Claiming some of the best sea views on the island, the Albion hotel has been welcoming guests to Freshwater Bay since Victorian times. It is about to reopen under new ownership after a multi-million pound renovation. The new Albion will have 40 rooms, 36 with sea views, including two suites, seven dog-friendly rooms and two accessible rooms. Some have a claw-foot bath and a balcony or terrace. The Rock is the new 100-seat restaurant that sources more than 90% of the island's ingredients, including garlic, tomatoes, fish, lobster and meat. A free shuttle bus will take you to local bars and restaurants and pick you up. The hotel is approximately 10 minutes' drive from Yarmouth Ferry Terminal.
Opens in June and is taking bookings for June 19thdoubles from £99 B&B (minimum two nights), albionhotel.co.uk
Knipoch House hotel, Argyll and Bute
A small, family-owned hotel group has renovated the 26-bedroom Knipoch House, on Loch Feochan, near Oban on the west coast of Scotland. The house dates from the 17th century and still has the original fireplaces and panels; Added to this are super king size beds and a spa bath. A barbecue and outdoor dining area are ready for the summer. The new menu includes Scottish classics such as cullen skink, haggis and venison, plus thoughtful vegetarian dishes (smoked tofu with mango and black beans; Jerusalem artichoke and jackfruit cassoulet).
Doubles from £129 rooms only, sonascollection.com
Sleep Eco Inn, West Sussex
Over the past century, this red-brick Edwardian building, a few blocks inland from Worthing beach, has served as a wash house, library, school and vaccination centre. This is perhaps the most intriguing incarnation: a thoroughly modern, no-nonsense, sustainable hotel for the 21st century. The Sleep Eco Inn is fully electric, with a modern heating and cooling system that is calculated to save 12 tons of CO2 per year. The nine stylish rooms have high ceilings, large windows, comfortable beds and colorful throws and pillows, but the traditional hotel facilities have been scaled back: there's keyless self-check-in, a hot drinks machine (no breakfast), a 24/7 digital concierge service - and real people just a phone call away.
Double from £78 for a room onlysleepecohotel.co.uk
Hope Cove House, South Devon
This relaxed restaurant with rooms near Kingsbridge has just reopened after major construction work and has nine rooms, all with views over the beach and Bolt Tail headland. Co-owner Oli Barker was one half of the pair behind London restaurants Terroirs, Soif and Brawn, and the menu here consists of simple seafood and seasonal produce - dinner might include salt-baked bream with sauce virgin or lemon sole with bEure noisette, capers and parsley. He and his wife Ra strive for a "beautiful, welcoming house party atmosphere." There is a sitting room with a woodburning stove and a terrace overlooking the bay, from which guests can swim, paddle board or walk along the coast to Salcombe or Bantham. Hope Cove House's first wellness retreat takes place from June 6 to 9 (from £650 per person).
Double from £175 B&B, hopecovehouse.co
Offshore hotel, Lancashire
Neighboring hotels on Lytham St Annes promenade (the Carlton and the Lindum) have been renovated to create one brand new hotel. The Offshore has 98 bedrooms of all shapes and sizes, many with sea views; a renovated bar and outdoor terrace; and eat and drink all day long. Highlights include the Sunday carvery and the spritz menu, with drinks from a classic Campari spritz to a Bakewell bellini (amaretto, cherry and prosecco). The vast sandy beach of St Annes is just across the road and it is a 15 minute drive to the bright lights of Blackpool. As part of the opening offer, two people booking a B&B stay can dine for free (up to £20pp).
Doubles from €98 B&B, inncollectiongroup.com
Marien hotel, county Antrim
The Marine hotel, next to Ballycastle's long sandy beach, was renovated earlier this year. Many of the 51 rooms have sea views, and there are family rooms and two suites. The restaurant, Marconi's, serves food sourced within a 50 mile radius, including Strangford Lough mussels and Irish cheese and charcuterie platters. It also offers afternoon tea, Sunday lunch and monthly fish and curry nights. Free activities include sea swimming at 8.30am daily, weekly guided beach walks, bread demonstrations and Irish coffee masterclasses.
Double from £140 B&B, marinehotelballycastle.com
Tynemouth Castle Inn, Tyne and Wear
The art deco Park Hotel, which has overlooked Long Sands Beach for more than 80 years, has reopened as the Tynemouth Castle Inn after a £10 million renovation. The inn has 72 rooms, many with sea views and a balcony or terrace, including some family rooms and some dog-friendly rooms. The pub serves food all day, from brunch (ham and pea pudding tottie, smoked mackerel crumpet) to dinner (pheasant kiev, venison meatballs) and Sunday lunch. Other dining options in the hotel include Oswins fish and chip shop and Cones ice cream shop.
Doubles from €89 B&B, inncollectiongroup.com
The White Horses, East Sussex
There's nothing between you and the sea view at this new boutique hotel overlooking Rottingdean's pebble beach. A massive revamp has breathed new life into the tired 1930s building, with 32 elegant bedrooms and a sea-view terrace restaurant, serving crowd-pleasers such as baked Sussex camembert, fish soup, fish and chips and roast lamb, accompanied of craft ales and wines from local vineyards. Surrounded by white cliffs and rolling hill country, the chic coastal town of Rottingdean is known for its hilltop windmill and as the former home of novelist Rudyard Kipling, who wrote some of his Just So stories while living here with his family. And if that all sounds too quiet, Brighton Marina is just a few miles away, via the famous Undercliff Walk.
Doubles from €95 rooms only, bookable from July, thewhitehorseshotel-rottingdean.co.uk
Plockton Inn, Highlands
Visitors travel from miles around to sample the Plockton Inn's langoustines. Known locally as Plockton prawns, they are caught in reed traps in the sheltered Loch Carron in the north-west highlands and landed on the village pier. This popular family-run inn has recently reopened after a facelift, with fresh new bedrooms, decor inspired by the Highland environment and a new restaurant. What hasn't changed, however, is the deliciously fresh fish menu and the atmosphere in the cozy bar, which serves local whiskies, gins and ales, and hosts regular quiz nights and live music.
Double from £125 guest accommodationplocktoninn.co.uk
The Maltings, Norfolk
The hotel in this 300-year-old former malthouse and brewery in Weybourne has changed hands and is undergoing a £4 million makeover. The renovated Maltings will have 28 bedrooms, including a suite with a terrace and sea views. The former grain warehouse becomes a split-level restaurant with large windows overlooking the coast. Regional products are served, some from the vegetable garden, prepared on a wood-fired grill. There will also be a bar, a games room and a terrace. You can rent bicycles to explore the coast, or book cooking classes, wine tastings or tours of the local vineyards. It is a 10-minute walk to the pebble beach.
Scheduled to open this summerprices to be announced, themaltingsweybourne.com
