Hear the words 'British seaside town' and your mind will most likely conjure up images of fish and chips, run down peers and dodgy arcades.
But you may be surprised to know that you don't have to travel miles to experience beachside paradise.
The hotels featured in the Good Hotel Guide's top 10 British Beach hotels are classy, chic and certainly luxurious.
Check out the slideshow for details (if you book one, can we come too?).
Top 10 British Beach Hotels
The Nare, Veryan-in-Roseland, Cornwall, England. (01 of10)
Popular with surfers, Carne Beach is a south-facing sand and shingle beach on the Roseland Peninsula in mid Cornwall. Above it stands this traditional hotel, a cosseting place of the old-style. Go for one of the pricier bedrooms for its sea views. The bedrooms have lovely antiques and modern plumbing; current magazines, fresh flowers and log fires in the public rooms. Chef Richard James serves a daily-changing set menu in the dining room; informal dinners and children’s teas are taken in the Quarterdeck. There are indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a tennis court.It is not cheap but you can count on a high level of service from a staff who are ‘attentive, highly efficient, cheerful’.More info on The Nare Hotel (credit:Good Hotel Guide )
The Scarlet, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall, England. (02 of10)
On the rugged north Cornish coast between Padstow and Newquay, Mawgan Porth has a beautiful west-facing beach.All the bedrooms at this eco-friendly design hotel face the beach and have an outside space; the best also have a large lounge. There is a natural outdoor swimming pool, and an indoor one in the ‘sumptuous’ spa. ‘Tasty’ modern dishes are served in the restaurant; light meals are available all day.Unlike its family-friendly sister, the much larger Bedruthan Hotel up the hill, this is a child-free zone.More info on The Scarlet (credit:Good Hotel Guide )
Hell Bay Hotel, Bryher, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England. (03 of10)
A collection of cottage-style buildings on a rugged, virtually traffic-free island, this muzak-free seaside hotel is reachable only by boat from the neighbouring islands of Tresco or St Mary’s; guests are met at the quay. Many of the cheerfully decorated bedrooms face the sea; the best have a balcony or a terrace with direct access to the garden and beach. Many are suitable for a family. There is a ‘wonderful art collection’ of Cornish works in the lofty lounge. In the dining rooms, chef Richard Kearsley serves a modern menu. A rustic crab shack operates in the summer months. There is a heated outdoor swimming pool and a children’s playground. Nights are ideal for stargazing. A regular boat service operates between the islands; fishing trips and seal- and puffin-spotting trips can be arranged.More info on Hell Bay Hotel (credit:Good Hotel Guide )
The Cary Arms, Babbacombe, Devon, England. (04 of10)
Sheltered behind a headland near Torquay, Peter and Lana de Savary’s small, secluded hotel has a dramatic setting below a steep cliff on Babbacombe Bay. It has a modern nautical look throughout. All the bedrooms have sea views; most have a terrace or balcony. In the restaurant, chef Ben Kingdon uses much freshly caught fish and shellfish in his menus. Children are welcomed with a fishing net, bucket and spade. Below the cliffs are two beaches, Babbacombe Beach, a small pebble beach and Oddicombe Beach, a long, red, sandy beach.More info on The Cary Arms (credit:Good Hotel Guide )
Soar Mill Cove Hotel, nr Salcombe, Devon, England. (05 of10)
Surrounded by National Trust land, Keith Makepeace’s child-friendly, dog-friendly, family- run hotel stands above a secluded, sandy cove on the south Devon coast. Well-equipped bedrooms have French doors opening on to a private patio; some have views of the coast. Family suites have a separate bedroom for children. In the bright restaurant there are ‘high-quality and varied’ menus. There is a heated indoor saltwater swimming pool; tennis and children’s play area in the ten-acre grounds, and you can walk for miles in either direction on the Coastal Path. Coasteering, sailing and surfing expeditions can be arranged. The beach is a stroll away.More info on Soar Mill Cove Hotel (credit:Good Hotel Guide )
The Henley, Bigbury-on-Sea, Devon. (06 of10)
Bigbury’s wide, sandy Blue Flag beach, with its big tides and rock pools, is a safe place for children, and offers a varied selection of water sports.Martyn Scarterfield and Petra Lampe’s reasonably-priced small hotel, liked for its ‘relaxed atmosphere’, stands on a cliff overlooking the Avon estuary. Bedrooms are simply furnished in country style; all have sea views and a pair of binoculars. Pre-dinner drinks are taken in the sea-facing lounge; in the dining room, home-cooked dinners use many locally sourced ingredients. A steep private cliff path through the garden leads to the beach. The Coastal Path is nearby. So is the larger, luxury Burgh Island Hotel on a tidal island. More info on The Henley (credit:Good Hotel Guide )
Trefeddian Hotel, Aberdyfi, Gwynedd, Wales. (07 of10)
Aberdyfi (Aberdovey) is a small seaside village within the Snowdonia National Park. It offers watersports of all kinds, and in summer there is family entertainment on its long sandy beach. It also has a championship golf course, opposite which stands the Cave family’s reasonably priced traditional hotel, on a bluff with glorious views across Cardigan Bay. Out of season, Trefeddian is popular with older visitors; during the school holidays children are warmly welcomed. There is an indoor swimming pool, a games room, a family-friendly lounge. In the formal dining room, the English/French cooking of chef Tracy Sheen is enjoyed. Wheelchair-users regularly praise the facilities.More info on Trefeddian Hotel (credit:Good Hotel Guide )
Porth Tocyn Hotel, Abersoch, Gwynedd. Wales. (08 of10)
In a magnificent position above Cardigan Bay in the Lleyn peninsula, this unstuffy, child-friendly hotel has been run by the Fletcher-Brewer family for 65 years. A welcoming, muzak-free place, it has an outdoor heated swimming pool in its 25-acre grounds. The best, spacious, bedrooms look over the sea to Snowdonia. Younger visitors have an ‘area to escape’ with television, books and a games room. Children under six are given high tea at 5.30 pm; older children may dine with their parents. The restaurant serves an excellent modern menu. There are good walks from the door, including the Wales Coast Path. Abersoch’s sheltered main beach is safe for children, and good for water sports.More info on Porth Tocyn Hotel (credit:Good Hotel Guide )
The White House, Herm, via Guernsey, Channel Islands. (09 of10)
Three miles from Guernsey, car-free Herm has a little harbour, several shops, pastel-coloured self-catering cottages, a campsite and, on its north, six white-sand beaches: one is 200 yards away from this family-owned, family-friendly hotel which opens seasonally. Like the whole island, it cultivates peace and quiet: no TV or telephone in the bedrooms, no background music. The rooms are divided between the main building and cottages; many have sea views. You can watch the sunset across the gardens. Tea can be taken by a solar-heated outdoor swimming pool. For meals there is a formal conservatory restaurant and an informal brasserie. Young children have supper at 5.15 pm. There is tennis and croquet.More info on The White House (credit:Good Hotel Guide )
The Atlantic Hotel, St Brelade, Jersey, Channel Islands. (10 of10)
Above the five-mile sandy beach at St Ouen’s Bay, this large luxury hotel has a prominent headland position overlooking Jersey’s premier wildlife site. It has been owned and managed by the Burke family since it was built in 1970. The Ocean restaurant has a Michelin star for Mark Jordan’s sophisticated cooking. The decor is understated throughout. The ‘beautiful’ bedrooms are ‘very comfortable, and well equipped’. Some have full-length, sliding windows and a terrace or a Juliet balcony facing the sea. The fitness centre has a swimming pool, sauna and mini-gym. In the six-acre garden there is tennis and indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools. Children of all ages are welcomed.More info on The Atlantic Hotel (credit:Good Hotel Guide )