Woolacombe, North Devon · Hotel
Clifftop hotel above Combesgate Beach at Woolacombe, with indoor and outdoor pools and direct steps down to the sand.
Watersmeet stands on the cliff at the northern end of Woolacombe, looking out over Combesgate Beach and across to Lundy Island on clear days. It began as an Edwardian gentleman's residence and still has that scale and proportion, with wide sea-facing terraces and gardens that run to the cliff edge. Private steps lead down to the beach, which is the feature guests mention most.
The bedrooms are traditional in style and vary in size and outlook; sea-view rooms with balconies command a premium and are the reason most people come. Facilities include an indoor pool with a jacuzzi, a heated outdoor pool that opens in the warmer months, and a small treatment area. Wi-fi and parking are provided.
Food is a serious part of the offer, with a two AA rosette restaurant looking out over the Atlantic and a set-price dinner menu that changes regularly and uses North Devon meat and Bristol Channel fish. Afternoon tea on the terrace is a fixture. Dinner, bed and breakfast rates usually represent better value than room-only for a stay of more than a couple of nights.
The hotel suits couples and quieter family stays rather than large groups; it is not a party hotel and the atmosphere is fairly formal by seaside standards. Woolacombe's three-mile beach is a short walk south, with surf schools and board hire in the village, and the coast path to Morte Point and Mortehoe starts from the door. Exmoor is around forty minutes by car. It is expensive in peak season, so consider late spring or September when rates ease and the beach empties.