Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa, Salcombe

 This week’s update and proposed timeline from Boris has bought about a lot of excitement for everyone in the UK. It feels like we are finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and we can start thinking about how to enjoy summer...if all goes to plan.

As you know, back in October we were lucky enough to squeeze in a visit to the Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa for my 30^th birthday and we’ve had so many people private messaging us to ask about our stay and if we would recommend the hotel. So with a new lease of life after the announcement on Monday and the hope that summer getaways will go ahead, here it is, our review of the Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa.

This was only my second visit to Salcombe and it had been well over a decade since my last visit. I had really fond memories of the town and was so excited to be able to get away from home for a few nights. When booking, we opted for the flexible room rate with breakfast and dinner, meaning that our breakfast was included and we had a set ‘allowance’ towards dinner. Given its location, the restaurant offers some incredible fish dishes and it means only a short walk back to your room after dinner, which for a 2-night stay, was perfect for us.

We chose an Estuary View room which meant that we had a lovely little balcony where we could take in the fresh air and beautiful water views. Even though we visited in October, we were able to sit out in the sun with a warm blanket (which is provided in your room) and enjoy a cheeky G&T before dinner.

As we were up early, we were also able to enjoy some stunning sunrises from the balcony while remaining snuggly and warm. The room itself was an okay size for a double, it would have been nice to have a little bit more space, but for a short stay, it was more than suitable. There were a few bits that could have done with a little TLC, such as some of the grout was missing between the tiles in the bathroom and there were some areas that looked ‘well loved’ shall we say. One of the things I really enjoy about the Harbour Hotel is that they offer complimentary spirits in your room. In this instance, we had gin and sherry, which went down very well with the husband.

One of the other perks of the Harbour Hotel’s is the fact that they have spa facilities which you can access as part of your booking. At the time, social distancing was still very much in force, so to use the spa we did need to call down to check numbers as they were only allowing a limited number of guests to use the facilities at any one time, which was great as it meant the spa was so quiet.

I’ve used the spa at a number of other Harbour Hotels and I think this is the smallest spa I’ve visited, but it did have all the basics, pool, steam room, sauna and Jacuzzi. They also have a ‘relaxation room’ which is a room filled with bolder shaped pillows and padded walls. It also had some relaxing music on and as odd as it sounds, it was actually a very nice chilled place to sit with a book or do a little bit of meditation. You can also book treatments and I would advise doing this well in advanced to avoid disappointment.

I will do a separate blog about the restaurant for dinner as I think it would be too much to add into one blog and really, the restaurant deserves its own feature. However, I will mention the breakfast. 

As you know, we visited during a time of social distancing measures so this is based on our experience during this time and maybe a little bit different when we come out of 'COVID times'. Everything was served at the table, which was nice, but they were really understaffed for amount of guests they had to serve. This meant that it took a while for your food to come as the waiting staff were running around like headless chickens trying to do everything from coffee and soft drinks to pastries to hot breakfasts and it was just a bit too much for the number of staff they had on. 

The food was all fantastic, but that is my one negative about our stay. Which, in the grand scheme of things is really small. However, as a breakfast lover and a rather grumpy lady until I have had said breakfast, it was a bit frustrating. Luckily, you have beautiful views over the estuary to try and focus on while your belly rumbles.

I think once things go back to ‘normal’ the issue with staff at breakfast will disappear and things will run a bit more smoothly. Overall, we had a fantastic stay and very much look forward to visiting again soon. The staff were all trying their best to follow social distancing and there were bottles of hand sanitiser all around the hotel and bottles in your room as well, so you could see they were trying really hard to keep everyone as safe as possible given the challenging times. I can’t wait to be able to visit again and sit on the balcony watching the boats go by with a G&T in hand.

 (All pictures taken & owned by SistersDineOut unless otherwise stated)