A Family Break at Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel
Disclosure: We were invited on this break for the purpose of this review however all opinions are my own.
We started our half term holiday with a trip to the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel. We hadn’t been to Bournemouth since before having the children so it was nice to go back, explore the local area and have some quality time together as a family.
Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel
The Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel is located right on the coast in Bournemouth. Set in the West Cliff area, overlooking the beach, it’s well located and has fantastic views out to sea and along the coast in both directions.
The hotel is easy to get to and has parking on site at a charge of £12 per day. The staff are all lovely and friendly and we were given a warm welcome when we arrived. Although our room wasn’t quite ready, as we’d arrived much earlier than the check in time, our bags were taken to be looked after and we were invited to use the hotel facilities in the mean time. However, we went off to explore Bournemouth instead!
The hotel is just a short stroll downhill to the beautiful sandy beaches of Bournemouth and a little further to the pier, aquarium and Bournemouth Observation Wheel. The West Cliff Lift cable car also runs from the hotel down to the beach below but this wasn’t running on our visit.
We spent a lovely couple of hours on the seafront, playing in the arcades and exploring. We came across the UK’s oldest beach hut which was lovely to see and walked along the pier. There are rides at the end of the pier and even zip lines that take brave riders from the pier back to the beach! There’s so much to do if you’re travelling to Bournemouth as a family.
Staying at Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel
When we went back to the hotel our room was ready and we were given a welcome letter with key timings on and an information booklet about more to do in the local area. Staff confirmed our reservation time for dinner and pointed us in the direction of the lifts and our room, offering help with our bags if we needed it.
Our room was a Superior Family Room on the fourth floor of the hotel, with a glorious sea view. A spacious choice for families, it featured two double beds, a seating area, separate dressing area and a compact bathroom. It was a really lovely, bright and airy room.
The room came with plenty of towels, complimentary toiletries, tea and coffee making facilities and a mini fridge with cans of water in it. We found the room to be a great size for the four of us to relax and unwind without being on top of each other.
The Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel swimming pool
We got changed into swimwear and spent the afternoon at the hotel’s outdoor pool. Open seasonally and weather permitting, the pool is well heated, making it lovely and warm whatever the weather.
The swimming pool is surrounded by sun loungers and staff are quick to bring out cushions for the loungers and offer fresh towels when needed. There’s also a handy bar to buy drinks at the poolside and they have free water to help yourself to as well.
We had a lovely few hours at the pool, relaxing, swimming and just enjoying ourselves. It wasn’t too busy and the pool is a really good size, making it a nice space for the children to play whilst people swam lengths.
After our swim we went back to the room, had showers and relaxed before dinner. The room was so quiet and we loved that seagulls came to perch outside our window, keeping us company on our coastal break away.
Dining at Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel
We had dinner at Brasserie Blanc, the hotel restaurant. It was very busy for a Sunday evening but popular with not just hotel guests but many people from the local area or holidaying locally too. The restaurant is beautiful, with foliage and flowers everywhere and wonderful staff who were so friendly and happy to give recommendations of what to order.
Brasserie Blanc do have a Sunday menu but it’s only served until 5pm. They also have a really varied children’s menu but as the kids are now bigger we all ordered from the a la carte menu.
For our starters LP had a caesar salad which came with the biggest, nicest croutons I have ever seen! They also have the option to have the salad with or without anchovies which LP appreciated. Dave went for the cheese soufflé on the waitress’ recommendation and I had the Morteau Sausage Salad. They were all such delicious starters, great portion sizes and something we would happily order again.
Little Man didn’t fancy any of the starters on the menu so instead we ordered him a baguette and salted butter which he happily polished off. You really cannot beat something as simple as freshly baked bread and butter!
For our mains I chose the Duck Leg Confit which was served with dauphinois potatoes and vegetables. It was a lovely main, very rich but the perfect portion for me and something different too.
Dave and LP both ordered rump steaks and they were cooked to perfection – one medium rare and one medium well done. They both came alongside a salad with a choice of dressing, fries and a choice of sauce for the steak. Such a classic meal and one that they both really enjoyed.
Little Man went for the classic beef burger and we ordered it plain as he usually just has ketchup with it. It was such a good quality burger, served with fries, ketchup and tomato chutney. Little Man really enjoyed it.
I didn’t know if we’d have room for desserts – and LP declined instantly as she’d been beaten by the steak. But Little Man had the rhubarb crumble which was delicious. Another classic dish but Brasserie Blanc did it really well!
Dave chose the chocolate delice and immediately commented on it being small – until he realised how rich it was! It ended up being the perfect portion size and was beautifully presented too. I went for the Pistachio Soufflé after it was recommended and absolutely loved it. I now understand why people visit Brasserie Blanc just for the soufflés. It was delicious and so different to anything I have eaten before.
Our meal was lovely. It was easily one of the nicest meals we’ve had in a restaurant in a long time. The service was fantastic throughout and every dish was beautifully cooked and so well presented. There really wasn’t anything that Brasserie Blanc could have improved on.
After a good nights sleep we had breakfast back in the Brasserie Blanc restaurant. You don’t book a time for breakfast so we did find this less relaxing than our dinner experience. It was busy and the staff were stretched but we’ve found this to be pretty standard at peak times during any hotel breakfast service.
Breakfast is a buffet set up but tea and coffee are brought to your table by the staff. The buffet is plentiful and restocked regularly. There are all the usual hot options – bacon, sausages, hash browns, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, beans, mushrooms and tomatoes as well as a cooking station where omelettes are cooked to order.
There was also a continental section of cereals, breads, pastries, fruit, yogurts, cold meats and cheese plus fresh juice. It was lovely being able to just go up and help ourselves and we all easily found options that worked for us.
We had such a lovely stay at Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel. It was the perfect base to explore Bournemouth and such a nice place to spend time. The hotel has so many communal lounge areas to relax in and the outdoor pool was the icing on the cake. It’s such a nice hotel.
If you’re looking for a seaside break over the summer then you really can’t go wrong with the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel. It’s so well located, easy to get to, with great food and really comfortable beds and lovely staff.
You can find out more about the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel over on their website and for reference their address is: 105 St Michael’s Rd, W Cliff Rd, Bournemouth BH2 5DU
