A few years ago, I took my mum for afternoon tea with a view at an old-school seaside hotel in Dorset. The view was lovely, but we found it hard to see past the fusty decor, stale scones and cheerless staff. The owners, my mother observed, were not exactly making the most of the place.
So it was with a little trepidation that, seduced by news of the hotel’s reinvention, I recently returned to celebrate my wedding anniversary. As we pulled up to the 18th-century villa, signs were good – a new paint job, an extension to make the most of its stunning location – and we were ushered through the door by sassy, smiling staff to find the place thrumming with the sound of happy people enjoying themselves.
The latest in a chainette of quirky boutique hotels in the New Forest, Bath and Southampton, The Pig on the Beach overlooks Studland Bay, near Poole harbour, a gorgeous crescent of sand. A jumble of turrets and gabled windows – this was once the beach house of the aristocratic Bankes family – hints at the slightly batty but chi-chi interior: dim lights, wonky floorboards, perfectly placed curios and mismatched sofas around the fire. A chunky wooden staircase and labyrinth of corridors lead to 23 bedrooms, ranging from “cheap and cheerful” to “generous”. Guests can also stay in one of two thatched dovecotes and a shepherd’s hut on wheels in the garden.
Our room, in the main house and at the lower end of the price range, was tucked into the eaves. It was certainly compact, the sloping ceilings more suitable for Hobbits than Gandalfs. But views across the fields to the white, chalk stacks of Old Harry Rocks rising from the sea, local goodies to binge on and a decent coffee machine, made up for a clonked head or two.
Downstairs, we flopped into comfy sofas and sipped on proper grown-up cocktails – smoky dirty martinis topped with lobster oil and a fish scratching hit the spot.
The sheltered cove a few minutes’ walk away would be nice for a swim, but we opted for a gentle yomp along the coastal path to Old Harry Rocks and afterwards I made a beeline for the “sheep huts” for a facial.
As with the other Pigs, the food is a big draw. Main meals are served in the conservatory – a kind of posh potting shed (it’s popular with locals, so don’t forget to book a table even if you’re staying). The very pretty plates of food use flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables picked fresh that day (all dishes include something from the kitchen garden and all ingredients are sourced from within 25 miles).
This particular Pig also offers lots of just-landed seafood. I tackled the famous Bath chaps: a vast piggy mandible still wearing a few of its teeth. I recommend it for those with robust appetites and sensibilities. Puddings showcase what’s in season: we swooned over the chocolate parfait with honeycomb doused in local honey to such an extent that we ordered it thrice. And I’d still go back for more.
Sue Quinn
• Doubles at The Pig on the Beach (01929 450288, thepighotel.com) from at £119 a night midweek, or £139 weekends when there is a two-night minimum (room-only, breakfast £10-£15pp). Main courses from £14
Ask a local
Emma Wright, operations manager, National Trust Studland
• Hire a beach hut in Studland: hidden among dunes and woodland, they come with deckchairs and windbreaks for £12-£25 a day.
nationaltrust.org.uk
• Walk around Little Sea, a lake separated from the sea by the build-up of dunes. Start at Knowle Beach, where there’s an orienteering map, and walk around in about half an hour, or go on further to Shell Bay.
• Have fish and chips in the garden of the bistro at Shell Bay Seafood Restaurant overlooking Poole harbour – a great place to watch the sun go down over Brownsea Island.
shellbay.net
• All vintage shabby chic, Worth Matravers Tea Rooms does lovely cream teas. For something stronger, sit out at the loved Square and Compass pub in Worth Matravers village, with fantastic sea views.
• Take a picnic up to Ballard Down, the meadows above Old Harry Rocks, for fantastic views of the boats going in and out of Poole Harbour and beyond.
