The Sandhaven

It was great to be able to walk into and back from the heart of Swanage a couple of times a day. The Sandhaven is situated very close to the beach. Martine and John are super hosts. Breakfast was delicious and served promptly each morning. The place is bright and clean throughout. It is nice to have a guest lounge, although we did not make much use of it.

We would definitely stay again but we would opt for a larger room. We found The Sandhaven’s system of ordering breakfast the day before a bit of a faff, but totally understand the time saving this brings about for the hosts and other guests who might be in a rush.

The hosts were great helpful and couldn’t do enough for you

Room was small but cosy and I liked it. The hosts couldn’t have been more helpful and kind. Breakfast was excellent. It would have been better for this particular weekend festival if I had been a little nearer the town centre but taxis were easily available except on Sunday morning.

For the Folk Festival it would have been better to have been more central.

Great location Good breakfast Lovely hosts

Bed very uncomfortable, mattress gave me bad back and whole body aches, room cramped, too small for a couple.

Excellent location, right by the beach. Parking provided. The hosts, John and Martine, were super nice and breakfast was very tasty.

Room was very clean and tidy but a little on the small side.

Breakfast bed room

TV was a mess Parking tricky

Breakfast. Host and hostess were exceptional.

When I booked the room I was not aware that there were different sized rooms and unfortunately I was allocated the smallest guest room of the nine available.

Very clean and excellent breakfast

Was a long walk to anything

The owners were so welcoming and friendly and also knowledgeable about the area. The location was good and near a lovely sandy beach

Everything! Fab location, minutes from beach and a short walk to town Fantastic yummy cooked breakfast! Lovely friendly hospitable hosts who can't do enough for you! Room 1 on first floor is a lovely comfy room with a nice view of the garden and the bathroom has a bath

Nothing

John & Martine were friendly, helpful and excellent hosts. The bed was very comfortable. Breakfast was good with different options. Excellent location, very close to the beach and town. We were also able to park of the road in front of the property which is a bonus.

The room was very small with low angled ceilings in the room and the bathroom. We did however look at other rooms with Martine before departing, which we will book in the future.

Hosts were very friendly and helped us with our cases, provided us with breakfast items not on their menu, room was quite small but adequate for our 4 night stay

Great atmosphere, made to feel very welcome. Did not touch the car for 3 days buses were great and reasonable.

If I had to be picky then the shower was quite weak

Lovely accomodation very close to seafront free parking too which is a big bonus.

Was on the top floor so three floors of stairs but was not too difficult

Great location for the beach and town, parking not a problem, great hosts.

Nothing,

Lovely breakfast. Gorgeous pillows. Very clean. Great position. Lovely couple who can't do enough for you. Family friendly.

Nothing

Great location. Friendly couple, make you extremely welcome. Great advice on where to visit and where to dine. Will definitely go back for a longer visit.

Nothing

Location and friendlyness

Not much choice of breakfast.

Owners were amazing and so was the cooked breakfast 😃

Parking a little tight but plenty of free parking 100 metres away around the corner

Breakfast was excellent Room clean tidy Location brilliant

Nothing

Breakfast was lovely, and the location really good very near the beach.

Everytjing was fine

We had a fantastic time and loved everything.

Great Breakfast all fresh and top Quality The Key safe is a great idea for early check in

Parking was a bit tight but there is other free parking close by

Option to use key safe for early arrival was good easy to use following instructions sent the day before. Keys easily identified by different colour ring holders. Breakfast was preordered night before ,which was served up ensuring no waste. Could pick a time for breakfast which again ensured food ready to be served. Breakfast was ample and there was the offer of more drinks and toast.. lovely atmosphere. Host’s extremely welcoming and nothing was too much trouble.

Bit apprehensive about parking as it was tight fit but all worked out ok.

Location was excellent. Host were very knowledgeable and friendly

Booked because it had parking but didnt realise it was on a first come first served basis. Cracked tiles in the en-suite.

Great hosts, location, breakfast, everything. The hosts were friendly and accommodate all requests.

The room was clean and comfortable. The breakfast was excellent and the owners made us so welcome. The proximity to the beach was so good. We will be returning. Thank you 😊 x

Very comfortable and the breakfast was great. The owners are a lovely family and are very friendly. We felt very welcome and will return in the future. The location is perfect. 10 out of 10

N/A

Friendly clean and comfortable we will definitely be going back / breakfast was excellent too !

Location was good with parking Breakfast was excellent, thank you for the bespoke egg John!

The road was a bit noisy with the windows open

proximity to the sea front

the bathroom was entrance was tight but it was manageable

Good location with parking , large breakfast and TV rooms Breakfast very good and generous. Staff great. A nice stay would go again.

Rooms smallish but clean

It all went well. The owners are friendly and helpful. The location is perfect.

Very warm welcome

Great people running the hotel.

Parking not great, but manageable.

Really nice people and very welcoming. Curious and polite. Excellent Breakfast. Fantastic location

Sehr zentral gelegen, sehr nette Besitzer, die alles selber machen und unglaublich aufmerksam sind!

Das Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis ist absolut fantastisch, das Hotel liegt halt an der Straße. Es gibt Parkplätze direkt vor der Tür und man hat das Gefühl, dass einem bei allen Dingen geholfen werden kann.

With amazing hosts John and Martine you will enjoy staying here . The breakfast choice and quality is amazing , so fresh and tasty . Our room was ideal and the twin beds comfortable . The Sandhaven is well positioned with a pub and bus stop just up the road if needed or a lovely beach side stroll into town . All in all job done !!

Nice sized room, comfortable bed and small air con unit if i needed it. The hosts were amazing, really chatty and helpful. Lots of options for room service Able to park on the front, though may be trickier in the summer holidays, but there is free parking on nearby streets very good breakfast excellent location for beach, town

I was on top floor and there were sloping roofs in 2 places and i hit my head slightly a few times - could do with some kind of marker to remind clumsy people like me

The host were very friendly and were very keen to make my stay comfortable. The breakfast was very good and cooked extremely well. Location was very good. Just a short walk to the beach and town.

The only things that I did not like was the bathroom. There was only a bath in a sloping roof bathroom and a shower/ tap combination where you could not stand up and have a shower. This made it very awkward unless you had a time to run a bath everytime. There was also no lift. So you needed to be able to climb three flights of stairs.

Its location to the seafront is fantastic just a 1-2 minute walk to the beach. It has a nice shared lounge, I stayed with a friend in one of their twin en-suite bedrooms with tea & coffee making facilities. Hosts were so nice, friendly and very welcoming. Such a lovely couple. Breakfast was a very good full English breakfast other options too.

Parking was a little tricky, one space in particular was difficult to get into. However there was free parking just around the corner and they were full when we stayed so not surprised. They offered at least 4 parking spaces if not more. I certainly wouldn’t complain we couldn’t park.

Location was perfect, very comfortable and John and Martine were very welcoming. Breakfast was superb.

Nothing

Location - close to the sea front and Swanage town centre. The place was clean.

Very poor customer service and poor communication from the proprietors Poor check in experience- despite trying to contact John and Martine multiple times to ask for assistance to check in - due to a very old and defaulted key safe there was no response. We lost a good portion of our day waiting around - up to 4 hours. This was on top of a long journey and high temperatures. We looked forward to relaxing and being able to drop our cases off and start our holiday. This was spoilt. John and Martine’s attitude was as blasé to say the least. Regarding the room - it was on the top floor and the as an attic conversion. The room was furnished poorly with 2nd hand furniture the bed was worn with springs protruding and was rickety, uncomfortable and kept us awake. There was a musty smell from the drawers so we were unable to use them. The heat was tremendous. The bathroom was split level. Access to the bath was dangerous as the pitched ceiling that occupied a third of the bathroom restricted transfers. The over head shower was as inadequate. Martine was informed of our disappointment and her response was that we could stay the night and to leave the day after as didn’t want any negativity at breakfast. There was no mention of reimbursement. There was no other accommodation available as we did try to find somewhere and everything was booked up. We decided not to go to breakfast as did not feel welcome. We left the hotel after one nights stay as remaining in the room for any longer was not conducive to our health and safety. Once home John contacted us by text ‘ sorry you’ve left us if you cancel your booking we can try and resell it and refund you if you do. Kind regards John’. We responded by texting we were cancelling the remainder of our holiday and John replied with thumbs up. This was followed up with a text from us saying ‘ did you manage to sell on our holiday?’ No response.

Very friendly owners who were extremely accommodating. It was quiet and location was ideal. Breakfast was lovely.

While comfortable and clean the rooms could do with an update. Things were looking a bit tired and worn.

Lovely hosts, super friendly. Location is excellent. Very nice breakfast. Good parking available. An excellent little fan provided in the heatwave (thank you!) :)

The only thing for us was the compact size of the room and bathroom (especially the shower cubicle) as husband is a big man and just managed to squeeze in :) If you are on the larger side then worth asking for a bigger bathroom. Otherwise it was a fabulous stay and we highly recommend it 👌

The staff were vwry friendly and helpful. Good location.

loved the location breakfast choices were plentiful and delicious Property was very clean Easy access upon arrival after hours Hosts were very helpful, engaging and very helpful

Suggestion would be to have a full length mirror in room 2 where i stayed.

Hosts very friendly and welcoming. Good location to the seafront. Lovely breakfast with great quality ingredients.

Room and bathroom a little small for 2 people to manoeuvre around comfortably.

The hosts Martine and John are so friendly a lovely couple who go above and beyond to make sure you have a pleasant stay. The breakfast is excellent and there is a good selection to choose from. Myself and my Husband throughly enjoyed our stay and was just what we needed. Would definitely recommend this gem of a B&B and would stay here again.

No comments to make, all good.

Nice rooms clean great breakfast The owners were friendly and helpful

Nothing

Everything👍Breakfast so nice good quality food and very generous amounts.Room just right for a short stay,very nice touches everywhere !Location was perfect ideal for walking buses and the lovely seafront .

Nothing to dislike .Just wish the sun had come out more

This was the perfect weekend stay for us. Comfortable room, we were made to feel at home from arrival to check out and the breakfast was a highlight. Perfect place run by lovely people and excellent value.

Nothing to note - excellent stay

Breakfast very good as was the location.

The basin in the bathroom was too small.

Owners friendly and made you comfortable in the environment Na

The overall ease of the owners contact and personality

From the outset, clear instructions on how to access the property in the host's absence. The property was so close to the sea that you could see it from the breakfast room window. The breakfast was good quality, with delicious products and lots of choice. Our room was comfortable and clean, with room service available. Consideration given in relation to the environment, I feel, is so important (don't need clean linen every day, etc). I loved the living room, which was easily accessible and available to use, and it was very homely and welcoming.

Nil of note

The location and the breakfast was excellent.

Can't think of any improvements

Quiet

Friendly

Martine and John were just wonderful and made our stay extra special. They are both so very kind and accommodating. Thanks again for everything!

Nice room. Clean. Lots of information on food, rubbish, towels, tea trays etc. Breakfast was really good. Great people running the place.

Nothing. Was great..

Spotlessly clean Lovely generous breakfast Lovely generous hosts!

The position was very good and the hosts were excellent, very friendly and approachable.

Ideal for walking the coastal path and the beach

Breakfast exceptional.

Location was great. Hosts John & Martine were very hospitable. Lovely breakfast.

Limited parking however parking available on the road nearby.

John and Martine were excellent hosts. They were friendly and helpful and every morning, we were served a superb breakfast

Can't think of anything

Second time stayed with John and Martine. They are the perfect hosts and I will stay with them again.

The mattress on my bed has a dip in it. Not good for my bad back. Just a tip....a long vertical mirror in the room would be useful.

As usual, the rooms were clean and cosy and it looked like the place had been refreshed during the 'off' season. Breakfasts, as usual, were superb, even down to supplying a breakfast bap when I had to leave early. Excellent hosts, friendly and accommodating.

Parking is an issue here, they have very limited space out front but spaces are available in the road opposite (make sure you have a VERY good handbrake!) or a large carpark nearby. We had a small problem with booking in as our pass code email arrived after we'd set off - soon sorted out though.

The hosts were really warm and welcoming and I loved the organisation of the breakfast ordering. The location was great for the beach being a short walk away. We traveled via train and bus so having the bus stop right outside the property was such a bonus. The room was just right.

Nothing

Very friendly hosts. Excellent location. Breakfast Excellent. Comfortable beds

The shower room was a little cramped but very clean

Very relaxed stay and comfortable room

Nothing

Very organised instructions and early check in appreciated. Small but very clean room and we did book late. Good location and local parking available if no spaces on site. Super friendly and helpful hosts. Excellent breakfast and lounger available if you want space outside your room. Would definitely go back but pick a room with a double bed.

These are small things. The blinds let in a lot of light so we woke up 6am with the sun. The bathroom door did not really close well so ok if you are a couple who know each other well but for friends sharing you could hear everything :-) Over all super good so well done to the hosts.

Perfect place for a couple of days' stay. The hosts are absolutely brilliant, they make you feel like you're amongst friends and they're so accommodating. Incredible breakfast. Perfect location. Can't wait to go back.

Friendly owners, comfy room. Lovely breakfast.

Very clean bed was comfortable

None

The owners, the rooms and the breakfast.

Cant pick anything to say I would not like. Everything was just perfect.

Staff, Cleanliness, Location

Nothing

Very welcoming friendly genuine hosts. Room excellent. Breakfast fit for a king.

Everything! The breakfast was delicious and Martine and John were both very friendly and helpful. The 20 minute walk into swanage was very pleasant.

The busses ran a bit late !

Well where do I start, both John and Martine made our stay with them 100% we haven’t been away for 2years what with both of us having hospital stay’s. The property was easy to get to not to many stairs to climb which was good for us both.

Nothing all good.

John and Martine were excellent hosts

Nothing perfect place to stay

Hosts friendly & very attentive. Room clean, warm & very quiet. Lovely breakfast. Free parking a bonus. Short walk to beach & town. We actually booked another night & will stay again. Thank you so much Martine & John

Nothing

Lovely clean rooms, very friendly and helpful hosts, good location and free parking

Leaving!

Friendly owners, couldn’t do enough for us. Location was perfect. Parking was a bonus.

Needed a loo brush! 🫣

Lovely Hosts, great breakfast thank you

Déjeuner Anglais parfait. Accueil très sympathique! Martine et John expliquent la région parfaitement. A très bientôt.

le bruit du radiateur

Had a wonderful stay at sand haven. The hosts Martine and John are so friendly and welcoming and go out of their way to make you feel happy and comfortable. Will definitely be coming back!

Nothing it was all lovely.

The hosts were lovely , welcoming and friendly, the whole property was well maintained and spotless . The location was close to the beach front. Breakfast was well cooked and tasty

The stay was a overpriced for the accommodation

Very friendly couple couldn't do enough for you and a very good location would recommend it

The car park at the front is a little bit tight for the car

Nice and very clean loverly hosts brilliant breakfast

Parking maybe an issue

Great people friendly helpful made us feel very welcome

Nothing

Fantastic hosts

The breakfast and welcome are first class.

The room was a little cold and the bed uncomfortable

Good location near sea front. Very comfortable room. Breakfast very good Hosts John and Martine were so welcoming and Kind. You could not meet better hosts.

The hosts (John and Martine) were excellent, breakfast, fruit juice, cereals, toast and the full English could not have been better. The room we had was a little on the small size but very clean. Locaion was a 10 minute walk to the town centre along the seafront.

As stated above our room was a little on the small side but apart from that a very pleasant stay.

Breakfast,location & Staff

Parking

Location Lovely hosts

-

Breakfast was delicious. Location was great. 2 minute walk to quieter end of beach, which was ideal for us. John and Martine were excellent hosts, helpful with information and a great sense of humour! We happened to book during the Swanage Carnival week and it turned out to be very enjoyable.

Location, Owners and packed lunch

Nothing

Martine and John are amazing hosts, so friendly and welcoming, and their b&b is in a great location just up from the beach and town centre. The choice for breakfast was really good, and they recommended some nice places to eat in the evening.

The breakfast was excellent the location was very good

Nothing