The Durley Dean Hotel

Families might be drawn to the bunk beds and swimming pool, but based on our stay I’d think twice before booking. We were given a semi-basement bunk room at check-in, with literally half the room below ground. It was freezing. The beds were right by the window, with no radiator or other heating nearby, so January cold came straight in. The bottom bunk was too cold for our child to sleep in, and one of us adults had to take it, wrapped in blankets and an outdoor coat. I’ve never been colder anywhere, even in Switzerland. I kept waking when my arms slipped out from under the duvet. The pool was the worst part. There was barely room to change, and debris was floating in the small pool. The shower water after swimming stayed lukewarm, never warm, so we were shivering in the cold changing room as we rinsed off. When we got back to the room, my eldest, who has sensitive skin, started scratching uncontrollably. That usually only happens when the water quality is poor. The room shower had no bathtub, just a partitioned area, and it was completely blocked. Water flooded the bathroom floor. The maintenance staff member arrived right away and did an excellent job trying to clear it and apply treatment. But when we washed our second child, it flooded again. He returned and had to remove a pipe entirely before we could shower at last. The Wi-Fi was practically nonexistent. The signal was too weak and kept dropping. We could use mobile data, but the children’s tablets kept buffering, so they couldn’t watch videos during their rest time. We ended up trying to calm frustrated kids instead of relaxing. There may be good points I missed, but with the room temperature, pool hygiene and poor infrastructure, I can’t recommend it for a family trip.

We stayed at the Durley Dean hotel from the 10th of February 2026 to the 11th of February 2026 to celebrate our engagement, but the experience was nowhere near a good standard. The spa was the main reason we booked. It turned out to be out of order, which hadn’t been mentioned when booking. The sauna was so cold we were shivering, and the steam room was switched off and closed. If I’d known, I would have chosen another hotel with an open spa. Our first room was completely unclean and still had other people’s belongings in it, which was an immediate red flag. We were moved, but the key wouldn’t work because the door was broken. Whenever we left, we had to go back down for a new key and try again. This happened four times in less than two hours, which was hardly relaxing and meant going up and down the stairs throughout our stay. At night, loud knocking from somewhere upstairs, below or next door kept us awake until 3am. At 5am, drunk neighbours started arguing loudly outside the surrounding windows, for about an hour. Then at 6am a loud boiler behind the wall next to the bed woke us again. We gave up and started packing to go home, especially since the spa couldn’t offer any chance to relax. We’re absolutely gutted. We’d wanted to celebrate something so important to us, and the stay was ruined.

The pool was the highlight for all of us, and we’re already planning another trip for 2026. It’s an ideal Bournemouth spot with the beach nearby. This was our second visit, and the team remembered us, which was lovely. We had a conjoined family room that was just the right size and they provided a cot for our baby at no extra cost. For our anniversary they gave us a lovely card and present. Breakfast was perfect, with loads of choice, and the beds were comfortable. The bath was lovely and hot too. A lady called the day before to let us know there’d be a Christmas party and warn us about possible noise, which was kind of her, but we didn’t hear much and it didn’t bother us.

The cream tea was the one bright spot. We’d expected afternoon tea, though it turned out we’d booked cream tea, and the scones were really tasty. It would’ve helped if that had been clearer when we booked. I came with my daughter for her 13th birthday, hoping for a spa afternoon together. The place felt dirty, parking was scarce, and we had to pay £10 for the spa, plus £15 if staying at the hotel. The steam room wasn’t working and nobody warned us. The pool was warm, which was nice, but tiny and cramped once more than one or two people were in it. There was nowhere to relax between using the pool and spa, and no jacuzzi, so it wasn’t much of a spa day. We tried to make the most of it but left after about an hour. Self check-in downstairs felt unfriendly and very hands-off. The gentleman who served us was kind, helpful and attentive, and did his best to make our visit nicer. We’re grateful to him, but the rest was sadly disappointing.