Book the Best Places to Stay Near Woolacombe Beach, Devon

Crowning the headland on the bay north of Woolacombe Beach, Watersmeet Hotel is a striking lookout, gleaming white on the hillside above a stretch of rock-coddled sand. Smart rooms in elegant stripes overlook the shoreline, and lawns cascade down to rock pools and sandcastles on Combesgate Beach. Indoor and outdoor pools – plus a grand restaurant facing the surf – complete a very appealing picture.

Across the road from Runnymede Gardens and the Ilfracombe Museum, the Dilkhusa Grand has an unusual story. Dating back to Victorian times, the house was purchased by a family from India, who coined the Hindi name (meaning “house of the happy heart”). Today, it’s a gentle Devon hotel, with simple but cosy rooms that are being refurbished and modernised in waves. Meals are served in a bright dining room with big windows looking out over Ilfracombe.

Set back from the seaside road linking Ilfracombe’s beaches to the countryside, the Dorchester is a tidy Victorian townhouse that consistently scores top reviews from the folk who stay here. The home-from-home rooms are large and restful, with lots of little signs of care. It’s engagingly informal, with an honesty bar that seems to come from a different time.

Set back from the sand, but close enough to hear the seagulls, Marine House is a tasteful stop in an excellent location behind Woolacombe Beach. Framed surf prints and beach photos set the scene in two spick-and-span bedrooms with gleaming black-and-white bathrooms. The big draw, though, is the location: within seconds of stepping outside, you can be under the sun with soft sand underfoot, or breathing in the sea breeze from grassy footpaths overlooking the beach.

Sitting peacefully above Woolacombe Bay, this understated holiday cottage is one for walkers. With just a wander across the road, you’ll be on the South West Coast Path, leading up to hidden coves and the tooth-like outcrops of Morte Point. There are five ensuite bedrooms with space for up to 11 guests, plus four-legged friends. Interiors are bright and contemporary, with lots of wooden furniture in complementary colours, while the sea views from the deck could be framed as landscape paintings.

Impressed by the sound of River Fowey mussels, Lundy lobster and Devon crab at the Beach House restaurant? Why not stay over? The same owners run the Beach House Hostel, a summery holiday cottage with room for eight, parking for three cars, and light-filled views of the sea. Rooms have been furnished with love and care, full of wood tones and bright whites, and the open-plan dining room is great for entertaining.

The reasons to stay at this attractive holiday cottage add up quickly: bright living spaces in soothing seaside colours with floral and nautical trims, a private breakfast terrace that catches glimpses of the sea, and a flower-filled garden with views over the rolling hills above Woolacombe Beach. There’s room for two, with an open-plan kitchen and a roomy lounge into which you can retreat at the end of the day.

Big leather sofas and uplifting views of green hills invite you to exhale at this homely self-catering apartment, spread across two floors of a tidy house just inland from Woolacombe Bay. It’s all about location: the village pub and fish and chip shop are steps away, and it’s ten minutes’ walk to the beach and the shorefront path towards Morte Point. There’s room for four in bright, uncluttered bedrooms with clean lines and big, white bathrooms.