Weekend swim retreat: Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel
Rowan Clarke heads to Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel for seafront luxury, hiking and dipping
Bournemouth is a busy university town on Dorset’s heritage coast. With leafy streets and oodles of English coastal resort charm, its seafront has a pier, amusement arcades, eateries and a large aquarium, The Oceanarium. But it’s Bournemouth’s seven miles of pristine sandy beaches, which have won awards for water quality and sustainability, that attract outdoor swimmers. Swimming here is some of the safest in the country, with ten lifeguarded beaches. From dipping to distance, the choices are seemingly endless.
The accommodation
Perched impressively on top of the cliff almost opposite Bournemouth Pier, the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel has been hosting guests for 150 years. It was refurbished last year with fresh new oceaninspired décor that nods to its traditional coastal resort heritage.
The hotel has 167 rooms and suites, including rooms family rooms and accessible options. Pets aren’t allowed in the hotel, but if you’re travelling with your pooch, you can book a seaside cottage for a minimum of 2-nights, which includes a dog bed, blanket, and two bowls, plus a special treat for your pup. There is also a 24/7 gym and a heated outdoor pool complete with sun loungers and a bar, that’s open from May until September.
You know what you’re getting from the Marriott in terms of supreme comfort and a bit of luxury. But it’s those sea views from many of the spacious bedrooms that give this Marriott its edge. Waking up, drawing the blackout curtains and watching the sea from a big, comfortable bed is about as perfect as it gets. Plus, all the hotel staff are super friendly and helpful.
The swimming
Getting out of bed and heading downstairs for a pre-breakfast dip in the sea is an outdoor swimmer’s dream, and we did exactly this on both mornings. The Westcliff Lift is directly outside the hotel, so you don’t even have to walk down to the beach – although it was temporarily closed during our stay.
On the Saturday, we caught a passenger ferry to explore Studland, where there are another four miles of those immaculate golden sandy beaches, including a naturist beach. The sea here and in Bournemouth shelves gently, which does mean that you have to wade out. But, depending on conditions, you can swim parallel to the shore for as long as you like without going out of your depth.
Pack plenty of swimwear because you are spoilt for options, whatever time of year you visit. From cold water dips to marathon swims, there are various welcoming swimming groups, training camps, coaches and guides. If you’re visiting between May and September and fancy a longer, more ambitious swim, look up Durley Sea Swims, which start just a 15-minute walk from the hotel. Plus, there’s the iconic British Heart Foundation Bournemouth to Boscombe pier swim that takes place every July.
The food
After a long day hiking and swimming, you don’t have to leave the hotel – or even your room – to eat well.
The Marriott provides a delicious buffet breakfast from 7am to 11am each weekend morning. You can get lunch and snacks during the day and then eat in its fabulous Brasserie Blanc or Tiien Thai restaurants in the evening – eat in or order room service. We chose the gorgeous Brasserie Blanc for excellent French à la carte dining with good vegan and veggie options.
We also ventured out into Bournemouth town centre, which was buzzing on a Friday night. A 15-minute walk from our hotel, we found a brilliant 100% vegan restaurant called Vegivores. The creativity and delicious tastes of the vegan dishes here even got the meat-eater excited!
Best of the rest
Gifted with a beautiful, sunny weekend, we drove 15 minutes to Sandbanks on the western end of Bournemouth. Sandbanks is a beautiful peninsula that forms part of the world’s second-largest natural harbour, although it’s perhaps more famous for being the UK’s most expensive place to live.
After ogling ‘Millionaire’s Row’ and speculating on which house belongs to Rick Stein, we paid £1 each to cross to the National Trust’s Studland Bay on the chain ferry. Here, we hiked ten miles around wild heathland, beaches and dunes. We stopped in the bird hides around Little Sea to try to spot the elusive beavers that have been successfully reintroduced here, before walking across the dunes to Knoll beach for lunch and another swim.
Our fave thing
Post-swim-hike baths, naps and cups of tea in our gorgeous bedroom looking out at the sea glinting in the afternoon sun.
Book your stay
A stay at the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel costs from £107 per night. For details visit: marriott.com
