Sandbanks Hotel

“First of many - LOVELY trips to The Sandbanks Hotel”

We're staying at the Sandbanks Hotel. We're a family of 4; 2 adults, 2 children who are 10 & 12. We are ABSOLUTELY loving it We're in room 138 - which has a DELIGHTFUL view over the harbour and one of the best sunsets in the world. It's a family connecting room with fridge, huge space and lovely b… more

We're staying at the Sandbanks Hotel. We're a family of 4; 2 adults, 2 children who are 10 & 12. We are ABSOLUTELY loving it We're in room 138 - which has a DELIGHTFUL view over the harbour and one of the best sunsets in the world. It's a family connecting room with fridge, huge space and lovely balcony. If you stay here and enjoy the sea view all day from the breakfast room, the beach bar and the beach - coming up to the room for quiet time and a glass of wine on the balcony as the sun comes round for the late afternoon is wonderful - would recommend a harbour view! This is a PROPER English seaside hotel with the emphasis on PROPER. We have a HUGE room, connected twin for the children, a big double and bathroom. The Italian restaurant is lovely - on our first night we had a pizza, kids cabonara, adult pasta, salmon gravalax and crispy squid, new potatoes and amazing ice cream puddings. I was very happily surprised - would quite happily eat here all week - and we have met people who have. The menu is fantastic, and delicious. I was spoiled for choice. Breakfast was nice - a reduced choice from my usual experience (in London) BUT still a great selection - everything you need and a really nice quality (we came down early so all very fresh). Apparently there's a relatively new chef - so says Neil in the indoor pool - well, it's lovely... and really good value. Neil has been around this area years. The indoor pool is "old fashioned" but marvellous at the same time... with some original tiles from the 20s - they REALLY dont make them like it any more. It's for sure a hotel that isn't "new" but if you can open your mind to what it was like for our grandparents and their parents, it's a glimpse into the magic that one should hope we hold on to. A walk up the beach to the sister hotel - The Haven is a must... you can use their indoor and outdoor pool also. Indoor best here, but no outdoor so a great excuse to walk the kids up to The Haven! Again... full of people who are loving the fact you can step to the beach, have 3 pools between the 2 hotels and the best view in the UK... TWO sea views, really... watching the kite surfers in the harbour has kept the kids off screens for hours. The staff have been great, particularly the beach bar and the Italian restaurant (BEST CHIPS EVER - yes seriously) and service in the restaurant calm, attentive and homely. Neil in the leisure club is great! Helpful, and attentive. Everything I have seen has been spotless.... he was cleaning the edges and monitoring the water like it was his own pool - what more do you want or need. Yes, a little aged (the pool not Neil!), but in that amazingness one finds charm and elegance. If you can reset your brain from "new is best" you'll have an absolutely outstanding time. I am SO glad we made the leap (this is our first visit) - and I'm already making plans for next year. Thank you to the wonderful team.

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“A very nice holiday, but a bit overpriced ”

Really good customer service all round. The staff are helpful and usually about at breakfast so you can ask for specific foods (they do poached eggs, pancakes etc). Having said that, someone in my group ordered pancakes and they never came. I thought the breakfast selection was good, although could… more

Really good customer service all round. The staff are helpful and usually about at breakfast so you can ask for specific foods (they do poached eggs, pancakes etc). Having said that, someone in my group ordered pancakes and they never came. I thought the breakfast selection was good, although could have had some more vegetarian options for the cooked food. Our room was alright, but for the price you pay you expect a bit better. It is great of course to be on the seafront and to be able to sit out on the terrace. The Amalfi restaurant was really nice, the food was good with lots of choice. All in all, we had a very nice stay, but the hotel is in need of a refurbishment.

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“Great location, and that's about it”

I agree with most of the scathing reviews, as this was my experience. The hotel capitalised on the beach front location, which is great (long stretch of sand, and short walk to sea), but has nothing to do with the hotel itself. Starting with positives - free parking, hotel on the beach, good sel… more

I agree with most of the scathing reviews, as this was my experience. The hotel capitalised on the beach front location, which is great (long stretch of sand, and short walk to sea), but has nothing to do with the hotel itself. Starting with positives - free parking, hotel on the beach, good selection at breakfast, Amalfi Italian restaurant reasonable price and varied menu, watersports centre within complex with easy access to harbour for activities. Now the negatives- the hotel is overpriced for basic, and sometimes tired accommodation, think Travelodge quality for Hilton prices (if you're paying less, you expect less, but we paid over £150 per night for 2 adults and child). We had no hot water at 8am on our first morning, despite running both taps and shower for several minutes. Reception told us that as our room was furthest away from the boiler/tank it may take some time for hot water to reach us (?), then said that as most people are using hot water at the same time, the system can't cope. So basically, if you want a shower, wake up before everyone else, or wait until lunchtine when everyone else is out. We resorted to boiling a kettle each morning so we could at least wash our faces, as that was the only way to get warm water. As most recent reviews state, the hotel needs a refurb, and whilst there are positives (some beyond the hotel's control), the price and quality do not tally.

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