Hotels in Dartmouth

Dartmouth's accommodation is shaped by its geography as much as its history: many of the best places to stay sit directly on the water, making the most of views across the estuary to Kingswear, while others climb the steep streets behind the harbour, trading a flat walk for a quieter setting and a rooftop outlook. At the top end, riverside hotels with spas and fine dining sit within a short stroll of the Boat Float, offering the kind of polish more usually associated with a country house than a working port town. Several of the town's historic inns and coaching houses have been carefully modernised without losing their timber beams and low doorways, giving mid-range visitors genuine character alongside comfortable, contemporary rooms.

For those happy to walk a little further from the centre, Dartmouth's guest houses and bed and breakfasts occupy some of the town's oldest merchants' houses, many with panoramic views over the rooftops to the river beyond, and often run by owners who know the town's tides, ferries and best walks better than any guidebook. A little further out, family-run hotels in the villages around Dartmouth combine easy access to the town with more space, gardens and, in some cases, swimming pools, making them a practical choice for longer stays or visits built around the beaches at Blackpool Sands and Slapton. Whichever style suits, booking ahead is strongly advised for the Regatta weekend in late August and through the main summer season, when Dartmouth's compact size means its best rooms sell out early.