Covid-related restrictions may be in place. Please check Foreign Office advice and testing/quarantine requirements in your destination before booking.

Northumberland’s coastal pinup Alnmouth had little in the way of hotels until this restaurant-with-rooms came along. The Victorian villa, with its adjoining cottage, had previously been a small hotel and separate restaurant until amalgamated and reinvigorated by northeastern restaurateur Richard Sim (of Bamburgh’s Michelin-rated Potted Lobster restaurant) and his business partner-cum-fishing-tackle specialist, Tom Leslie, in 2021. There’s a fishy theme, but subtly done: less nautical overload, more occasional fishing rod or hurricane lamp; stripped wood and tiled floors complement a sandy and sea-blue palette.

*This article contains affiliate links.

All products and brands mentioned in this article are selected by our writers and editors based on first-hand experience or customer feedback. We feature properties from a specially selected list of trusted operators who are of a standard that we believe our readers expect. This article contains links which are ads and if you click on a link and buy a product we will earn revenue. These links are signposted with an asterisk. The revenue generated will help us to support the content of this website and to continue to invest in our award-winning journalism.

Score 7/10 Accessed via two staircases (it was originally two buildings), the ten bedrooms are contemporary with eye-catching wallpaper, deep-hued panelling, sensible cord carpets and smart wool-upholstered furniture prevailing. Colourful fuzzy blankets add softness; collections of framed vintage posters and seaside scenes add fun — plus there’s the odd toy yacht — while shower-only (except one) bathrooms dazzle with patterned tiles. It definitely feels more townhouse than Victorian seaside. For space and glimpses of the sea opt for a deluxe or suite.

Score 8/10 You’ll need to pace yourself if you want to enjoy a pudding. If not, you’ll stare balefully at the dessert menu — steamed orange marmalade and ginger pudding, cherry brandy baba, peanut and chocolate cheesecake — wishing you’d been more restrained. This is robust bistro food with plenty of Northumbrian heft. Perhaps try the smoked haddock chowder followed by local lobster with truffle and parmesan crumb, or Northumbrian beef featherblade with bone marrow mash. It’s all very jolly, and you’ll likely end up chatting to neighbouring diners.

Score 2/10 It really is a restaurant-with-rooms, so doesn’t pretend to offer much else although, outside of mealtimes, there’s plenty of space to relax in the ground-floor spaces, restaurant and bar. Having said that, cyclists, walkers and dog-owners are well looked after — cycle storage, packed lunches, welcome packs for dogs — and the cheery staff are happy to advise on local walks, good beaches and cycling routes. There’s limited on-site parking but, again, staff will direct you to the nearest free places.

Score 8/10 On Alnmouth’s main drag — one-way, so not as busy as it sounds — it’s a ten-minute drive from the A1 and a five-minute walk from the beach; from the latter you can walk a couple of lovely, unbroken miles north. To walk the equally delightful stretch south to Warkworth — with its medieval castle — requires a detour inland as the River Aln tips out at Alnmouth (clue is in the name) and there’s no bridge. Alnwick’s splendid castle and striking gardens, plus its infinitely browsable Barter Books second-hand store (with an excellent café), is a ten-minute drive. Alnmouth Station, on the main east-coast line, is a 20-minute walk.

Price B&B doubles from £200 Restaurant Mains from £18 Family-friendly Y Dog-friendly Y Accessible N

Get a special discount on your stay with Booking.com. Book by January 15, 2023.

Subscribe for weekly inspiration and deals from The Times and The Sunday Times.

We would also like to send you exclusive promotions, competitions and content from The Times and Sunday Times and selected partners. Would you like to receive these? Yes No

Your information will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Subscribe for weekly inspiration and deals from The Times and The Sunday Times.

We would also like to send you exclusive promotions, competitions and content from The Times and Sunday Times and selected partners. Would you like to receive these? Yes No

Your information will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.