Watersmeet Hotel

You come here for the coast first, then for the comforts that make staying beside it worthwhile. Watersmeet Hotel is a 28-bedroom coastal hotel above Combesgate Beach, with sea views across the rugged North Devon shoreline. It suits a diving couple who want a proper room, a good dinner and somewhere to unwind, as well as families planning a beach-based stay rather than a resort holiday with a timetable attached.

The feel is more coastal hotel than purpose-built dive base: fine dining, pools, spa facilities and walks take centre stage. That is useful to know before booking. Your non-diving companion gets beaches, yoga, swimming and the South West Coast Path, while you get a comfortable base for exploring the coast above the tideline.

The hotel’s website is in English and is geared towards English-speaking guests. Rooms are individually decorated, and most look out to sea; some add a balcony or terrace for the sunset rather than another television channel.

The address is in Woolacombe, North Devon, at the quiet edge of the town in Mortahoe. The hotel sits directly above Combesgate Beach, with private steps from the garden to the golden sand. This is genuinely seaside rather than seaside-adjacent, although the steps matter if your knees have opinions about coastal geography.

Woolacombe Beach is about 0.5 miles away, while Rockham Beach is 0.9 miles away. Croyde Beach is around 3.4 miles away and Saunton Sands about 4.2 miles. Ilfracombe is 4.1 miles away by the stated distance, giving you a nearby town for a change of scene, while Bull Point Lighthouse is about 1.4 miles away.

The South West Coast Path passes close by, with access to walks along the coastline. Exmoor is about 7 miles away, and the entrance to Exmoor National Park around 10 miles away. Barnstaple railway station is roughly 9 miles from the hotel, with the road distance closer to 11 miles.

Most rooms are built around the view. All but three have sea views, and the outlook takes in Combesgate Beach, Lundy Island and Baggy Point. If the point of your stay is to wake up to the coast rather than merely visit it between meals, choose a sea-view category; balconies and terraces are available in some rooms and give you a place to sit outside without having to put your walking boots back on.

For two people, the larger sea-view doubles and suites make the most sense when you want room to spread out after a day outdoors. The Executive Sun Pipe Double Room is the compact option, while the family room is the practical choice when three people are sharing. There are also double or twin arrangements, which can be useful if sharing means sleeping in separate beds rather than negotiating the duvet at midnight.

Beds are extra-large in several categories, with pocket-sprung mattresses, crisp white linen, luxurious duvets and memory-foam pillows. Air conditioning and heating cover the less predictable side of the British coast, while daily housekeeping, room service and a lift make the return to your room straightforward. Nearly every category is aimed at two guests, so check the room card carefully if you are travelling as a small family.

Rocks Restaurant is the main reason to make dinner part of the plan. It serves breakfast and a three-course evening dinner, with English cooking, local produce and fresh fish from the area. The dining room and terrace face the sea, with a west-facing outlook that gives the evening meal a front-row seat for the setting sun.

Breakfast is included with the bed-and-breakfast formula and is served as a continental, Full English or Irish, gluten-free and buffet selection. Half-board is also available, which suits a diving stay when the last thing you want is to search for dinner with damp hair and an empty tank of energy. Packed lunches can be arranged for a day spent walking or exploring the beaches.

Afternoon tea, including Devon cream tea, can be taken on the terrace or in the garden. There is a bar, a contemporary wine cellar and a coffee house on site, while the hotel also offers children’s meals, children’s high tea and special-diet menus on request. Guests under eight have high tea at 18:00 and are not expected in the restaurant at night. Dinner calls for smart-casual clothing; leave the expedition look in the room.

Two pools give you a choice without requiring a committee meeting: one indoors and one outdoors. The spa includes a steam room, hot tub, massages and spa treatments, with pool and beach towels available. Yoga classes are also offered, making this a useful place for loosening shoulders and backs after a day carrying more equipment than any sensible person would choose.

The beach is directly below the hotel, with sun loungers, parasols and showers. You can swim, try kayaking or paddleboarding, go surfing, or simply walk down to the rock pools and beachcomb. Woolacombe, Barricane and Combesgate beaches keep the sea within reach even when the plan is strictly non-submerged.

For land-based days, the hotel connects naturally with South West Coast Path walks, cycling, golf, wildlife observation and coastal exploration. The programme also includes access to Dartmoor and Exmoor outings, while families have a games room, storytelling sessions, film afternoons, craft workshops and indoor activities for wet weather. In other words, a rainy day need not be spent watching the same news bulletin twice.

You reach Watersmeet Hotel by road, with free private parking on site and no reservation needed. Exeter International Airport is about 45 miles away as the crow flies and roughly 55 miles by road. Barnstaple and Ilfracombe provide public-transport links, while walking and cycling routes include the South West Coast Path.

Check-in runs from 16:00 to 20:00, and check-out is from 08:00 to 10:00. Bring photo identification and a credit card for arrival. Children of any age are welcome; cots for children aged up to two can be requested, while extra beds are not available. Pets are not allowed.

Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, with luggage storage, a concierge, laundry and dry-cleaning services also available. Facilities for disabled guests are provided, and Combesgate Beach is reached by private steps from the garden; nearby beaches have accessible toilets and changing facilities. The hotel is non-smoking, has air conditioning and heating, and offers room service when staying in wins the evening.

The hotel’s environmental work centres on waste reduction and energy-efficiency measures. It also supports local conservation efforts, keeping the focus on the coastline directly outside rather than on grand claims with a green leaf attached.

That local connection matters here. The hotel sits beside Combesgate Beach and close to the South West Coast Path, with beaches, rock pools and coastal wildlife forming much of the reason to stay. Choosing a property that links its sustainability work to waste, energy and conservation is at least a practical starting point for looking after the shore you have come to enjoy.