel well taken care of. 

Easy smiles, top-quality facilities (including a spa) and a stellar location make this a relaxing spot to while away lazy summer days. 

Rooms: Our worry that an inland room at a waterfront hotel would be disappointing was unfounded. Rolling hills were visible from the balcony, sunlight flooded through the skylights and a decanter of gin (and free soft drinks) awaited. Shades of green nodded to a 1930s coastal aesthetic, while a king-size bed, as well as twin wash basins and gold accents in the bathroom, added an understated touch of luxury. 

Food and drink: A sea breeze and chilled soundtrack drifts through the airy bar and restaurant. Its subtle nautical decor has hints of an Agatha Christie holiday home, with rattan chairs and nostalgic art dotted around. Big portions are matched by big flavours; the chicken with morels (£24) is a highlight. Breakfast is a moreish buffet and à la carte affair. 

Our verdict: Great service, thoughtful touches and an unbeatable location if you’re willing to splurge.

Reviewed: July 2022

Heading to Devon? Check out Brend Collection hotels. This family-run chain has fantastic properties in Devon and Cornwall and scored highly in our small hotel chains survey.

Harbourmaster Hotel, Aberaeron, West Wales

Score: 4.5

Book your seaside stay with Booking.com

Peak Price: £165

Back in 1811, when Aberaeron’s pretty port was completed, it was the harbour master’s job to keep a watchful eye over Cardigan Bay. His Regency-era house still stands on the harbour wall, decked in an imposing midnight blue, and today’s residents spend just as much time gazing out to sea - although they’re more likely to have a local gin cocktail in hand. The hotel feels homely and stylish in equal measure – with complimentary cake on arrival, a little harbour-view cwtch (alcove) for intimate dining and a light-filled café/bar that spills out onto the waterfront. 

Rooms: Because of its prime position, nearly all the rooms have sea or harbour views. Our room, Martha Jane, was spacious, with a rolltop bath and west-facing terrace, which was perfect for watching the sun sink slowly into the Irish Sea. Inside you’ll find coastal-chic decor with beach hut panelling, nautical cage lights and even a porthole or two. 

Food and drink: Inventive nibbles such as Welsh rarebit fritters and pickled walnut (£6) set the stage for some sensational seafood mains. We tried the special: a crisp-skinned baked hake in a mouth-watering coral butter, which was first class but reasonable at £16.50. Breakfast was just as imaginative, with signature homemade beans and perfectly poached eggs cooked to order.

Our verdict: A relaxed seaside stay where the food is every bit as impressive as the views.

Reviewed: July 2023

The Harper, Langham, Norfolk

Score: 4.5 

Book your seaside stay

Peak Price: £315

The village of Langham lies a mile inland from Morston Quay with its seal trips, salt marshes and huge skies. It has a church, a village school and, as of 2021, a luxury boutique hotel. Not that The Harper, with its friendly, unfussy service, feels out of place. This former glassblowing factory has been converted into a low-slung complex around a suntrap courtyard of olive trees, rusty chimineas and festoon lighting. Leading off The Yard is an indoor pool and hot tub, a stylish bar area and several cosy hideaways to curl up in with a little something from the wine-vending machine. 

Rooms: Even the smallest of the hotel’s 32 rooms, at 280 sq ft, is classified as ‘big’ (others are ‘bigger’ and ‘biggest’). All have four-poster beds, high-spec bathrooms with monsoon showers and free pre-mixed negronis in the minibar. 

Food and drink: Mouthwatering local produce is everywhere. There’s freshly caught North Sea shrimp sizzling over charcoal in The Yard, Norfolk pancetta mac ’n’ cheese from the bar and tandoori monkfish in Stanley’s restaurant. Even better, you can eat wherever and whenever you please. Just make sure you don’t miss the complimentary 6pm freshly cooked snacks – meatballs with chutney dip on our visit.

Our verdict: Spacious yet intimate, foodie yet unpretentious, relaxed but still special, The Harper has got its recipe just right.

Reviewed: July 2022

The Rose, Deal, Kent

Score: 4

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Peak Price: £242

Once upon a time a rough boozer, The Rose has been given the Cinderella treatment. Located at the gentrified end of Deal high street and minutes from the seafront, it’s now a tasteful mix of contemporary art and vintage furnishings. You’ll long to linger in the courtyard, where peach roses climb the blue-brick walls. There’s no car park: we paid £10 for overnight use of the nearby long-stay. 

Rooms: There are eight rooms, each individually styled. Cobalt, turquoise and sage walls with a bright orange headboard shouldn’t work, but our technicolour cocoon felt luxurious. Help yourself to coffee, brandy and shortbread on the landing. It would have been perfect if the fire alarm hadn’t evicted us from our beds at 6.15am. 

Food and drink: The inventive menu, showcasing the finest local ingredients, was created by Nuno Mendes, formerly of trendy Chiltern Firehouse in London. We devoured flame-torched mackerel with juicy Kentish cherries (£12) and confit sea trout (£25) – although a few extra pink fir potatoes wouldn’t have gone amiss. Breakfast was just as elegant: smoked salmon, poached egg and potato rosti with dill hollandaise. 8am cocktail anyone? There’s a choice of Bloody Mary or zesty breakfast martini included. 

Our verdict: A chic food-lover’s paradise, The Rose ticks all the boxes on the Kentish coast.

Reviewed: November 2022

The Swan, Southwold, Suffolk

Score: 4

Book your seaside stay with Booking.com

Peak Price: £320

The glamour stay of the Suffolk coast is a refurbished 17th-century house that skips seaside clichés for fresh, eclectic decor. 

Expect bold wallpaper beside oil paintings and pink-tipped four-poster beds. 

The mood is chic and fun, aided by lovely staff, while the town-centre location is unrivalled.

Reviewed: July 2023

Artist Residence, Brighton, East Sussex

Score: 3.5

Book your seaside stay with Booking.com

Peak Price: £265

Spread over two townhouses on Regency Square, Artist Residence is just a few minutes’ walk from Brighton’s shopping district. Sink into a tan leather couch and admire the seafront view from the industrial-meets-boho lounge. Here, exposed brickwork is jazzed up with bold art by local artists. There’s a slick café-bar and even a ping-pong room. 

Rooms: While the snug room was cosy (you’ll have to breathe in to use the wardrobe-sized bathroom), it was still crammed with useful extras, including a coffee machine. No two rooms are the same, but all have retro touches such as a Roberts radio and reclaimed wooden tea trays. Oodles of luxurious toiletries also provide a premium experience. 

Food and drink: Breakfast is made to order, with punchy barista coffee and a selection of specialist drinks. Our smashed avocado, feta and poached eggs on toasted sourdough came with a chilli and zesty lemon kick (£12). Only nibbles (such as nuts and olives) are served the rest of the day, but the extensive cocktail list – the Viva La Frida is a twist on the classic margarita (£12) – makes up for it. 

Our verdict: The antithesis of the soulless hotel room, it brings the outside in by imaginatively capturing Brighton’s convivial energy.

Reviewed: July 2022

Bike and Boot, Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Score: 3.5

Book your seaside stay with Booking.com

Peak Price: £241

The starchily traditional Georgian building at the posh end of Scarborough’s long seafront conceals what’s probably the most dog-friendly hotel we’ve ever visited. Most of the canine guests are impeccably behaved, but one or two greet each other like lads on a raucous stag do. No one seems to mind, though, at this outdoorsy cross between a chic boutique and a youth hostel. In the basement, there’s space to leave a bike or surfboard, and wash your dog, then pop next door to a mini-cinema with velvet seats. Upstairs has a trendy coffeeshop vibe, with sea-green and grey corridors, and bikes hanging on the lounge wall. 

Rooms: Small doubles are a decent size, with seaside posters and colourful wood panelling. You can save around £10 by choosing a smaller Boot Room, with a double instead of a king-size bed. While there’s no bath in either, the rainfall shower is a good alternative.

Food and drink: Looking out over the sea from the Bareca café, eating small plates of whitebait and crispy, rosemary-infused roast potatoes was one of the best things about our stay. Breakfast, with DIY pancake making, was also a delight

Our verdict: For the target audience – hikers and surfers with big, friendly dogs – this is ideal

Reviewed: July 2023

Crown and Castle, Orford, Suffolk

Score: 3.5

Book your seaside stay with Booking.com

Peak Price: £219

A recent refurbishment has introduced bright fabrics without sacrificing the bygone character of a red-brick building with creaky oak stairs. 

Choose Standard and Sea View rooms for architectural character plus castle and marsh views – but Garden rooms have more space. 

Dinner at the Modern British restaurant is also recommended.

Reviewed: July 2023

George and Heart House, Margate, Kent

Score: 3.5

Book your seaside stay

Peak Price (standard double room): £133

On first impression, the George & Heart House, located in Margate’s Old Town just minutes from the beachfront, looks a bit tumbledown. But we were seduced the moment we stepped inside. Original bar timbers, stained glass and the creaky sloping Georgian floorboards have been lovingly restored by owners Dan and Kelly, who rescued this Grade II listed 18th-century coaching inn from disrepair. Not all cracks have been papered over, though – we spotted a leak in the top-floor corridor.

Rooms: Our earthy-tone, wood-panelled Snug – inspired by Margate’s beach huts – was the smallest of six rooms (individually styled by local artists). We shared a geometric-tiled bathroom with our neighbours (most rooms have private WCs located across the corridor), but with an outrageously large rainfall shower and sumptuous toiletries, we didn’t care one bit. All rooms have access to Reggie’s – a retro honesty bar named after Kelly’s grandad – and home to his renovated old drinks cabinet.

Food and drink: With Kentish craft beers on tap, the menu of small plates and heartier mains also leans heavily on local ingredients, such as the melt-in-the mouth Canterbury Cobble cheese croquettas (£7.50). A continental breakfast buffet of fruit, croissants, ham and cheese is served in the welcoming Nook downstairs.

Our verdict: You’ll forgive a few flaws as this arty one-of-a-kind bolthole is charming to its crooked core.

Reviewed: July 2023

How we review hotels

Unlike all other national UK travel magazines and newspaper travel sections, Which? Travel never accepts freebies. We pay wherever we stay.

All our hotel inspections take place anonymously. We book a standard double room online, just as you would, and we sample the hotel’s facilities, just as you would. We never let on that we are from Which?

That means no special treatment, no reviewer upgrades and no opportunity for the hotel to influence our verdict.

And no matter how badly the hotel fares, we always publish the review, warts and all.

Peak prices are based on the cheapest August weekend rate for a standard double room, based on two sharing, when we checked in June 2023. 

Our ratings

We use an overall star rating for the hotel based on what we think you should expect for the type of accommodation (B&B, luxury hotel etc) and price.

All our ratings strictly adhere to the following criteria:

• 0 stars – A dreadful hotel. We would not recommend staying here.
• 1 star – A sub-standard hotel we think is well below average in its category.
• 2 stars – An adequate hotel we think has room for improvement.
• 3 stars – A solid hotel that meets our expectations.
• 4 stars – An excellent hotel we think is above average in its category.
• 5 stars – An exceptional hotel we think is among the best of its type.