Harbour Hotel Salcombe — Hotel in South Hams

Been a long while since our last visit and sadly, things are not quite as they could be.

Firstly. It must be said that the staff are fantastic! And there can be no doubt that it is in a good spot, albeit very tricky to enter and exit with a car.

Sadly. That's about where it ends for the good stuff and at least for 80% of people reading this review. The hotel is hugely expensive for almost anything and everything. Regardless of spending 300 or 400 pounds on a room, you still have to pay for daily parking at £10 per day. A very tasty continental breakfast is included, but extras like a latte or "speciality coffee"... That's £4 Anything cooked at breakfast... That's £10 and that includes things like a single boiled egg.

Needless to say, this hotel is very much placed and priced for that higher set, as can be seen in both the expensive parked cars, and the general demeanor of guests within the resturant.

Our room was clean and fairly well presented, but things like peeling plaster on the roof in the bathroom, missing rubber stoppers around the white fittings and a flooding shower basin aren't really what you'd expect for the money you are being charged. The bed was extremely comfortable.

The odd presence of "free gin" is sums up the strange ethos the hotel has regarding its value for money. You only receive 100ml of free gin. Topped up every 3 days of your stay. However the gin is given to you in a decanter which looks like it could hold 2 litres! And indeed once probably did but is no considered too much of a freebie for guests. So instead, you get a thin splash in the bottom of an essentially empty bottle. To think that with the prices you are being charged for basic amenities. Parking, boiled eggs for breakfast etc. That you'd be given more "free gin". Or top it up daily. Or just don't offer it at all, as in it's current state, it feels like an ingenious attempt to provide a luxury freebie.

The spa is well laid out, but again, for the price, things like repairing the leak around the air intake for the hot tub, replacing missing/broken tiles.... these seem basic things that a 4 star hotel with 6 star pricing and everything "extra" but yet... these little hiccups remain.

For the 20%, those who are unlikely to feel any pinch at the costs, and no doubt patronise the high end Oxford street brands within the now essentially dead highstreet, I doubt any of these concerns will matter. This is definitely a placed to be seen by the right people, with the right money, with the right car and the right clothes.

We won't be visiting again, as regardless of how welcoming and wonderful the staff were (and they were fab!), the higher ups/owners/ethos of this hotel is for the high rolling, big spenders who need to be seen at the right place at...

Have been to salcombe harbour spa several times over the years but I think our most recent visit will be our last. The company had initially been great about extending gift vouchers during the pandemic when we couldn’t use them but were then inexplicably difficult and went back on their initial promises when we actually tried to book spa days in. We had quite a lot of stress trying to get them to be decent before they eventually agreed which felt pretty short sighted of them. Having always parked in the car park for previous spa days, this time we were greeted by being told we would not be allowed to park there as it was reserved for hotel guests (which clearly spa members and spa day guests are not considered to be). We were told we had to find parking elsewhere in salcombe, which in the summer is no mean feat. We eventually parked about 30 minutes walk away up a steep hill. We heard other spa users enquire about a membership who were also shocked that members couldn’t park there either so it wasn't just us that found this odd. When we went for lunch we were then immediately told spa day guests had to eat inside and we weren’t allowed to sit in the outside dining area unless we were ordering ‘bar food’; again, this is a new rule since previous visits and I’m not too sure of the logic. Service was slow despite the restaurant being empty so we ended up having to enquire where our second course was and then rush to finish it in time for our treatment booked 90 minutes after the spa had booked us to have lunch. The waiter was the only member of staff who gave genuinely energetic and friendly customer service and he was so good that his approach actually really stood out. My husband’s massage was apparently really good but I’d say that my ‘deep tissue’ massage was pretty poor and definitely in no way deep tissue. I actually got bored and wished it would end which i don’t think I’ve ever experienced before during a massage 😂 The spa area is pretty small and the relaxation area was busy with most seats taken by guests who had laid their belongings there and then left. The person on the lounger next to us was playing a tv show on their phone next to us without earphones. The behaviour of guests is obviously not the spa’s fault but it generally just contributed to a pretty ‘meh’ experience. I’d say the spa is a nice addition if you’re staying at the hotel but definitely not worth going out of your way for for a spa day, there are much nicer spas for that. I get the sense the spa and its guests aren’t seen as the real focus, the priority is clearly hotel guests - so maybe the customer service would feel different if you were...

UPDATE: Following my original review, the General Manager responded to me personally via email — however, addressed us incorrectly as “Mr. & Mrs. Douglas,” despite being clearly informed of our names and that we are not married. This kind of careless handling sums up our entire experience: surface-level politeness, but no real attention to detail.

His public reply here is misleading. While he suggests the matter was “discussed,” in reality it was not resolved. My concerns — including the poor room condition, the mishandling of our anniversary dinner at The Jetty, the dismissive treatment by staff, and the 4am noise — were acknowledged but largely brushed off. No meaningful resolution or gesture was offered despite us spending over £500 on food and drink.

This reply feels more like damage control than genuine customer service. It reinforces my view that guests outside wedding groups or “VIPs” are treated like afterthoughts.

We won’t be returning. If you value attention to detail, special occasion service, and staff who truly listen — look elsewhere.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1 out of 5) Extremely Disappointing Anniversary Stay – Not Worth the Price

We stayed at Harbour Hotel Salcombe from June 14–16 to celebrate our anniversary, but it turned into a frustrating and underwhelming experience.

While Helen at reception was lovely and helpful in switching our room (the lift was broken and my partner couldn’t manage stairs with a heavy suitcase), that’s where the positives ended.

The room had a clogged sink, a strong musty odor, and worn carpets. A supposed “complimentary Salcombe gin” turned out to require purchasing tonic from the minibar — not exactly the thoughtful gesture it appeared to be. Worst of all, under the tissue box lid was a hidden toilet roll. I’ve travelled to 250+ destinations and never seen anything quite like it.

We booked The Jetty restaurant in advance and informed the hotel that it was our anniversary, requesting a table with a view. No acknowledgment, no note, no effort. When we reminded them, we were told it was “first come, first serve.” On the night of our celebration, we weren’t seated until past 8pm (despite a 7:15pm reservation), and the table eventually offered was clearly an afterthought. Cloe, the staff member in charge, was dismissive and unprofessional.

Add in noisy wedding parties, having to call reception at 4am to stop the next-door noise, and over £500 spent on subpar service and drinks — and the experience becomes not just disappointing but frustrating.

We will not return. If you value your time, money, and special occasions,...