Reflects recent average nightly prices reported by our partners, and may not include estimated taxes or fees. Price at checkout may differ.
Cheaper
Average
Higher
About
4.0
#1 of 1 hotels in Berrynarbor
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Set on a North Devon clifftop with views over both the Bristol Channel and Exmoor, this upmarket hotel is 4 miles from Ilfracombe and 10 miles from Woolacombe Bay. Airy, modern rooms offer TVs and tea and coffeemaking facilities. Some have sea views, furnished balconies, and/or iPod docking stations. Kids age 13 and under stay free with an adult. Freebies include Wi-Fi in public areas and breakfast, which is served in the fine-dining restaurant. There's also a bar and lounge area. Leisure facilities include an indoor pool, a sauna and a steam room.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to TheAA: The Automobile Association.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Romantic
Location
Old Coast Road Combe Martin Bay, Berrynarbor, Ilfracombe EX34 9SR England
Sandy Cove Hotel
1,361 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
This summary was created by AI, based on recent reviews.
Powered by AI
The Sandy Cove Hotel presents a dichotomy in guest experiences. While the striking sea views and praised cleanliness stand out as highlights, many feel the hotel falls short in offering good value, citing overpriced rooms with a blend of modernity and wear. Service quality varies, with commendations for staff friendliness contrasting reports of disorganization.
The amenities, including delectable dining, are generally celebrated, though some areas seemingly require enhancement. The atmosphere embodies both charm and a sense of neglect, making it a place of contrasting opinions.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Pristine
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Outstanding
Was this helpful?
Tripadvisor is not responsible for this summary or the opinions in it. For more information, please read the traveller reviews and learn more about how the site works.
We arrived at Sandy Cove Hotel last week, on first looking the hotel looked lovely and view was absolutely amazing! We checked in and got room 55, the view was amazing and the hotel was very clean. All the beds and curtains and bathroom were cleaned very well as could not see any types of stains or dirt anywhere in the rooms. We booked the SeaView with Breakfast, Dinner and Bed and for the price was very happy, due to COVID-19 the pool and spa facilities were closed but overall was happy with the service and room. That night we went to The SandyCove Restaurant, the service was very fast and staff were very friendly and welcoming. I ordered the Mac & Cheese and I don’t regret it! The Mac & Cheese was the best food I’ve had there, it’s was not dry and the cheese was melted perfectly!! The second night we went to The SeaCliff Restaurant, not much I can say about that! The food was not only double the price but was terrible! The steak was hard and chewy and was not done to a Rare... I loved The SandyCove Restaurant much better even though they were a cheaper price, the food at The SandyCove Restaurant had more hard work put in to it and I felt like the SeaCliff was just rushed and not put much effort into it. So for the rest of that week we avoided the SeaCliff and stuck with The SandyCove Restaurant. The only one other issue was the beach, on there website it shows the different beaches being near to the hotel, The statement isn’t false but to get to the beach you have to go down 300 stairs!! Yes for some it was quite challenging but I was up for the challenge and after was rewarding! Around the hotel there was a range of things to do, the Trakka Trail was a cycle trail over 30 Miles and was traffic free for anybody who likes to bike a lot. I did bring my bike and did indeed find the bike trail great fun with the family!
Would Definitely Recommend!
Read more
Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My “Wife” and I got married here back in October, after many trips here before there was only ever one place the both of us wanted to get married! If you have not visited before you really need to, from the moment you turn in to the hotel the back drop is just breath taking, the views out over the water and across to Wales are timeless! From the moment we booked the wedding we felt like we were in good hands, nothing was ever too much trouble and never minded answering our endless questions, they really made the lead up to our big day stress free. From the moment we arrived at the “Venue” everything was bang on, we had fish and chip cones on arrival up in the main hotel which were a welcomed snack ( although a little more than a snack!!) I thought this was a great idea having it in the main hotel as it kept everyone (including us) in suspense for the main event. After the welcome drinks we made our way in to the “Venue” which was decorated absolutely perfectly! Lisa who was appointed to look after us for the day had done an exceptional job and continued to do so throughout the day/evening, she was never too far away if we needed her and really made the day run seamlessly. The food.... well what can I say we went for the platinum package and had the choice of Beef wellington, Rack of lamb and the Chicken, every dish came out cooked to perfection and huge portions, how they managed to get 150 dishes out hot and perfect I will never know, their chefs are a massive credit to them! Every guest has commented to say how wonderful the the venue was and the food!! For the evening do we hired a band called “Bill Ding and the Sky Scrapers” who I highly recommend. After our amazing day was over it was back to the bridal sweet where we arrived to find a bottle of prosecco waiting for us in the room which was a nice touch! The room was immaculate and had everything we needed, we had a balcony with a table and chairs, blankets and a pair of binoculars for seal watching. We had a huge bath and a walk in shower. In the morning it was down for breakfast with the majority of our guests as we had hired out every room in the hotel. There was a choice of continental or cooked breakfast...or both! Which again was cooked perfectly and delicious!
I can not recommend this place highly enough Dawn, Richard, Kelly and Neil really have a lovely family feel to this stunning hotel, the staff they have running the day and evening were spot on too. Whether you’re looking for a Wedding, a weekend away or just some lunch and a drink Sandy Cove has it all, not to forget their lovely swimming pool, sauna, steam room etc and the roof top terrace on top! Their grounds team must have worked around the clock as there wasn’t a blade of grass out of place!
If you haven’t already booked do it now!!
Massive thank you to everyone at The Sandy Cove we cant wait to come back x
Read more
Date of stay: October 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SandycoveDevon, Manager at Sandy Cove Hotel
Responded 24 Feb 2020
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review and we are delighted that you enjoyed your day. We have passed your lovely comments on to the staff. We do very much hope to meet you again in the future.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
A lot to digest? Read an AI-generated summary of recent traveller reviews.
This was a short staycation following cancellation of foreign holidays. We booked a sea view family room and it was a good size for 2 adults and 1 child with everything we needed. The views from our room over Sandy Cove and beyond to Combe Martin were breathtaking. The outside areas of the Hotel have the same sensational views and there are numerous tables to take advantage of any good weather. The Hotel has Covid 19 restrictions in place and in the main they did this well with one way systems, lots of hand sanitisers available and restaurant booking and spacing. We liked the idea of pre booking the swimming pool so that you could use it safely. We ate in the restaurant for breakfast and dinner. Hats off to Front of House at dinner as he negotiated the flood of people using the Government scheme on Wednesday and did just as well in a busy restaurant on Thursday. My only criticism was breakfast which was haphazard in being served and not helped by a strange layout of the menu which suggested you had to choose between fruit juice and toast for example. Surely both are essential for any English breakfast. Nevertheless I don’t want this to take away from a really great break and I would wholeheartedly recommend this Hotel. Make sure you book a room with a sea view for maximum experience.
Read more
Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My partner and I got married here in January, it truly was the most incredible day!
Everyone was so friendly, helpful and professional right from the moment of booking through to us leaving. The organisation was superb in the run up to and across the whole weekend, it really kept our minds at ease that everything would run smoothly.
Lisa (wedding co-ordinator), Jamie (restaurant manager) and Chris (venue manager) were absolutely amazing across the whole weekend, they worked so hard to make sure everything was perfect.
The food was fantastic both the evening before and on the wedding day, everyone enjoyed it!
The wedding venue itself as well as the view is just stunning and transitions between the set up of the ceremony, wedding meal and evening was seamless.
It was also a great surprise upon arriving to see all the rooms had been renovated, we had loads of comments from guests on how nice they were. We were offered a choice of rooms and the newly completed room 43 was just amazing and perfect for us all to get ready on the wedding morning.
Once again, we cannot thank every staff member enough for providing us with such a fantastic and memorable wedding, we couldn’t be happier with how the whole weekend went!
Read more
Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SandycoveDevon, Manager at Sandy Cove Hotel
Responded 24 Feb 2020
Thank you very much for taking the time to write a review and for your lovely comments. We would love you to visit again for your anniversary & if you would like to come, please do contact us directly so that we can upgrade your room. We do very much hope to meet you again.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
As the label says a stunning review but the service isn't. Recently, had a 2 night stay and room was pleasant enough. The evening meal was good but charred, black, inedible toast on offer for breakfast wasn't. Lavatories off the main Reception area stank of damp and the plaster wet from the rising damp, corridor carpets filthy, paintwork scuffed and in need of attention. Paid over £500 for two nights bed and breakfast, but to our horror discovered no housekeeping; bins not emptied, bathroom not cleaned, no clean towels, no replenished tea/coffee/milk and the bed not made. Apparently, we should have been advised that for this very high tariff, one only gets this if its requested. Had it been we would have requested it. Complaint got nowhere except an offer, when we return to offer an upgrade - like we would throw good money after bad (not).
Read more
Date of stay: September 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Check everything to make sure you are getting value
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked this hotel as part of birthday celebrations for my wife and we had a come a long way to visit (6 Hours).
This hotel is in a great location with stunning views and the service from staff was excellent as was the food.
We had a sea view room which looked very worn, the fan in the bathroom did not work and there was a loud noise when the hot water was used. There was no air con in the room. Our room was directly above the dining area so you could hear the music from 8am to 11pm. The room was not that clean, the back of the TV was covered in thick layers of dust and cobwebs as was under the bed. The mirror was not secured properly to the door by clips and on opening it fell out, luckily didn’t break. The corridor floorboards creaked and groaned when you or other people walked across them, typical of an older type of building. Changing of towels was not a clean protocol, we were advised that we left our dirty towels outside the room door to be swapped over for clean ones which was left on the floor that everyone had walked on.
Overall, the staff were nice and the food was good but the state of the accommodation let the place down vastly so we will not be retuning.
If i was to offer constructive feedback I would say clean your rooms properly, make sure everything works and try an ensure that your guests get a good nights sleep.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Sea View room offers the best view.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My partner and I visited this hotel to spend the night with our puppy ahead of a wedding show round the following day. Upon arrival the location is fantastic with plenty of parking for guests. We checked in all went well , until we received our room key . Room 1 We located our room, which had dated furniture compared to the images online but the worst part was the cleanliness . The room was filthy. I do find attention to detail important in a hotel especially with places like premier inn offering high level of cleanliness these days. The dust along the head board, the dirt on the extractor fan , the dirt on the shower gel bottles & surround , I could continue. The window did not open either, we had a patio door but with a dog you can’t really keep this open at night so found it a pointless feature to the room. The toilet once flushed kept filling so there was a fault with the pump. We arrived to no towels being in the room , the delivery was late which is fair enough. We went to try and get a drink at the bar, understandable with covid 19 there is an app process, that was ok. Unfortunately , all the tables had reserved signs on from 4pm, when a table left it actually still had the reserve sign. I asked a member of staff if it was ok to sit as the couple before had left and they said they were all reserved. Surely adding a time of reservation would help people trying to find a seat? We waited for another table and then when trying to place the order was told the app was not working because they have had people leave?! Surely the app charges people when ordering? so my partner went in to order inside, we ordered drinks and meals. Our food arrived before our drinks, we had to chase up our drinks with the food server. The food was really good , we could not fault it and the view. The whole time tables with reserved signs stayed vacant.... The next day we had breakfast which was delightful with loads of choice . The wedding show round was lovely but the bed room had left a bad shadow on us and unfortunately we did not want our guests to be commenting on the accommodation for such a lovely wedding venue.
When I checked the precharge for the stay, we was actually overcharged for the stay, which was refunded on check out with a problem. However, I did comment on the cleanliness upon check out and mentioned the toilet issue .
The hotel did come back to me with an apology for the cleanliness. Unfortunately we did not proceed with this hotel as our wedding venue because of the attention to detail and cleanliness
Read more
Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed at Sandy Cove for 4 nights The hotel is set in an idyllic location - very close to one of the nicest beaches in Devon. It also has an amazing modern sun terrace to help you enjoy that view too. The hotel sadly does not live up to the view in any way. The biggest problems are that no one seemed to be in charge; no one seemed to care or have any quality standards. Our twin room next to reception wasn't great (see pics) and I would definitely not recommend you book the room unless you have mobility issues. Any issues we had about the room were generally ignored or excused. It was cramped, claustrophobic, hot (ceiling about 6 feet 2 ins high) but our big issue was the wet room bathroom (with no window) which stayed permanently wet with pools on the floor which meant that all of our clothes/bedding were damp and the intermittent flow of water from the shower which meant we had to time our showers! No one seemed to care or be interested that these were an issue for us when we complained about it. The main hotel is really pleasantly decorated and pretty clean but once again is let down by the service. No one understands or really cares too much what guests say. All of the staff, bar one amazing server, Flora, seem not to understand any level of service. The quality of food was also very poor. Food came late or not together. We sent back food most nights as it was either cold, not cooked properly or just tasteless. I heard a fellow guest comment - "it is like the chef doesn't like food" and that summed it up. Sadly no one seemed to care that plates of food are left uneaten, but no one cares also that cigarette butts are left for days in the main bin (see pic) and not cleaned up. No one seems to care or notice that cushions aren't put on the seats on the viewing platform or used plates and glasses that are left for hours are not cleared up. This place could be great but someone needs to take charge and start caring for their guests.
Read more
Date of stay: August 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Do not choose 29 or 30 unless you have mobility issues
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from , General Manager at Sandy Cove Hotel
Responded 4 Aug 2020
Thank you for taking the time to write a review, we did actually respond to your daughter's review yesterday and explain that you had booked a disabled access room as that this was the only available room at the time of your booking. As explained to your daughter we do have 7 different grades of room and this is the starting grade price. We have never had comments about this room like you are both making, it is constantly booked and extremely popular for the ease of access and normally for the wet room also. As also explained in our previous response to our daughter, we do strive to offer a superior level of customer service & so your feedback is extremely valuable to us and we are very sorry that you were not happy. We are very sorry for the stain on the floor but you did choose for staff not to come into your room in this current situation, as they would willing have cleaned the room had you requested this. We are very proud of our food and do have an AA 2 Rosette award so we can only apologise for any mistakes. We do care very much about the hotel and wish you had let us know while you were here that you were unhappy as we would have done our utmost to rectify any problems or anything that you were not happy with; you have both written reviews and this is the first that we knew you were unhappy so we are very sorry for this.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Honestly the only thing going for this poorly run establishment is the view, which is without doubt amazing. From the start our room wasn’t ready, we weren’t greeted in a friendly manner or offered refreshments to compensate for the late availability of our room. Coffee was later provided when I prompted and asked for this, but we shouldn’t need to ask. Time after time the management blamed the shortage of staff on brexit and the pandemic. Perhaps they should pay to get reliable staff or roll up their sleeves and get stuck in themselves as they were keen to tell us it was a family business but I never saw any of them getting hands on and helping out. We paid £740 for dinner bed and breakfast in what we were promised would be the finest room in the hotel! They couldn’t even deliver on this as the room was nothing like the one in the picture (room 7) and clearly much smaller and with only a King size bed not the super king in the photos, the bed was comfy however but the pillows were very poor! The fine dining restaurant was closed as again apparently they didn’t have the staff and the food in the regular restaurant was appalling, particularly on the second night when they reduced the menu much further as their chef was catering for a wedding and this is clearly their priority. My husband couldn’t eat his burger which tasted disgusting and had fatty undercooked bacon inside the bun. Not at all what we were expecting I can tell you! We constantly had to ask for salt and pepper as this wasn’t on the tables and totally inappropriate thin paper napkins completed the tacky picture. The staff constantly got orders muddled up and brought out the wrong items and the wait between starters and mains at both breakfast and dinner was close to an hour and then only came when complained about how long we’d waited.
In the room the curtains in the bath area were hung off the wall. There was nowhere to put anything. No shelves or hooks and nowhere to put toiletries or a drink when in the bath. Not a single biscuit left in the room and only a cheap kettle and even cheaper sachets of poor quality instant coffee provided. Cheap un drinkable orange juice at breakfast instead of the ‘freshly squeezed’ orange juice promised on the menu.
This was the worst experience we have ever had in a hotel. Road side travel type lodges do a much better job at a fraction of the price.
My husband chose to pay the full bill as he couldn’t be bothered to argue but if it was left to me I would have very strongly objected to paying a great deal of money to stay at Sandy Cove. The hotel offers such promise in the beautiful setting but it does not deliver and the management need to decide if they want to be a wedding venue or a hotel that delivers for their regular guests as they clearly cannot cater for both.
Read more
Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We went here for 3 nights as a post lockdown break. We booked late and got the last room available which was one at the back of reception with no view. The sign on the door said that the room had been deep cleaned and even we did not find the water bottle that had been left by the bed until we were leaving. The room is not serviced during your stay due to virus protection measures which was o.k. for us but could be problematic if you had a couple of kinds and a dog in a room as well - and a lot of people had dogs. The location is superb over looking the Bristol Channel and right on the South West Coastal Path for the walkers. The grounds and sitting out area are a great place to be but take a fleece as it is north facing. Breakfast was o.k. and we found if you asked for something not on the menu you could usually get it. Evening meals were o.k. in the main restaurant with it Italian theme but absolutely fantastic in the a la carte. We tried both. One area of concern was social distancing. Whilst doors were marked in and out and footprints were on the ground the tables did not lend themselves to being 2m apart. Whilst we were back to back with the next table we were still close. We are in a new situation and everyone is learning and trusting others. All in all a very pleasant break and well worthy of a visit.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from , General Manager at Sandy Cove Hotel
Responded 3 Aug 2020
Thank you for taking the time to write a review and we are delighted that you enjoyed your stay. We do appreciate your feedback and it is extremely valuable to us. We do very much hope to meet you again in the future.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi
We loved room 44 fresh and modern, room 51 dark old fashioned, it did have a small dark covered balcony , that’s all a can tell you , if you can go for newly decorated rooms , ring and ask they are very helpful and friendly. Have a great wedding fingers crossed for weather
Tamworth, United Kingdom1,873 contribution115 helpful votes
Dogs are allowed in certain rooms at Sandy Bay Hotel.
By law, dogs are not allowed in premises where food is served or sold (except assistance dogs). Many establishments flout this law, but not at Sandy Cove Hotel
There are more places to choose from in the Berrynarbor area.
PRICE RANGE
S$253 - S$261 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
sandy cove ilfracombe, sandy cove hotel, hotel sandy cove
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandDevonIlfracombeBerrynarbor
NUMBER OF ROOMS
38
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
