The Ocean Hotel and Bar

The Ocean Hotel and Bar descritpion

Located on Portland's historic cliff tops, The Ocean Hotel and Bar boasts panoramic views of the sea and Dorset’s famous Jurassic coastline. It features a restaurant and free parking.
Each air conditioned room at The Ocean Hotel and Bar features a flat-screen TV, free broadband internet access, an en-suite bathroom, and tea/coffee making facilities. Some rooms have views of the sea and the lighthouse. The hotel also offers elegant suites with luxury bathroom and a separate seating area.
Locally sourced produce is served in the award-winning restaurant, which has a daily changing specials menu of freshly caught fish. Free WiFi is available in public areas.
Portland has three lighthouses. The first incorporates the bird observatory, the other is the former home of Marie Stopes. The third is Portland's main lighthouse. All are within a 10-minute walk from the hotel. Weymouth is just a 20-minute drive away.

Recommand

Low rates——No booking fees • Save money!Best price guarantee — enter dates to see these prices!
20 properties in Portland——Including hotels, apartments, villas and more.
Manage your bookings online——Sign up for a FREE account·View a single booking.
316 independent reviews——We verify all reviews from guests who've stayed at The Ocean Hotel and Bar. Find out more about Booking.com Reviews.
The staff speaks English——The Ocean Hotel and Bar's staff speaks:English
Booking is safe——When you book with us your details are protected by a secure connection.

Facilities of The Ocean Hotel and Bar

Outdoors ：Sun Deck

Pets ：Pets are allowed. Charges may apply.

Food & Drink ：Restaurant | Bar | Breakfast in the Room

Internet ：Free!WiFi is available in public areas and is free of charge.

Parking ：Free!Free public parking is available on site (reservation is not needed).

Reviews for The Ocean Hotel and Bar

Review 1：Restaurant was over priced for the standard of some of the food in the evening and service was poor. No staff present at breakfast for the majority of the time. Coffee and tea not provide at the table for breakfast and you have to instead queue for the one machine.

Review 2：Rooms were clean, spacious and quiet. Sea view rooms have a spectacular view. Reception staff were freindly and helpful.

Review 3：The Hotel was cold and would recommend wearing a jumper/jacket in the bar & reception area

Review 4：Staff very pleasant and helpful. Had the choice of breakfast from Full English to Continental and as much Tea/Coffee as you wish to drink.

Review 5：Yours very bad the room was very cold we asked for heater we got to the room was still cold after 1 hour later um it was not very clean very disappointed I wouldn't recommend anyone

Review 6：Noisy room heater and considering exposed location the windows could do to be more insulative for better sleeping conditions (know it's a converted industrial building but could do with internal window improvements for comfort)

Review 7：Friendly, helpful reception. Loved the fact we could have our little dog with us. Comfy room, everything we needed. Breakfast was gorgeous and the view from the dining room fabulous.

Review 8：Reception not always manned. Note left to ring bell bell for assistance misleading when all staff are in the bar upstairs. Was left standing in reception for 15 minutes. Instructions should be accurate. If reception not 24 hours then opening hours should be clearly posted with accurate info on what guests should do outside of these hours. Reception unattended approaching check out time. No information or instructions about where to leave key. No welcome pack in room

Review 9：Staff very helpful (once you can find them). Nice decor

Review 10：This hotel has aspirations which aren't matched by the rooms or food. Room first, uninspiring view over grey concrete courtyard, make sure you ask for a sea-view! Rooms were OK, on par with a premier inn but certainly no better, pillows were lumpy. The worst part? Breakfast. The cooked breakfast showed evidence of poor preparation and cost-cutting. Hash brown was a soggy lumpen mess, sausage was a strange-textured, tasteless brown thing, the black pudding was black but that was all, tasted nothing like black pudding should, at all. Cheap tinned mushrooms rounded off a very unpleasant experience.

Review 11：Location on top of the cliffs. Great views from the restaurant area.

Review 12：Location bizarre. Next to a building site and on an industrial estate. Ban on photography of exterior (not that you want to take a photo!) as against Official Secrets Act.

Review 13：Met expectations, no real character as a hotel but everything clean and in good working order

Review 14：Nothing.

Review 15：The contemporary decor of the hotel, the breakfast was available as a cooked breakfast, not just the 'continental' one advertised, the comfort of the room, the ability to take our dog and the quietness at night.

Review 16：Building site surrounding hotel. Awful service from bar staff who served us at lunch. Grunting instead of speaking to us! Snoring chef on the sofa during the evening by the bar!

Review 17：Comfy beds, clean rooms. Most staff were very pleasant and helpful.

Review 18：This is a ex MOD building and looks disgusting the hotel is a small section of a large, old military base! All other sections are undergoing a extencive refurb for the next year+ On arrival you are greeted by a building site with multiple diggers and construction vehicles. We had not been informed of the refurbishment work going on at any point before arrival. All double/King bedrooms are 2 singles pushed together making for a very uncomfortable stay.

Review 19：Perfect location on the island Friendly but unhelpful staff

Review 20：Not too much really... neighbouring works made the roads muddy and messy but not the fault of the hotel.

Review 21：New, clean, fresh... Food good. After the look of the outside, the building is not pretty, the inside was great. I had read previous reports and knew it was an old MOD building. Once inside it is not relevant at all. Rooms are good, clean and a decent size. Would we go back? Yes!

Review 22：Sadly the gym and swimming pool were not open.. They are under renovation .. Opening soon. The staff were extremely friendly however if I had to make one comment it would be for the hotel management to provide a little more training on etiquette for waiter/waitress service might help staff feel more relaxed and less scared to approach hotel guests.

Review 23：The hotel is quite a surprise on arrival but when you step inside it really is something to experience .. The rooms are modern and spacious , the bar area intimate and the dining area comfortable.

Review 24：Lounge/ bar area is small and cramped. Disappointing there were no snacks available on arrival mid afternoon. Had to drive out and return for dinner.

Review 25：Parking a bit limited close to hotel.

Review 26：The overall interior and staff were brilliant. The food outstanding. You can't judge a book by its cover. We will visit again. Outstanding views.

Review 27：Outside appearance of hotel! Lots of building work going on so whole area not very pretty. View from standard room awful! Slightly overpowering smell of scented candles in entrance foyer. Set menu a bit pricey. Help-yourself Breakfast a bit disappointing for class of hotel/restaurant as food not that hot.

Review 28：Inside of hotel very plush compared with impression from outside! Comfortable bed, good bathroom, friendly helpful staff. Easy access to coast path with pleasant walk down to Portland Bill.

Review 29：Food was not good, it was just heated, not fresh and scrambled eggs in the morning was microwaved!!

Review 30：The outside of the building was drab, the inside was lovely and rooms very comfortable

Review 31：When booked in ....there were no facilities open...couldn't even get a pub...you could walk to a pub but the gates around the hotel shut at 8pm...so beware!! The breakfast was ok but as the coffee...think they didn't actually add any coffee in

Review 32：The carpet was dirty in our room and the lounge. Trying to relax in your lounge area by the bar the chef was passing food through the hatch for staff to try in front of reidents also drinking vodka and coke whilst on duty.many staff in and out of the kitchen area no hygiene procedures taking place ie hand washing.In our room the heating would not work and our window would not close . I found it very unprofessional.

Review 33：The furnishings were very tasteful

Review 34：Despite the 'different' outside look of this hotel the inside was wonderful. Great decor, friendly staff and delicious food in the restaurant. Would highly recommend this hotel for a short break, the walk to Portland Bill has lovely views.

Review 35：Nothing, I liked it all.

Review 36：The friendliness of staff, you were made to very welcome. Food was good value and all areas were clean. Loved the vip lounge. Peacefull.

Review 37：We didn't take a dog but found out that they are dog friendly so will definitely book again and bring the dog next time - great hotel, location and the owner was very welcoming. 10/10

Review 38：The exterior But I wasn't sleeping outside :) inside made up for the exterior

Review 39：Beautiful hotel on the inside, friendly staff, gorgeous rooms and the food was lovely.

Review 40：Lack of things to do but in hotel but building work still going on.

Review 41：Hotel was out the way which made it for us a quite peaceful place to stay.plus the view from dinning area.Staff very friendly

Review 42：Staff appear a little disorganised but very friendly.

Review 43：The new club house, included in upgrade for £20. Complimentary snacks & drinks from 3 - 7pm. Well worth paying the extra.

Review 44：bed was a little too hard down the center and pillow was a little too lumpy.we thought we were paying for the room the following morning when we went to settle the bill receptionist said it was already done. she didn't make that clear when we arrived, we would have prefered to pay in cash.

Review 45：lovely spacious room, great bathroom. very clean. quiet location and great views. we liked the roof terrace. good breakfast.

Review 46：Pennsylvania Suite didn't have a double bed as it was two singles pushed together. Which as a couple really uncomfortable.

Review 47：Staff and food was very good.

Review 48：They advertise WiFi but there is absolutely no signal anywhere. Evencell service is often down. (They seem to be working on it). The staffdoesn't seem to be very knowledgeable but they try.

Review 49：Quiet location, though very remote at the very end of the peninsulaoverlooking the British Channel. The hotel is in an austere looking oldarmy base building but completely renovated on the inside.

Review 50：Telephone didn't work so couldn't even make an internal call to reception and the toilet was unpredictable in that it sometimes didn't flush properly

Review 51：It was located in a quiet area and the room we stayed in was spacious

Review 52：The waiting service left something to be desired -but we did see the funny side of it. Externally the hotel is rather bleak

Review 53：The inside of the hotel is fine. Food was good and the choice varied.

Review 54：Coffee at breakfast was a bit of a farce. Was served in jugs for you to help yourself but kept running out. Would have been better to either have an urn to fill up your own tea or coffee pot or have staff bring tea and coffee to the table.

Review 55：The view is amazing. The hotel smells lovely, the room was huge and the bed very comfy

Review 56：What a shame that someone decided to smoke in their room at 2am. Hence setting of the fire alarms. I only hope the hotel manager made them leave the following morning.

Review 57：Where it is situated. The hotel itself looks quite daunting from the outside but inside it is lovely.

Review 58：The need to settle at the bar daily.Only wifi in main lounge.Constant TV showing.Charming young waiter didn't know enough about the food being served at dinner.the pouring of wines and water.We helped him!

Review 59：It is indeed an oasis in the middle of Portland,much needed and should be supported.Staff were friendly although inexperienced in some cases.It was necessary to be kind to makey learneys who still needed some training/supervision.

Review 60：Slightly slow on changing sheets and linen (uncertain what the norm is for hotels) But when I put towels in bath I don't expect them to be refolded for use!

Review 61：Breakfast and a comfy bed (clean linen)

Review 62：No staff after 1 am , no ` garden` .

Review 63：Traffic -free location at end of island = peaceful, nice room , roof -top terrace had good view ,hotel smelled nice on inside .Food was excellent .Staff were attentive and helpful .

Review 64：The staff were not trained properly in the restaurant did not know what they were doing and the reception staff were not particularly friendly and helpful, seemed like it everything was too much bother for them

Review 65：I loved the Massage by Verna she did a fantastic job lovely lady .. The room was really nice great shower , lovely food in the restaurant and great views

Review 66：Very dreary, unpreposing exterior. Beds not ready when we arrived; rooms and public areas very cold. Door key also controlled the heating so room cooled down when we were at dinner.

Review 67：Zip together King size bed - not at all comfortable. No telephone or Internet signals out with bar area. No room service; no information about hotel or facilities given on arrival or held in room. Owners big big dog, huge bulldog type; spread out over suite in lounge/bar area; not ideal if your not a dog lover.

Review 68：Size of room; clean bathroom.

Review 69：More choice for in room hot refreshments, such as hot chocolate or herb teas, would be appreciated. The exterior, such as car park, could be improved but this is being worked on.

Review 70：A comfortable room, good views, and friendly staff. goid bathroom facilitites. Evening meal was excellent and breakfast was good.

Review 71：No food available at lunch time. It may be a personal thing but a hotel of this standard should provide food throughout the day even if it's just sandwiches.

Review 72：The hotel is internally finished to a high standard.

Review 73：Horrible staff. Food tasteless. Management a joke . Wifi non existent .one of the worst hotels we have ever stayed in. Dirty and dusty.

Review 74：The whole external appearance is awful. Its in the middle of a building site. Our room was dusty and dirty. The shower was broken.the staff have no idea what they are doing. Management is a joke.

Review 75：Missing standard lamp in room. Food smell in bar. Dog snoring in TV area. Duvet not big enough on Superkingsize bed.

Review 76：Beautiful location. Nice rooms and bathroom.

Review 77：overstaffed. Some are idle at times but work long hours. Morning and evening shifts. I felt sorry for them. I shall blame it on my strange accent, but I ordered an Irish coffee made with drambuie. Got indeed something with coffee in it, I am still wondering what they have put in it :-)

Review 78：Nice sea view from the restaurant. Good food. Friendly staff. The manager was nice to talk to. The exterior is not pretty, but inside is pure luxury.

Review 79：Needs a bigger carpark as it was full on the night,though at a weekend there are plenty of spaces belonging to other companies.

Review 80：Fantastic views,easy walking with our dog (she happily slept in the car). Very comfortable rooms.

Review 81：Why do residents need to settle restaurant/bar bills each day? Wifi in rooms would be great rather than only in public areas.

Review 82：The hotel was very clean with helpful staff but restaurant needed a greater degree of management to avoid rather haphazard service. The spa was very good and reasonably priced. The foundations are in place but work needed to realise full potential. Greater degree of welcome and character/branding would help.

Review 83：The hotel needs to work out what it is, if its a business hotel wifi in all rooms is critical, couldnt even get a mobile signal due to the thickness of the walls and location. If its a leisure hotel then its in the wrong place! as nobody wants to stay on an industrial park, to make a success of this they need a diferent ange..but I am not sure what.

Review 84：It was clean and the few staff we met were fine, that is the biggest comendation

Review 85：WiFi was not available in the rooms. The bathroom had been cleaned but needed a deep clean, around the taps was grubby and there were chips in the sink. No reception staff available on check out, chef came to take our key but was unable to give us a receipt.

Review 86：Great location, beautiful short walk to Portland Bill lighthouse. Clean room, comfy bed, good shower, decent view - we could see the sea even though it was not a 'sea view' room! It was excellent value at £207 for 3 nights including a nice cooked breakfast.

Review 87：the bed was so-posed to be king-size and was two singles pushed togethe,,r the whole place was covered in comments asking for deposits and money not at all a friendly place would never recommend nor use again

Review 88：The food wasn't great - dinner was average at best, breakfast was poor and the coffee was undrinkable. A hotel of this calibre should at least have had cafetiere coffee. Wifi should be available in rooms not just in public spaces.

Review 89：The bed was vey comfortable, the room was dark and quiet, the staff were lovely

Review 90：The only thing that I didn't like it is that there is no WiFi in the rooms that's all tbh.

Review 91：The hotel was very nice. The room was big and comfort. The hotel so clean and nice.

Review 92：Breakfast on our first morning was disorganised. Guests were clearing the tables so they could sit down. The staff were completely oblivious to the needs of the guests. The second day was a lot better as there was a supervisor on duty. We decided to upgrade our room to a sea view however in both rooms the bathroom fittings were broken and the shower head leaked. We would have eaten in the hotel restaurant but there were no menus anywhere in the hotel.

Review 93：Location was good for walks along the coastal route and to the lighthouse.

Review 94：We had to unplug our phone because all calls were coming through - I spoke to delivery men and people wanting job interviews ! Fire alarm testing with no warning (an unimpressed 10 month old ) The breakfast was poor , such a shame seeing as the evening food was seriously good !

Review 95：The rooms were nicely decorated , don't be put off by the exterior of the hotel Views were beautiful Staff were very pleasant

Review 96：Awful evening service and meal. Far to over booked for the staff they had. Food over cooked and wrong order received also waited 35 minutes to be served a drink. When we complained we were told oh dear what a disaster you've had, very patronising! No apology!

Review 97：Room was lovely, receptionist was very welcoming and helpful. Great breakfast.

Review 98：For such a nice hotel, lacked the finesse and small touches which would have made the difference. Phone didn't work in room and no toilet roll !!

Review 99：Staff friendly.

Review 100：We booked a room with a sea view, our first night of three was in a room with a view of the carpark, the staff were really apologetic and moved us for the next two nights to a room with a fantastic view of portland bill and the sea.

Review 101：Lovely position on portland, very clever use of an unused building.

Review 102：Breakfast was shambolic. Lack of tables, cutlery and crockery. No managing staff. The continental breakfast is pitiful - cheap bread and yoghurt, poorly presented fruit and some cereal and that was it.

Review 103：The hotel is in an amazing position and is very comfortable and nicely decorated inside.

Review 104：No wifi in the rooms was a massive problem and needs to be rectified. Should have been advised before arrival but not told. Public areas only! Exterior of hotel is not great

Review 105：Fantastic staff and very clean modern rooms. The interior is lovely and very comfortable.

Review 106：To be told they didn't know who I was on arrival nor had confirmation of my payment was bad enough (they took payment the same day I had booked, this was a week before!) Then not to receive any clarity over the issue for the remainder of my stay and a phone call once I had left asking for prove of my payment, beggared belief. For such a nice interior, it was strange to have no main beam light inside the room itself, only lamps, and the small dining area could no where near handle capacity at breakfast time. You could sense there were management issues I.e. Odd staff member letting off steam within earshot of customers and often no receptionist downstairs.

Review 107：The younger staff serving tables were always very pleasant and helpful. The rooms are decorated to a high standard and coastal path very close. This has the potential to be a good hotel it just needs to get the basics right concerning customer service. The payment problem I encountered epitomises a somewhat chaotic nature in its running.

Review 108：kept running out of food at breakfast but overall really enjoyed the experience the view from the restaurant was fantastic

Review 109：we both enjoyed the whole experience, staff very friendly, food a little expensive but very nice, room very comfortable and clean, lovely views across Portland Bill, the building outside was a little daunting but I was already aware of this, wished we could have stayed longer.

Review 110：Total lack of management ,no staff direction[no proper training] . The manager lacking any commercial ability to understand the need to address their clients concerns , particularly in respect of the fiasco at breakfast [ lack of staff ,tables uncleared , food, tea, coffee, milk not replenished to meet demand , lack of enough correct plates ,dirty cups and usually no saucers , no additional cutlery or serviettes ]

Review 111：The room and the quality of the décor and fittings throughout

Review 112：Outside doesn't look too promising but inside fine. Breakfast on a Sunday am was very busy and slightly chaotic but fine eventually!

Review 113：The hotel staff were extremely helpful in every way ! Lovely room with nice bathroom. Beautiful flowers in public spaces.

Review 114：I didn't like the value of the room I had paid for.. Not sure what you get for paying extra on the Pennsylvania suite - a lounge area with nothing to do. If you want a good room - pick the penthouse. My bro in law had this but for £50 cheaper than I had paid. Not sure why!?!

Review 115：I loved the food.. It was pricey food but worth the money.

Review 116：No Wi-Fi in the rooms. Not enough tables in the dining room to cater for the guests Breakfast never started at 7.30 though that was when it should have begun. Austere look from the outside as could be expected from an ex-MOD barracks - but of course that is not mentioned in the advert.

Review 117：The bedroom and shower room

Review 118：Arriving into it you feel you're coming to Alcatraz.... Had dinner once soup was not home made but surely bought from supplier and that alone tells you about the experience.... If you fail to get up early you wait for breakfast since they are constantly short of staff and no enough space for a full hotel in busy period.

Review 119：Rooms where clean and to a nice standard

Review 120：The hotel was of a high standard inside the building but we were very surprised at the 10am checkout on a sunday. Having been at a wedding the night before and being 6 months pregnant i wasnt able to rush to get out of the room by 10am to avoid the £10 penalty. This seems a strange thing to implement and let down the stay. Thankfully after checking out at 11.15 i was very pleased that the owner seemed to waive the charge.. just make it 11am!

Review 121：Service mediocre Agreed to provide a continental , cold breakfast in our room as we had to leave at 5.30 am and then didn't do this- nobody on the desk when we checked out. Wi fi very slow

Review 122：Food in restaurant excellent

Review 123：On checking in I was told my room had been cancelled due to plumbing problem. I was given a blank look and told they do not know what to advise. In the end I swapped rooms with someone else, who then stayed at another hotel. They then tried to bend over backwards to make it right, but I am afraid the damage was done. I would never go back there as I could not trust them.

Review 124：Some staff (especially in the restaurant) were excellent.

Review 125：Although the staff were very helpful the rush at breakfast time with all residents turning up around 0830 -0930 showed that a larger breakfast area was required to accommodate everyone.

Review 126：Lovely location. The Dining room takes advantage of the stunning views over Portland Bill. Dog friendly! Wish I'd bought my dog!!!! Breakfast was fantastic with a good selection. Didn't eat in the evening, but food looked and smelt amazing, and there appeared to be a good amount of staff on. Rooms were very nicely decorated but a bit chilly. We were given a heater and offered a room change if we wanted. Word to the wise, if you are someone who is fussy about your view, make sure you pay extra! The web site should really say what the building used to be. Luckily our group were all ex Army, so it wasn't such a shock to find ourselves in such an establishment! It is not the most pleasing looking building from the outside. Saying that though, we will definitely go back, probably with our dogs and hopefully when it is up and running as a Spa again.

Review 127：there needs to be a system of booking evening meals to avoid the problems we encountered .

Review 128：location , beds , large TV , friendly staff ,prices of drinks .

Review 129：Though there was an area to walk the dog, a couple of dog waste bins would be useful, though seeing that the area around the hotel is being built perhaps this is something being looked into. Looked a bit bland on arrival so seated and planted areas outside the main entrance would be good, though probably looked into already

Review 130：Helpful , friendly staff. lovely room, very comfortable and well decorated hotel. It was great to be able to take our Dalmatian with us. Great choice for breakfast. Though the hotel is tucked away it is easy to see that there is a lot of potential. History of building was interesting to hear about.

Review 131：dog sitting on couch on first floor Supposed to be pets only in certain bedrooms on ground floor Looking forward to stroll along sea front but hotel is set near on top of cliffs and no sea front walk to take of a evening

Review 132：Room was clean and fresh smelling Easy to park Reception very helpfull with queries

Review 133：Unprofessional staff, rude management when we had a problem with our room, not interested in their guests at all, huge drooling dog behind reception when we arrived and was later seen laying on the sofa in the bar! We checked out after an hour on the property, was not soon enough!

Review 134：Location excellent however very poor hotel experience find somewhere else in Portland as the area is wonderful

Review 135：Outside appearance of the building and location in a business park is daunting but dont be put off. Would be keen to see the spa facilities when these are reintroduced.

Review 136：Customer service was brilliant - staff are all so friendly and welcoming. Food was excellent. Convenience of the Coastal Path walk taking you either to Portland Bill or to Weymouth was wonderful.

Review 137：Wifi not accessible in the rooms and no dog poo bins - yet!

Review 138：The staff were fantastic, friendly, willing to help where ever they could! The hidden gem of the roof terrace, absolutely beautiful place to relax and great views of Portland bill and the sea. Interesting menu allowing you to try meals outside the norm. Don't judge it by the outside! Look forward to the spa element opening and would come back to see how the new owners are progressing, see a lot of potential here.

Review 139：Lack of wifi apart from in bar a bit of a letdown,

Review 140：Restaurant and food really great, had there not been a thick fog, then the sea views would of been awesome, the location is superb

The Fine Print

Please note that extra beds are available in the suites only.Late check-out is available for an additional charge of GBP 10. With this option guests have until 12 to check out.