Seaways Holiday Home

We found it good value, and with a car it made a handy base for seeing the north east. South Shields has blue flag beaches, a sweet Marine park with a boating lake and a mini steam train you can ride. See my other reviews for places to hang out. The photos below show the rooms as we used them, with our belongings, not staged views. The house has a generous amount of space, with beds for 7 and big sofas in the lounge, so you can relax outside your room. There’s a small TV in each room if you want some time alone, and my crew gave a thumbs up to the Scrabble set left out by the host. We used the large glass table for cereal and morning TV. There are three shower rooms, one downstairs and two upstairs, useful if you come back sandy or smelling of seaweed. The upstairs rooms have small sinks. It’s surprisingly quiet for a place on the main road to Little Haven Bay, even with takeaways across the road. Just be aware the supermarkets and local shops close at 6. Ocean Road’s convenience store isn’t really for stocking up, with no fresh fruit or veg. There’s also a steep step at the front door, and my daughter struggled to lift a loaded pushchair over it. I doubt it’s suitable for wheelchairs. The property was only recently changed from a B&B to an Airbnb. There are a few minor repair issues from the conversion, but the owner is keen to hear suggestions about safety and updating a couple of kitchen items. Like some other guest houses, it has no wooden utensils, and the microwave is much less powerful than mine. Not everyone wants to cook or needs fancy crockery for breakfast, though.