Burgh Island Hotel Devon & Cornwall

Hotel check-in time:

Hotel check-out time:

Restaurant

Opening Times

Please contact the hotel directly to check availability for dining.

Dress Code

Please wear something glamorous and something that makes your visit special. Black tie and evening dress are absolutely de rigeur for all guests in The Grand Ballroom. 

If you prefer a less formal evening, please ask to dine in the Captain's Cabin or The Nettlefold Restaurant, where the dress code is still smart, but not black tie.

Can you park at Burgh Island Hotel?

There are garages located on the mainland in Bighbury-on-Sea, accessed by a code. 

You will need to call the hotel on approach so that instructions can be given. This will also allow the hotel drivers time to cross the beach to collect you and your luggage. 

Please note the Sea Tractor fare is included for residents.

Is Burgh Island Hotel accessible for disabled guests?

There is a lift to 2 floors, however none of their rooms are suitable for wheelchair users or guests with mobility issues.

The sea tractor requires approximately 10 steps to climb into.

The hotel has one Cosy Double room, one Suite and the Agatha Christie's Beach House with a walk-in shower, please contact us prior to booking if this is required.

Can children stay at Burgh Island Hotel?

Children over 5 years old are welcome, a maximum of two children can be accommodated in the Grand Suite only.

Children are not allowed in the bar or public areas after 7pm but may use the Library and can dine in The Pilchard Inn.

Children are charged at £150 per child per night bed and breakfast. Children under the age of 13 can dine in The Pilchard Inn only. 

Children 13 years old and above are classed as adults so would pay adult price on the offers. They are allowed to dine in the Ballroom.

Other Information

Art Deco

Art Deco Inspiration Burgh Island is widely regarded as one of the foremost places to see and experience Art Deco in Europe.

Art Deco is an influential visual arts design style that takes its name from the important 'Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes' which took place in Paris in 1925.  It became popular across the globe in the 1920s and '30s.  As a design style Art Deco represented a rejection of the organic, sensous motifs of pre-War Art Nouveau in favour of clean lines and ‘modern', often bright, colours.  It was largely made possible by new manufacturing techniques and increased access of the new middle class to luxury goods.  The boom in cinema audiences spread the message across the globe: glamorous living was accessible and had arrived!

History of the hotel

In the 1890s, the music hall star George H Chirgwin built a prefabricated wooden house on Burgh Island, which was used by guests for weekend parties.

The island was sold in 1927 to the filmmaker Archibald Nettlefold, who built a more substantial hotel in an Art Deco style that was in vogue at the time. By the 1930s Burgh Island had become one of the most popular hotels of it's time.

Improvements and additions to the hotel were made during the 1930s, including the addition of The Captain's Cabin, literally the captain's cabin of HMS Ganges, a warship built in 1821 (and the last British wooden flagship in the Royal Navy).

In World War II Burgh Island's convenient seaside location meant the hotel was used as a recovery centre for wounded RAF personnel. During the conflict the top two floors of the hotel were damaged by a bomb and despite being repaired, it suffered a period of post-war decline after being converted to self-catering apartment accommodation.

The hotel was restored to its former glory in the first decade of this century and continues to thrive today as a special place to visit.

Today Burgh Island is a Grade II listed building and one of the foremost examples of Art Deco style in Europe. Agatha Christie made Burgh her second home, writing two books while on the Island. Noel Coward stayed on the Island, originally for three days, but this turned into three weeks.

Does Burgh Island Hotel allow dogs?

Dogs are welcome in the Artist's Studio room only, an additional charge is applicable. This room can accommodate 2 large or 3 small dogs. 

Please contact us if you wish to bring a dog and we will be happy to check availability for you. 

Dogs are priced at £25 per dog per stay.

Dogs are not permitted in the main hotel. Guests may dine in The Pilchard Inn with their dog.

Dogs are permitted on the main beach at Bigbury-on-Sea all year round.