The Beach Hotel

The service was fine, but the food made the prices hard to justify. My steak sandwich cost 27€ and was a small, thin piece of mostly gristly frying steak in an English muffin, with a couple of strands of onion and half a bowl of chips. Someone else in our group got a cold chicken burger, also with only half a bowl of chips. The chowder was bland, like warm milk with two pieces of smoked haddock. For the quality and portions, the menu prices are a disgrace. I wouldn't eat here again.

The staff were doing their best while rushed off their feet, and they apologised when we mentioned the meal. We gave two stars because of them, though the food itself was closer to one. We stopped during a long drive with the kids, and ate most of it because we were starving and everywhere else was packed. We were told something was up with the kitchen after a long wait, and for a while nobody seemed to be getting served. The baby bowls looked like mashed potato and gravy with no vegetables. Our five-year-old's goujons seemed straight from the freezer. The chips were crisp and golden, but tasted like they had been fried in very old oil. Our Caesar salads had toast strips instead of croutons, cheap mixed seasoning, bland sauce, and chicken that tasted as if it had been grilled all day without the grill being cleaned. The lettuce did seem fresh, while the bacon bits seemed like a cheap Aldi or Lidl product. This is only about the bar food, as the rest of the hotel seemed mothballed. The men's toilets smelled awful, though the girls said the ladies' room was fine. We told staff the food was poor when paying. They apologised, but there wasn't much they could do.

This used to be a great place to eat, but I wouldn't say that now. The main of tempura prawns was extortionately priced for one prawn skewer and a small bowl of chips. The staff weren't very helpful either.

We were glad we stopped in. The food was excellent: seafood chowder with Guinness wheaten, fisherman's pie, and an open prawn Marie rose sandwich on the same bread, with a small helping of chips. Service was good, and the bar area indoors was grand. There weren't any seats outside, but we could still enjoy the stunning views. Guinness was on tap, and there were soft drinks plus an interesting Monster energy cocktail option. We stuck with Guinness and soft drinks. The red setter wandering through the lobby and later around the harbour was the highlight. What a gorgeous boy. Even if you're not keen on dogs, he was extremely well behaved and kept well away from the diners.