With the best intentions in the world, you might hope to make it to Bovington Tank Museum or Corfe Castle, but what you folks have really come to Dorset for is the beach. Around Bournemouth and Sandbanks, picture soft sands and bling beach bars. On to Studland, it’s a wilder coastline, perfect for picnics in the dunes. Then you hit seafood territory, where the resort towns of Weymouth, Lulworth, West Bay and Lyme Regis lure weekenders with oyster shacks and pebbly coves (Wonka, starring Timothee Chalamet, was filmed in Lyme, so get there before the set-jetters when it’s released next year). Here’s where to stay in Dorset near the water…
The best hotels in Dorset are:
The Pig is a great destination by foodies
(The Pig on the Beach)
Location: Studland
There are restaurants-with-rooms, and then there are The Pig hotels. This one is the best in show, in an 1850s converted clifftop residence (it used to be an MP’s seaside escape), with pathways down to pretty Middle Beach and Knoll Beach, and lawn views to Old Harry Rocks, just a 30-minute ramble away. Turn your menu over to see a map of The Pig’s local food producers – no ingredient is sourced from more than 25 miles away – then be amazed by what the chefs can do with pork belly, radishes, and Dorset trout.
Price: Doubles from £195, room only
(Chewton Glen)
Location: Near the New Forest
If you’ve heard of this hotel titan, you might imagine a country house deep in rural England, miles from anywhere – but you’re actually just a 10-minute walk from the coast here, along the cute ‘Chewton Bunny’ (stream and waterfall). Back up at the ranch, things are as tweed-and-pearls as you expected, with thick carpets, antique furniture and log fires, where British weekenders come to play tennis and croquet, spa it up, or clay pigeon shoot. A more modern experience can be had if you stay in one of the Treehouses, contemporary glass-and-timber constructions in the canopy, with private hot tubs.
Price: Doubles from £385, room only
The perfect place to get a cocktail and a small plate
(The Nici)
Location: Bournemouth
This is what the seaside town has been waiting for: a five-star hotel with a pool scene and bling interiors befitting of Bournemouth’s new Premier-League status. Miami is the hotel’s muse, which means tropical gardens, pink parasols, candy-striped loungers, cabanas, and a stunning 30m pool (complete by spring 2023) that gives SoBe a run for its money. Even if you can’t…
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