Coastal and beach hotels
Oh we do like to be beside the seaside… and we know you do, too. So we've scoured coastlines, scaled cliffs and combed beaches in our search for the coolest coastal hotels, where the water's edge is never far away.
Clifftop castles, seaside stays and beach B&Bs – you'll find them all here, alongside paradise island resorts and Caribbean retreats. You just have to decide whether your idea of beach-hotel heaven is skimming stones in Brighton, surfing in Santa Monica or scuba diving in the Seychelles…
- Hotels
- Self-catering
- € £ $
We've found 204 Smith-approved coastal and beach hotels
Victoria's at Wategos
Byron Bay, Australia
- Style
- Classical romance
- Setting
- Tropical gardens by the beach
Elegant Tuscan-style boutique hotel Victoria's at Wategos is set amid lush tropical gardens beside beautiful Wategos beach, perfect for soaking up Byron Bay's…
Les Cascades de Bantry Bay
Cape Town, South Africa
- Style
- Indonesian-accented colonial comfort
- Setting
- Panoramic perch over Bantry Bay
Enjoy stupendous views at the super-chic Les Cascades de Bantry Bay, a world away from the corporate five-star international hotels.
Atlantic House
Cape Town, South Africa
- Style
- Sybaritic sea-view simplicity
- Setting
- A crest over Camps Bay
A five-star guesthouse perched on the slopes of the Twelve Apostles along Cape Town's Atlantic seaboard, this elegant hideaway truly is a haven of simplicity…
Alta Bay
Cape Town, South Africa
- Style
- Five-star yet unfussy
- Setting
- Table Mountain tranquillity
This luxury hideaway has relaxed hilltop rooms set amid great gardens, a drive from the Cape Town's best beaches.
Rodwell House
Cape Town, South Africa
- Style
- Fine art, fine food, fine wine
- Setting
- Boho St James fishing village
Lovingly restored to its parquet-floored, clipped-lawn glory, Rodwell House is a refined 1930s mansion that houses a boutique hotel, an impressive collection of…
Kensington Place
Cape Town, South Africa
- Style
- The city's original designer den
- Setting
- Foothills of Table Mountain
Kensington Place is Cape Town’s original boutique bolthole. This stylish retreat is located on the slopes of Table Mountain, a stroll from all the action, and…
Capri Palace Hotel & Spa
Capri, Italy
- Style
- Alabaster chic
- Setting
- Unspoilt Capri countryside
The Capri Palace luxury hotel is the height of opulence, offering a degree of pampering and indulgence to satisfy even the most decadent of souls.
Harbourmaster Hotel
Cardigan Bay, United Kingdom
- Style
- Boutique inn
- Setting
- Bright, breezy Cardigan Bay
The fishing village of Aberaeron is painted to perfection, forming a pitched crescendo of pastels and primaries. The Harbourmaster Hotel is a jaunty midnight…















