The Cool Dorset Guide: A night at The Pig

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Friday 17th March 2017

My room at The Pig on the Beach had everything a hotel guest could wish for. Stunning décor, a view across the sea towards Old Harry Rocks and a rolltop bath strategically placed by the window to enjoy the amazing vista.

I was so determined to make the most of my one-night stay that I even set my alarm for an hour earlier than usual. When it went off at 6 am I made myself a cup of Teapigs tea (provided in the little pantry cupboard in my room), switched on the retro-looking Roberts radio and wished that I could live at The Pig all the time.

My visit was part of a press trip to celebrate the Famous Five’s 75th birthday (see my Spectator piece here). We visited many of the Dorset haunts that inspired Enid Blyton’s much-loved adventure stories about Julian, Dick, Anne and George (plus Timmy the dog) and were then invited to stay the night at The Pig on the Beach at Studland. Oh, and have dinner in the hotel’s Roundhouse, a thatched summer house in the garden, too.

The Pig on the Beach, a gorgeous 23-bedroom country house, is just heaven. The staff are lovely, the food divine and the interior design (much of it sourced from French brocantes) quite the loveliest I’ve seen in Dorset. Soho House has just started selling a range of art, china and furniture and I wish The Pig would do the same.

Nothing is too much trouble at The Pig – from giving me a lift in the hotel’s Land Rover to Corfe Castle (the inspiration for Enid Blyton’s Kirrin Castle) to customising my breakfast avocado on toast (I hate eggs so didn’t want the usual poached egg on top), the service is quite superb.

The only problem is that staying at The Pig is so blissful that guests are reluctant to leave. As I drove out of the hotel car park all I wanted to do was turn the car around and head straight back in again.

PS. My review of lunch at The Pig on The Beach is available here.


One comment so far

  • I’ve been over to their website and this looks so fab! I’d really love to stay in one of the Dovecotes but they don’t accept dogs 🙁

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