The Woolacombe Bay Hotel

We booked a Christmas stay from Christmas eve to the 27th in The Loft Suite. Words almost fail me, We have had the most wonderful Christmas at the Woolacombe bay hotel. We arrived early with no rush to check in but our Suite was ready for us, The lady on reception was wonderful, explaining everything to us and providing us with a very useful map of the hotel, we had mince pies and were taken to our Suite. Wow, the room was spotless and toasty warm, perfect for us and a teenager, we also recieved a welcome gift from the hotel which was a truly lovely touch. We then headed to the brilliant gym for a while and then onto the spa which is lovely, just a shame I left it to late to be able to book in for a treatment. Later in the day we had an absolutely delicious afternoon tea and then we got ready for Christmas Eve dinner. The meal in Doyles was superb, I almost regret enjoying the afternoon tea so close to dinner time! Our waiter Jonathan was lovely, we were served with a fabulous menu, something we didn't expect, the choices were perfect. Then we were given a ticket for a complimentary cocktail at the cocktail masterclass. We enjoyed this however and possibly because we ate later in the evening we saw no cocktail making demo's. The breakfasts here are simply wonderful, perfect eggs, delicious yogurt pots, fresh fruit and pastries. The meal on Christmas day was beyond superb, a glass of champagne on arrival and a lovely bottle of red and white on the table was very much enjoyed with the the 5 course meal ending with cheeses and a delicious port. The evening buffet was just enough and well thought out. Boxing day, Again after meeting friend's locally in the pub up the road the Jube, (absolutely worth a visit) we enjoyed a film in the beautiful Cinema, the bar is just gorgeous and the sofas, wow, what a brilliant experience. Then onto boxing days meal again served by our, by now new best friend Jonathan followed by an at first what felt slightly underwhelming ****** night, I did expect more (as it is in the beautiful ball room) than the 2 tables just plonked in there, maybe some music and the decor/room to be made to feel more like a glam ******, or even move it to the bar as it almost got lost in that huge room, but none the less we spent all night losing all our 60k worth of fake money thank goodness and enjoyed ourselves and the money was fake! After a relaxed breakfast in the 27th it was time to say goodbye to the hotel and possibly the best family Christmas we have ever had, all thanks to all at the Woolacombe Bay Hotel. The food can not be faulted, everything we had was superb with a very well thought out menu every evening. The service in Doyles namely from Jonathan is possibly the best service we have ever experienced in any establishment, he is a total asset to the hotel and deserves to be awarded as such, he made our dining experiences joyful daily so Thank you Jonathan. We will definitely be booking for 2026 as our 2025 has already

Thankyou so much so all the wonderful teams at woolacombe for a tremendous experience this week whilst our teams were on tour through Cornwall and Devon. My room (216) was beautifully presented and immaculately clean. Service, food, quality levels all 5-star and such a delight to return to this very special property after many years. Much thanks to everyone for your warm welcome and hospitality.

I cannot stress enough how poorly staff are treated at Woolacombe Bay Hotel. From day one, it was evident that this is a company that doesn’t care for the well-being of its employees. They regularly break work laws, with their split shifts that start at 7 am and end late into the evening, with little regard for proper rest in between. The culture here is one of bullying and cruelty. The head chef Eddie and a colleague named Carolina seem to take pleasure in picking apart their staff's flaws. Andrea, the head waitress, is known for regularly targeting staff with unnecessary harshness, including shaming individuals in front of the whole team. Despite numerous complaints, the management, is complacent and does nothing to address these toxic behaviours. The hotel itself, while grand in appearance, is in dire need of refurbishment, especially the breakfast room. Go to breakfast at your own risk, there were multiple occasions where gone off milk was accidentally served to guests. When I mentioned we should change suppliers as this happens often I was shot down. However, the most concerning aspect is the appalling staff accommodation, which is not only disgusting but also violates multiple safety and health laws. There are fire hazards everywhere—no fire exit, no fire door, windows that don’t open, and live wires exposed in several flats. The living conditions are horrendous, with many rooms lacking proper lighting. In one apartment the roof fell through and it was just left to deteriorate further. The front doors of the staff accommodations are so old that the apartments are freezing, and the outdoor stairs are incredibly dangerous, especially when it rains. I personally fell down the stairs twice, and when I reported it to the manager, I was told nothing could be done. This sums up the management's complete disregard for staff safety and comfort. To make matters worse, most of the staff seem to struggle with addiction issues, which is likely a result of stress and poor working conditions. The owner, Sally, is rude and dismissive of any concerns, only caring about the hotel’s profits while completely neglecting the welfare of their team. I would strongly advise anyone considering employment here to look elsewhere. The owners attitude towards their employees is reflected in the dire living and working conditions. If you are thinking about staying at the hotel, I would recommend you don’t and that you choose a business that truly values its staff.

Third time back to this lovely hotel. Curious mix of old and new in terms of decor but it works as you have a sense of history as well as bedrooms being comfortable with good bath/ shower. Really enjoyed the outside pool area and pool itself-refreshing but definitely not freezing. Once again, breakfasts were both tasty and copious - and had gluten free options...thank you! Friendly staff and good service. Only minor gripe was fact that lovely cotton bathrobes had been replaced by polyester equivalents. Cost saving maybe but polyester robe is not nice and sweaty after 15 mins! Should not have been allowed.

We went to celebrate my wife's birthday, spending the last weekend of October.at the hotel. The service we received was first class, nothing was too much trouble. The staff were so attentive and made our stay very enjoyable. Special thanks to Jonathan who was always smiling and chatty, making us feel really welcome.

We stayed for 2 nights and had a fantastic time. We both surfed as much as we could and the beach access made it so easy. The superior sea view room we stayed in was nice a spacious with fantastic views of the sea. The bed was very comfortable. My only issue was I didn't have anywhere to hang my long dress I brought with me. But as issues goes that is pretty insignificant. We dined in the restaurant on both evenings and the food was good value for money and incredibly tasty. We also went to the cinema on one evening and it was the most comfortable cinema we have ever been too! All in all we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and will definitely be returning.