Urban Beach hotel and Urban Reef restaurant, Bournemouth

A beachy, buzzy oasis is probably the most apt description for Urban Beach, a quirky boutique hotel near Boscombe Beach in Bournemouth, which is the ideal place to hole up for a weekend beach escape.
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Urban Beach is proof that good things come in small packages. With only 12 rooms, it feels more like you’re staying at a stylish mate’s house, rather than a hotel, and you get the feeling that this is precisely the vibe they want you to feel when you stay with them as everyone who works at the hotel is exceptionally laidback and on hand to ensure that you feel welcome during your stay.

​The rooms at Urban Beach
Each room at the hotel has a different design, and some rooms are larger than others, however, they all offer luxury en-suite bath or shower rooms, crisp white Egyptian cotton linen, down bedding, fluffy white towels, arran aromatic toiletries, fair trade tea & coffee making facilities, complimentary Wi-Fi, plasma TVs and DVD players.

Our room (Room 1) was tastefully decorated and had a gothic-inspired black glass chandelier, which lent a touch of rock star opulence to the room. Our en-suite shower room was small, but the natural tiles made it feel luxe. 

​Food and drink at Urban Beach
The hotel features a modern bistro with inside and outside seating, depending on your preference. Food and drink is served in the bistro from 8am – 10pm, and the menu boasts a wealth of tasty entrees, with the majority of the ingredients sourced from local suppliers, something that we love.  The ala carte menu features a wide variety of options including mains such as the ‘fish of the day’ (£16.00); wild mushroom risotto with tomato pearl barley (£13.00); and Beef Wellington (£22), to name a few, so if you leave hungry, it’s your own fault! They also offer a sensational breakfast, which is in my estimation, the best way to start your day right.

Those who are exceptionally lazy can also spring for room service, which we did the following morning, when we couldn’t bear to pry ourselves out of bed!

​Urban Reef restaurant
If you like your breakfast, lunch or dinner, with a seaside twist, then you can’t miss their sister restaurant, Urban Reef – an easy, breezy seaside restaurant with cracking sea views that will make you want to savour your meal all day just to watch the waves rolling in.  

The fare here is also casual dining (think fish and chips, burgers, mussels, etc), however, they also have a variety of small plates to choose from, which we had during our visit. We loved the Dorset crab paté, grilled sourdough, taramasalata, pickles; the Lamb kofta, coriander pearl couscous, smoked paprika yoghurt; the Salt baked candied beetroot, rosary goat’s cheese, honey and mustard dressing and the Isle of Wight heirloom tomatoes, Laverstoke mozzarella, figs, pesto dressing. The small plates are great value as well, either £5.50 each, 2 for £10.50 or 3 for £14.00. 

We found all of the small plates to be seriously flavourful and nicely presented and you could tell that the ingredients were really fresh.  All of this was enjoyed with an ice-cold glass of Riesling, which we sipped while gazing out at the mesmerising view. 

​All in all, the Urban Beach hotel and Urban Reef restaurant combined are the perfect elixir for easing into a lazy weekend. Just be warned, you might become so relaxed that you may never want to leave.
Prices from £55 per night (staying in a single room).


Our experience overall
Food and drink ****
Ambience ****
Staff attentiveness/friendliness  ****

Book your stay at Urban Beach Hotel here: 
www.urbanbeach.co.uk
www.urbanreef.com


*During this trip I was hosted by the Urban Beach Hotel and the Urban Reef Restaurant. All words and opinions are my own. 
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A.A. Miln