The Albion, Isle of Wight
The Albion hotel, which can lay claim to some of the best sea views on the island, has been welcoming guests to Freshwater Bay since Victorian times. It is about to reopen under new ownership after a multimillion-pound refurbishment. The new-look Albion will have 40 rooms, 36 of them sea-facing, including two suites, seven dog-friendly rooms and two accessible rooms. Some have roll-top baths and balconies or terraces. The Rock is its new 100-seater restaurant, which sources more than 90% of ingredients from the island, including garlic, tomatoes, fish, lobster and meat. A free shuttle bus drops off and picks up guests from local bars and restaurants. The hotel is about a 10-minute drive from Yarmouth ferry port.
Opens in June, taking bookings for 19 June, doubles from £99 B&B (two‑night minimum), albionhotel.co.uk
Knipoch House hotel, Argyll and Bute
A small, family-owned hotel group has renovated 26-bedroom Knipoch House, by Loch Feochan, near Oban on Scotland’s west coast. The house dates from the 1600s and still has the original fireplaces and panels; to these have been added super-kingsize beds and a hot tub. A barbecue and outdoor dining area will be ready for summer. The new menu has Scottish classics such as cullen skink, haggis and venison, plus thoughtful vegetarian dishes (smoked tofu with mango and black beans; jerusalem artichoke and jackfruit cassoulet).
Doubles from £129 room-only, sonascollection.com
Sleep Eco Inn, West Sussex
Over the past century, this Edwardian redbrick building, a couple of blocks inland from Worthing beach, has been a washhouse, a library, a school and a vaccination centre. This is perhaps its most intriguing incarnation – a thoroughly modern, no-frills, sustainable hotel for the 21st century. The Sleep Eco Inn is all-electric, with a modern heating and cooling system that it calculates will save 12 tonnes of carbon a year. The nine stylish guest rooms have high ceilings, huge windows, comfy beds, and colourful throws and cushions, but traditional hotel facilities are stripped back – there’s keyless self-check-in, a vending machine for hot drinks (no breakfast), a 24/7 digital concierge service – and actual humans a phone call away.
Doubles from £78 room-only, sleepecohotel.co.uk
Hope Cove House, south Devon
This relaxed restaurant with rooms near Kingsbridge has just reopened following major building work, and has nine rooms, all with views across the beach and out to Bolt Tail headland. Co-owner Oli Barker was one half of the pair behind the London restaurants Terroirs, Soif and Brawn, and the menu here is simple seafood and seasonal produce – dinner could be salt-baked bream with sauce vierge or lemon sole with beurre noisette, capers and parsley. He and his wife, Ra, are aiming for a “wonderful, welcoming house party” atmosphere. There is a sitting room with a log burner and a terrace overlooking the cove, from which guests can swim, paddleboard or walk along the coast to Salcombe or Bantham. Hope Cove House’s first wellness retreat runs 6-9 June (from £650pp).
Doubles from £175 B&B, hopecovehouse.co
Offshore hotel, Lancashire
Neighbouring hotels on the promenade at Lytham St Annes (the Carlton and the Lindum) have been remodelled to create one brand new hotel. The Offshore has 98 bedrooms of all sizes, many with sea views; a revamped bar and outdoor terrace; and all-day dining and drinks. Highlights include the Sunday carvery and the spritz menu, which includes drinks from a classic Campari spritz to a Bakewell bellini (amaretto, cherry and prosecco). The vast, sandy expanse of St Annes beach is right across the road, and it is a 15-minute drive to the bright lights of Blackpool. As part of its opening offer, two people booking a B&B stay can dine for free (up to £20pp).
Doubles from £98 B&B, inncollectiongroup.com
Marine hotel, County Antrim
The Marine hotel, next to Ballycastle’s long, sandy beach, was refurbished earlier this year. Many of the 51 rooms have sea views, and there are family rooms and two suites. The restaurant, Marconi’s, serves food sourced within 50 miles, such as Strangford Lough mussels, and Irish cheese and charcuterie platters. It also does afternoon tea, Sunday lunch, and monthly seafood and curry evenings. Free activities include sea swimming at 8.30am daily, weekly guided beach walks, bread-making demonstrations and Irish-coffee masterclasses.
Doubles from £140 B&B, marinehotelballycastle.com
Tynemouth Castle Inn, Tyne and Wear
The art deco Park Hotel, which has overlooked Long Sands Beach for more than 80 years, has reopened after a £10m refurbishment as the Tynemouth Castle Inn. The inn has 72 rooms, many with sea views and balconies or terraces, including some family and some dog-friendly rooms. The pub serves food all day, from brunch (ham and pease pudding stottie, smoked mackerel crumpet) to dinner (pheasant kiev, venison meatballs) and Sunday lunch. Other in-house dining options include Oswins fish and chip shop, and the Cones ice-cream parlour.
Doubles from £89 B&B, inncollectiongroup.com
The White Horses, East Sussex
There’s nothing between you and the sea views at this new boutique hotel overlooking the pebble beach at Rottingdean. A huge revamp has given the tired 1930s building a new lease of life, with 32 elegant bedrooms and a sea view terrace restaurant serving crowd-pleasers such as baked Sussex camembert, seafood chowder, fish and chips and roast lamb rump, accompanied by craft ales and wines from local vineyards. Backed by white cliffs and rolling downland, the genteel seaside village of Rottingdean is famous for its hilltop windmill and as the former home of novelist Rudyard Kipling, who wrote some of his Just So stories while living here with his family. And if that all sounds too sedate, Brighton Marina is just a couple of miles away, via the famous Undercliff Walk.
Doubles from £95 room-only, bookable from July, thewhitehorseshotel-rottingdean.co.uk
Plockton Inn, Highlands
Visitors travel from miles around to taste the Plockton Inn’s langoustines. Known locally as Plockton Prawns, they’re caught in creels (wicker traps) in sheltered Loch Carron in the north-west highlands and landed at the village pier. This popular family-run inn has recently reopened after a facelift, with fresh new bedrooms, decor inspired by the Highland surroundings and a new-look restaurant. What hasn’t changed, though, are the deliciously fresh seafood menu and the ambience in the cosy bar, which serves local whiskies, gins and ales, and hosts regular quiz nights and live music.
Doubles from £125 B&B, plocktoninn.co.uk
The Maltings, Norfolk
The hotel in this 300-year-old former maltings and brewery in Weybourne has changed ownership and is having a £4m makeover. The new-look Maltings will have 28 bedrooms, including a suite with a terrace and sea views. The former grain store is becoming a split-level restaurant with picture windows overlooking the coast. It will serve regional produce, some from the kitchen garden, cooked on a wood-fired grill. There will also be a bar, games room and terrace. Guests can hire bikes to explore the coast, or book cookery classes, wine tastings or local vineyard tours. It is a 10-minute walk to the pebble beach.
Scheduled to open this summer, prices to be announced, themaltingsweybourne.com
