Hotels in Sandyhills

Hotel choice right in Sandyhills is limited — this is a small hamlet built around a beach and a caravan park rather than a resort town — so most visitors base themselves a little further along the coast or inland. Barend, close to Dalbeattie, offers self-catering properties with the bonus of an indoor swimming pool and restaurant on site, useful for families wanting something to fall back on if the Scottish weather turns. Dalbeattie itself, a granite-built market town about six miles inland, has a small range of guesthouses and B&Bs, and makes a handy base for exploring both the Colvend coast and Dalbeattie Forest with its waymarked walking and mountain biking trails.

For a wider choice of hotels, the coastal town of Kirkcudbright to the west and the larger town of Dumfries to the north both have a fuller range of accommodation, from traditional coaching inns to modern hotels, and both are within half an hour's drive of Sandyhills Bay. Staying in one of these towns also puts you closer to shops, restaurants and other services, while still allowing an easy day trip out to the beach and the Colvend coast path. Whichever base you choose, booking ahead is worthwhile in the peak summer months, when the region's limited stock of rooms fills up with visitors drawn to the Solway coast's quieter beaches and the Dumfries and Galloway countryside beyond.