Haven Hotel

Breakfast and evening meal excellent, room spacious and very good value for money, staff outstanding. Wonderful location

Charging for electric not good, no clear instructions so caused hassle

Great staff, helpful, friendly, proactive. Location was amazing. Pool’s and spa were great.

Nothing

This was our 5th stay and I think we had the tiniest room we have ever had - just as well we had a balcony! The views were amazing as always.

The Sancerre we had on Thursday night was really not good and there was no comparison to the Sancerre we had at Rick Stein’s the following evening for only a few pounds more!

The location

The meals at night the steak was not very good and to expensive

Location

Shortage of staff. Some staff need training, especially in the bar area. Coffee machines at breakfast were unreliable and insufficient staff at hand to help. Inferior presentation of breakfast items compared to previous years.

Excellent bedrooms of good size and amazing views from the balcony . Good breakfast Good leisure area and swimming pool Period charm of the building was appreciated.

Somewhat soulless bar and restaurant . Needs somebody to re imagine these areas with fresh ideas and a new concept which could transform the hotel.

The sea view room and overall sea views were great. Room clean, in a good decorative condition.. nice choice of breakfast

The drinks at the bar were expensive.

The staff were a treat.They couldn’t have been more helpful.My wife was ill and had to transfer rooms which was effortless due to the compassion and organisational skills in a crisis of the duty member of staff manning reception.Sadly I haven’t remembered her name but she was Brazilian with Italian heritage.

The hotel does not deserve its perceived 4 star rating.There has been years of underinvestment in terms of capital expenditure in the property. Breakfast reminded me school dinners.Poor quality produce and no waiting staff. Such a shame as we’re attending a significant wedding anniversary at the nearby Royal Motor Yacht Club which saved the weekend

good quality cooked breakfast

probably in need of a facelift soon

Location and staff

Breakfast and cleanliness of bathroom

The location is amazing, hotel is a little dated, but very clean and comfortable. Views are incredible, rooms comfortable and the food excellent.

There is only 1 small lift which makes things a little difficult if you can't manage stairs. The bar is slow sometimes if it's busy, as is food service.

Setting is amazing. Fabulous views over studland bay. Great leisure and fitness facilities.

Hotel extremely dated and uncomfortable furnishings. Understaffed in the bar and restaurant however those that work there are great and go out of their way to provide a good service. Paying 5* prices for 2* accommodation.

We come here often and love the location. We think it’s worth paying for a sea view. We always enjoy the swimming pool with access to a small beach. We also like going across the ferry as foot passengers to Shell Bay beach.

Breakfast is buffet style. On the first morning was not hot enough, but they did heat it up for us.

Loved the location quiet and stunning! Staff we're wonderful 😊 Breakfast brilliant amazing selection and quality produce. Beds were so comfortable! Outdoor pool beautiful 😍

Despised the decor! V dated not co ordinated a v tierd feel...was v worried when I arrived but the customer care and cleanliness outweighed this. Get rid of the glitter mirrors in the rooms absolute tack!

The location is everything with this hotel. This was our 5th time of visiting. We always go to celebrate a birthday in September and have been lucky with the weather every time. There is a little microclimate around Sandbanks. The access to the beach from side gate is handy and the pools are lovely. It feels relaxed. The staff are friendly. Very good buffet style breakfast.

A little more attention to detail might be nice. We noticed a few bottles left outside rooms for a while. some decor a tiny bit worn but then its not 5 star so....... We were very unlucky in that the fire alarm woke us at midnight and went on for some time with no explanation given or reassurance provided. The evening meal was good but a little pricier than local pub/restaurants. No fresh tea or coffee at breakfast only machines.

Location was amazing.

We didn’t get the room we booked, which was supposed to be for Ocean view and our room overlooked the car park plus we only had half Ocean view We also got woken up in the middle of the night with a fire alarm going off; we got ready to be evacuated, but we got no further notice from the staff as to what to do I called down to the front desk and then they told us eventually it was a false alarm! We were not offered any compensation and we were charged the full amount, even though we had our sleep interrupted by two hours from 12 midnight to 2 AM in the morning. I felt the least they could do was give us either a partial refund or an incentive to come back with a voucher which would be current for at least two years I live in the United States and I do like the location, but the Price was also very high. I also booked and paid for two rooms which was supposed to be the full ocean view, but we only got half ocean view

The property is in a really nice location. It was great to be so close to the beach and made for a really nice experience.

The decor and hotel in general was really dated and made it feel less luxurious, which also made it feel not great value for money

Location, service, food all excellent. So good we stayed two additional nights. Will return as often as I can.

Weather could have been better but no fault of the hotel.

Very little. It’s an old seaside hotel that’s seen better days. Bed was reasonably comfy.

Not sure where to start. Old, multiple room leaks, desperate need of renovation, tiny stand in bath shower, very unfriendly reception, incredibly expensive for what it was.

Loved everything about our stay. This hotel is perhaps one of the few remaining classic hotels of a bye gone era. Classy without being pretentious. Great service, fantastic breakfast choice, heated outdoor pool and spa area with access to the incredible beeches of Sandbanks. You could come here, park up and not need to leave the hotel if you didn’t want to. It’s way better than the average booking.com rating of 7.4…utter nonsense. Somewhere between 9 and 10.

Nothing

room and breakfast were excellent

tv was not good.

Location was fabulous , staff were very courteous and any issues were fixed immediately. Clean and comfortable.

Wonderful location right on the entrance to Poole Harbour. You can enjoy the view from inside or out. Very roomy hotel.

We were not told at reception that the pools close at 5.30. Many young members of staff who needed more guidance.

Been before love it

No longer bar food in the evening

Location wonderful. Breakfast very good. Location of restaurant right overlooking sea was gorgeous. Staff very friendly and helpful. Cleanliness very good.

The decor is dated and a little tired. But did nt detract from overall enjoyment

The staff, the we encountered were first class, the young lady on reception when we arrived was lovely. We were leaving to catch the early ferry before breakfast service so she arranged to have bacon sandwiches ready for us to take away.

The place is run down and old fashioned.

Receptionist was great.

The hotel was tired and had a run down feel. The breakfast buffet was unappealing. Having to queue at a vending machine for hot drinks and then carry them to our table was tiresome.

Harbour view Balcony room was very nice, with a gorgeous view across to Studland and Brownsea. Breakfast, very self service but good breakfast. Location is superb and the reason we keep coming back.

Felt a bit under staffed and the general upkeep of the property was poor.

Prywatny dostęp do plaży, okolica, bliskość do morza, dobre jedzenie

Cena

Shocking low water pressure,building tired, food appalling frankly a complete rip of ,rubbish.

As above

Very surprised at how big the room was, huge room, double sinked bathroom with a bath. Very comfortable bed. Amazing Breakfast. Extremely friendly Staff. Access straight on to golden sandy Beach from.the Pool area via private gate. Nice indoor Pool, Sauna. Ferry literally next door over to Studland but no noise from ferry

No xomplaints

Fantastic location which was ideal for the beaches, walks and restaurants

The location was good for what we needed. The breakfast was OK.

The hotel is very dated.. I've stayed in hotels half the price that are alot better. The upgrade to the terrace room wasn't worth it. Not alot to choose from down there is maybe the justification for the price.

Lovely location/ staff

Needs a renovation really.

The only thing that sells this Hotel is the location

didn't like the room very run down, breakfast was average didn't have full availability when opened at 7 am and was like queuing for school dinners no knifes or forks or condiments on table very poor spa doesn't open till 8am its too late , bar was closed by the pool even though the pool was in use all the time, if you wanted a drink you had to go to the bar a directly pay and cant use your room card, there was no waiter/waitress walking around asking is residents would like drinks, no brochures in your room to display what's going on or what to do?. expensive for what it is we stayed for 3 nights, which was £950 , would not go back again, the only thing that's was nice is the location

Location

very expensive for a tired hotel. Water power terrible and flicking lights plus no espresso machine in the room. Breakfast was average

Everything, location, professional staff, food

Not enough soap shampoo in room

Good location/ good sized room - fair value

Bathroom a bit worn and hotel in general- bedding poor quality

Location and on site parking was very good

Decor was somewhat dated. I was surprised that I couldn't charge drinks to my room

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Не работает лифт, номера обносились

It was exactly as described and provided us with an excellent overnight stop near the car ferry at Poole.

Very dated architecture and furniture. Restaurant food fair but not up to a high standard. Also restaurant service was amateurish, as if it was a student on work experience or first day.

Good pool facilities, excellent location to beach and local restaurants, friendly and helpful staff.

Low water pressure in the room, bright light coming from A/C controls in the room at night. Breakfast ends early at 9.45am, which seems too early when you are there on holiday.

We have been staying at The Haven for many years and continue to return mainly because of its wonderful location, which really is hard to beat. The hotel itself is clean and comfortable, with very good facilities, although in recent years it has begun to feel rather tired and a little run down in places. We were on the 3rd floor and the newer wing which is quite a hike especially as the lift was out of order which was ok for us but some may find that difficult.. However the room was large, and clean and nicely appointed. The restaurant food is good and they have quite a decent wine list. The service was a bit hit and miss, but more amusing than annoying. It could do with a new lease of life but we will return as the location is wonderful.

1. The shower pressure was extremely poor, so low that it was almost impossible to have a proper shower, and certainly not strong enough to rinse shampoo thoroughly from your hair. There was a bath, which helped, but the shower itself really does need attention. 2. The outdoor pool was understandably very popular with children and families, but it would have been lovely to have one or two lanes set aside for guests who wanted to swim lengths.

Location

In disrepair In need of updating No snack bar (no food between 4-6 available) Menu limited at dinner Inexperienced staff-lacking guidance by managers Pool area untidy (mops/brooms on display) Pool cover is rotting and ripped

View from my bedroom was good.

Terrible breakfast. Buffet only for hot food which had been standing about for hours. No option for fresh coffee or food cooked in the kitchen. Cutlery ran out and was slow to be replaced .Staff were unfriendly. Booked a harbour double but it was a much smaller room than I had stayed in previously. Larger rooms were the same price but told hotel was full and couldn't change or upgrade. Fridge didn't work in the room, curtains didn't close properly and the bathroom was no more than a cupboard with a folding door and a bath with a hand shower. All for £339 a night!!

Location

Been coming to the hotel for the last 25 years and I got to say they have spent no money on the Hotel it could be an absolutely fantastic place to go but unfortunately apart from the location it’s poor

Great location & clean

Breakfast was a bit hit & miss, Saturday morning was a mess and no one explained how it worked. Sunday was better staffed and there was a lot more choice on offer

Clean comfy and friendly staff

lift broke

The staff were very friendly on reception and in the pool area. Lovely touch for my partners birthday they left chocolates and card in the room and petals and Swan towels. 👏 Amazing had the best time

Codes to get into pool area and beach

Very poor offering for the price. Staff were queuing up for coffee in front of customers. Tables were not cleared away very quickly despite staff hanging about. Dirty tables and floor.

Our stay

location excellant . room good. breakfast average

hotel very tired

on beach

the lift

Room and location

Noisy youths late at night with music blaring out in the adjacent car park

What I loved most was the absolutely beautiful view from our window! 😍 The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and the hotel itself has such a lovely, relaxed and authentic atmosphere. There is so much to enjoy without even leaving the hotel – you can simply relax, enjoy the surroundings and feel like you're truly on holiday. We had a wonderful stay and would definitely love to come back! ❤️

Great location

We paid for the most expensive room with a balcony overlooking the harbour - we were not impressd to find it had no airconditioning despite other rooms in this category having aircon. It was one of the hottest nights of the year, we had to keep the balcony doors open but were kept awake by the chain ferry and general noise from outside. The cold water in the shower also did not work. We reported this to reception who said the manager would get in touch, but we never heard from them. There is a planning application to pull down the hotel, so they clearly aren't investing or worried about their customers - avoid this hotel!

The location on the beach and walking distance to town is fantastic Fantastic views Friendly staff Lovely massage

I felt unsure getting in the old lift but the hotel shouldn’t loose its charm and character Bathroom could do with an upgrade

So close to beach. Lovely views

Nothing.

Location

The hotel needs an up grade - the pool is tired. For the price the breakfast quality is poor.

The location of The Haven Hotel cannot be beaten, it is absolutely superb. Nowhere comes close to it so for us we would not want to stay anywhere else in the area.

There were not enough staff in the bar area which did lead to a long wait for drinks. This was not the fault of the staff who were always friendly and welcoming, just not enough of them to keep up with the demand.

Beautiful views and by the sea which is the reason I picked this location.

It’s was dirty and the shower didn’t not work. Very dirty in the bathroom and very dated. Also We went down for breakfast and the food wasn’t very nice at all. The coffee machine wasn’t working.

The location is excellent, staff were friendly and helpful to guests, although I did overhear some disagreement between staff about management.

For the price I had expected much better. Despite claims of refurbishment a number of areas in the hotel are quite scruffy and dated. The guest toilets on the ground floor were heavily stained and generally untidy. The lift is quite claustrophobic with only room for two with suitcases. In the corridors there was peeling wallpaper in places. Breakfast was included and although sufficient was no better than a Primer Inn. A lukewarm latte in the bar was a staggering £6.00. The deluxe room was reasonable and had the essentials the bed was comfortable, pillows not so much. Kettle and coffee machine were available, however the cups supplied were too small, leaving the teabag more than a minute and it was undinkable. The bathroom was very old fashioned, cold tap didn’t turn off fully, wc flush was temperamental and took three or four attempts to work. Extractor fan was weak. Not enough sockets no USB ports in the room, surely a must in today’s world.

Parts of the hotel were very tired. The food was not great. We had to go searching for alternative meals. options locally were limited. This hotel is all about location.

The food offered at the hotel for lunch and dinner was very poor. Breakfast slightly better.

Location

N/A

Beautiful surroundings and spectacular view, comfortable bed and bedroom spacious.

Self service breakfast, hard to carry everything to your table.

Location

Room was full of dust had to call reception to send cleaner and show all the areas of dust. Paid a high price to stay got told in reception sauna and pools are not running today

Amazing location. Pool well heated to 28 degrees Views from restaurant and bar beautiful. Rooms and interior are tired. You are paying for location.

Tired interior and rooms

Not much

Location, very tired hotel

Beautiful location. Amazing food.

Pool a bit dated but the views were amazing

Location

Very hot rooms and uncomfortable bed

The location

The choice of evening meals not as seen on their website very hard to find sneak to suit a gluten free diet

Very good location and lovely indoor/outdoor pools. Breakfast is also very good.

The Lifeguards wear glasses with inbuilt cameras (Rayban Meta glasses). This is a serious breach of the customers privacy especially for the children. These glasses also cause a critical distraction to the Lifeguards. I had to enter the pool (whilst still fully clothed) to save a child from drowning because the Lifeguards did not notice what was happening. I have emailed the hotel twice regarding this and I did not receive a reply.

Decent English breakfast

Bathroom wasn’t clean Water was blocked

The location was good - the sea view outlook from the balcony was good - the staff were very friendly and helpful. The room and the hotel itself was clean, tidy with lots of comfortable sitting areas and interesting furnishings and art.

The room was too small as was the shower room especially for the price. The dinner menu was limited.

The only good thing about this hotel was the beautiful sea view. Unfortunately, there was nothing else that we liked

There was no air conditioning in the rooms. On our way to eat, part of the ceiling fell down right next to us and could have hit us. In the evening, we asked for cocktails at the bar but were told they did not make them, and in the morning we could not even get a proper coffee because the bartender was working in the kitchen. The breakfast was terrible – not everyone wants smoked bacon in the morning, and the choice was very poor. When you pay over €300 per night, you expect much better service, facilities and at the very least, a decent cup of coffee.

The position of the Hotel was excellent. The breakfasts were very nice with good choice.

The room was vastly overpriced and the bathroom was more like a wardrobe. There were hairs still in and around the bath when we got to our room. I did mention this to staff who offered to clean it again.The room was snug and in need of decoration. However, the bed was surprisingly comfortable. The Hotel needs alot of TLC as it looks really tired. We had one evening meal in the restaurant which was very nice but again overpriced.

The location is fantastic. The interior decor is amazing.

It’s looking a bit tired on the outside.

The menu in the restaurant is very poor They need to upgrade like their sister hotels have

Location and facilities

Only one bar open, pool bar closed

The hotel is in a beautiful location however very tired looking. The room was a nice size but again very dated and no air con. There was a fan in the room but it was a struggle to get ready in that heat. I would like to say the night staff Mohamed and his team were fabulous and very helpful. Food was also nice.

The decor and no room service

Location

Pool closing at 6 pm and no service at all at breakfast

Location fantastic Staff good Food very good

None

Room & Food was great , had amazing weather

Food good, but needs to change menu occasionally, it was the same for 8 nights we were there

The location is amazing, incredible views from every window. Lots of comfortable chairs to sit and enjoy the view from restaurant,, bar, terrace, pool area. Friendly, helpful staff, who always went out of their wat to help. The outdoor pool area with direct access to beach was great.

I would have preferred a king size bed, but this was not available(we had a double bed). Room was nicely decorated, bathroom could be better if the bath was replaced by a walk in shower. The restaurant menu had limited choice of meals and was quite expensive. Drinks were quite pricey in bar too, but view was amazing, with boats passing the huge windows.

The location is amazing

It was dated, and facilities closed at 18:00 like the pool and spa.

Location is brilliant.

location was amazing

old features, squeaky doors, shower in bath

Facilities were very good. Great bus services.

Lack of assistance by staff on arrival. Our room was on the third floor but the lift only went to the second. So we had to drag our cases what seemed miles of corridors and up two flights of stairs. Very few hospitality venues near at hand. The hotel was showing its age.

Location excellent

Building was tired and dated. There were not enough staff working

The location. The outdoor pool

No air con in our room The pool shut at 6.0pm. Didn’t understand why

The only thing The Haven has going for it is the location.

Nine clean room staff were helpful and accommodating good food in restaurant

Bathroom a little shabby needs updating also smell of drains each time we returned to the room toiletries very limited and not enough for two people especially for price paid, pool area beds all looking tired pool cover looked terrible decking area splintered umbrellas faded bar around pool not open and it’s July such a shame because it is in an amazing position and hotel could be stunning so we felt the amount paid did not reflect the run down facilities

The location is good. Nice views and good parking

The decor is very dated and not in great condition ie the tables and chairs in the dining room scratched and dull No real effort has been made for the so-called dining experience( we booked a table when we arrived but the price on the menu and the lack of effort in the dining room meant we cancelled it and ate in town) Extremely overpriced Some staff really are quite rude Very poor quality breakfast; only supermarket sliced bread, no other bread choice, soggy unappetising pastries High sugar yoghurts and items not replaced when they have run out The photographs make the beds look bigger than they are (though they are not uncomfortable) We had what I thought was 5 foot bed, but it was only 4’6” ; the room could have easily taken a super king Very dated dirty and shabby bathroom A peculiar sign telling you not to hold onto the towel rail and then not giving you a handrail with which to help you out of the slippery bath! No fridge in the room No room service Dusty in wardrobe Aircon unit, if that’s what it was, didn’t work Very rickety old lift Outdoor pool in dire need of renovation All of these could easily have been overlooked if reflected in the price. VERY poor value for money

Location

No air con room so stuffy Not many sun loungers around the pool Coffe machine not working in the mornings

Beautiful location with views all around

Hotel is a little tired in places. Rooms could do with some updating to bring up to standard of some cheaper hotels

Great unique location of course, panoramic bar with views both of the sea and the harbour (seems to be popular with non residents), outdoor pool ( we used it before when staying in Sandbanks Hotel), sandy and shallow sea beach starting just across the gate, large modern room with excellent views from spacious balcony, nice and helpful staff, especially in the reception and the swimming pool, ease of parking, good food for dinner and lunch

All fairly minor not affecting our enjoyment of the stay: limited bread choice for breakfast, sometimes small delays in bringing replacement food to the counter, worn out bath side panel in otherwise renovated bathroom, outdoor pool was slightly too warm considering that the weather was getting hotter.

Everything

nothing

all very good.

Location and staff helpfulness.

Some decor is tired and could really use air con, in this shifting environment.