The Relais Cooden Beach and Spa

I've been to Cooden Beach on numerous occasions both as an overnight guest, restaurant diner and outdoor diner, but we only return because it's the only place in the area. The hotel is lovely and we've never had any issues and why we gave 3 stars. The experience for food and drinks on the terrace however they still can't get right. They never seem to know what people have ordered, they miss basic requests like when you ask for sauce and it never comes, and then they have the audacity to add a 10 percent service charge to every bill. I genuinely don't understand how it can be so hard to get right.

My 3rd solo trip. This is the most perfect hotel to rest & revive. The staff are just amazing as always. The hotel, believe it or not has a beautiful vibe that cannot be faked. Its so comforting to be here. Just need to keep it a secret.
The older lady in reception who's name I cant remember but she is such an asset for the welcome she provided me, an the help for any query. So warm so smart an so kind. The new uniforms really are a great idea.
Jacob who shines in the dining room. His service skills an warmth is really something special. ( his parents should be so proud). His body language really stands out with such great respect as he takes & delivers the orders. Dale the manager in the restaurant is easy to engage with and helpful. All the staff in the restaurant ( and Im sure the kitchen team) are truly perfect. So many staff too. You are never ever left unattended. The food as always is beautiful. You would not need to visit any local restaurants. During the day an evening its gets very busy because its such a great find. My room was beautiful and spotless always housekeeping ladies around to help.
A hotel on the beach is the most magical find. The spa is also a great place to go. Sibohan is the best massage therapist ive ever had. Hence I book her each visit.
Car parking is great too.
My only personal request is maybe the meals could be smaller. Quite a few of the guests & visitors are older an may like a smaller amount.
Its the perfect hotel to arrive for a stay an not need to go out. The beach is beautiful,the food is perfect,the spa is available.

Everything, having stayed here last year, we just had to stay again, it,at 91 was what I was looking for and knowing I would get it.Could

Had a great lunch on the beautiful terrace . Very comfortable seating and the staff were exemplary . We weren't rushed even though they were busy. Stephen in particular treated us as if we were the only clients that day, going specially to check that what we wanted was available . Whether you want a snack lunch or a full service-with a brilliant view - this is the place .

I want to be fair in this review: the hotel itself is beautiful, and it is such a shame we couldn’t stay. However, the more I think about the room we were given, the more upset I am that it is even allowed to be offered as dog-friendly accommodation.

We booked during a heatwave (temperatures exceeding 30°C), only to find our room was an absolute furnace. While I acknowledge that air conditioning is not explicitly listed on their website, a "dog-friendly" room with zero windows and only a sliding door is a severe safety hazard in the summer. Leaving the sliding door open overnight for ventilation was a major security risk, meaning we had no safe way to cool the room.

When we raised this, the reception's response was incredibly disappointing. We were told we "should have called ahead" to request AC. However, I had already emailed twice prior to our stay to confirm our dog’s booking. The hotel had ample opportunity to warn us that their dog-friendly rooms lacked ventilation, especially given the extreme weather.

Instead of offering a real solution like moving us to a cooler room or coming to assess the situation the staff simply gave us two ineffective fans. With two people and a dog in a stifling room, the temperature was only going to rise overnight especially because we couldn’t have the door open. Everyone knows the dangers of leaving a dog in a hot car; leaving a pet in a windowless, unventilated room in 30°C heat is no different.

I don't want to point fingers, but the danger to our pet was very real. We felt we had no choice but to leave for our dog’s safety. If you are traveling with pets, please be aware that the dog-friendly rooms here are not safe during the warmer months.

Hotel room nice staff

Location is just great if you like walking and don't want to use tge car. Train station 5 min walk. Really friendly and approachable staff - that makes a huge difference. Good restaurant.

Fantastic location and the staff were amazing

Although our room was small (coszy double} and very hot as it is at the top of the hotel, it met most of our needs. The shower was brilliant. The real star though was the view - room 210 has an amazing view of the sea and we enjoyed just sittig on the bed looking out. The staff were very friendly and attentive. Breakfast was great.

Location was fabulous. Right on the beach which was huge and practically empty. Plenty of staff and room around the inside and outside for relaxing, eating and drinking. Rooms spacious and very comfortable beds.

Started our visit with some time in the outdoor spa, the weather was perfect, we had a lovely time with great views, hot tub was excellent, we even braved the chill tub. We had lunch booked for 1:30, we were shown to a lovely table in front of the outdoor bar with doors open for a breeze, I’ve been a few times for lunch and a dinner here, service although friendly is disjointed, no one owns a section so tables are left waiting to order and having to ask staff to come over, we noticed this a lot, we ordered our food inc starters for my friend and asked for it to all come out together as it was her lunch, no that didn’t happen, we had to wait around 15 mins after she got hers, our food was delicious and plenty of it, we then had to find someone to order a dessert just 1 lemon tart, it took near on 30 mins to arrive ridiculous and the restaurant was pretty empty by this point, we saw a manager wandering around but not really keeping an eye on what was going on, a lot of the time staff gathered at the till point, I’ve pointed this out before, staff need their own areas and things would run much smoother, some staff couldn’t even take an order, really! They are just their to carry plates seems odd to me. Anyway we had a lovely time for my friends birthday she received a free glass of Prosecco which was lovely thank you.

Lovely style and great selection of drinks and food. Amazing garden right on the beach. My child has severe allergies and they were so attentive and careful, always being prepared for us and checking all the ingredients. Have been to a lot of places with her and this place was by far the best, making us feel relaxed and not worried about any allergic reactions

Although I live locally I haven’t visited this hotel for a while, but wow, what a difference since my last experience.
The spa is great, Laura couldn’t do enough for us, so welcoming.
The restaurant was lovely and bright with beautiful outlooks over the sea. Food was great and the service was impeccable. Great staff and great location, well worth a visit

Lovely hotel in an amazing location, with the most helpful of staff (breakfast was great too)

We live in East Sussex. Cooden beach is our closest hotel. We have been going there for years, as it has changed over the years.Today I asked somebody what was the hotel like and was told mediocre. It is in fact a ,great staff and great food. It easer even expensive, and the quality was superb.we watched the sea. Whilst we ate, delicious food was,served and we enjoyed fabulous service. Thank you Angela

Really enjoyed our stay - friendly staff made it that much more enjoyable - thank you.