Saltmoore

HOTEL OVERVIEW

You know what struck me first about Saltmoore? It’s actually got this perfect position where you can walk to Whitby’s harbor in about fifteen minutes, but you’re far enough up Sandsend Road that you escape most of the summer tourist chaos. I mean, Whitby gets absolutely packed during peak season – especially around the abbey and those famous 199 steps – but this spot feels like you’ve found this little pocket of calm.

The hotel itself has that refined coastal feel without being stuffy about it. It’s properly four-star, which honestly shows in the details – the rooms are thoughtfully laid out, bathrooms are actually spacious (rare for UK hotels, let’s be honest), and the beds are the kind where you sink in just enough without feeling like you’re being swallowed. What I really appreciated was how quiet it stays at night. You’re on a main road, so I was worried about traffic, but the windows do their job well. Parking’s sorted on-site too, which if you’ve ever tried finding a spot near Whitby’s town center during festival weekends, you’ll know is worth its weight in gold.

The breakfast situation is actually quite solid – they do both continental and full English properly, and the coffee doesn’t taste like it’s been sitting around since dawn. Staff seem to genuinely know the area, not just the standard tourist recommendations. When I asked about coastal walks, they pointed me toward the Cleveland Way section that heads toward Robin Hood’s Bay – honestly one of the most stunning stretches of Yorkshire coastline you’ll find. It’s about a twenty-minute walk from the hotel to pick up the trail properly. The whole area around Sandsend has this dramatic, windswept beauty that changes completely depending on the weather and tides. On clear days you can see for miles along the coast, and when the mist rolls in from the North Sea, it gets properly atmospheric – very Bram Stoker, if you know what I mean. That 8.6 rating feels about right to me. It’s the kind of place that gets the fundamentals right without trying too hard to impress, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want when you’re exploring somewhere as characterful as Whitby.