Serviced Apartments in Bournemouth

A serviced apartment is a self-catering flat booked the way you would book a hotel room. It arrives furnished, with a kitchen, a living area and usually a washing machine, and linen, cleaning and support are part of the deal. The result is more room than a hotel and the freedom to cook and keep your own hours, which suits families, couples on longer breaks and anyone working in the town for a while.

The biggest concentration of aparthotels and serviced apartments is on the West Cliff, on the clifftop a short walk above the beach and the pier. The East Cliff and the town centre have more, while Boscombe and Southbourne offer quieter flats beside their own stretches of sand. Whichever you choose, the same seven miles of beach lies below.

Per head they frequently are, particularly for families and groups, since one apartment does the job of two hotel rooms and the kitchen stands in for some restaurant meals. A longer stay normally brings a lower nightly rate than a short break, and booking with the operator directly usually costs less than going through an agency site.

Some do, but the rules vary from property to property and occasionally from flat to flat, so read the listing and confirm directly before you book. Bournemouth is a popular destination for holidays with a dog and several parts of the beach accept dogs all year round, so it pays to secure a genuinely dog-friendly base rather than hoping for the best on arrival.

Most apartments on the West Cliff and East Cliff are a 5 to 15 minute walk from the sand, down the zig-zag paths or by cliff lift. Flats in the town centre walk down through the gardens to the pier, and the Boscombe and Southbourne apartments sit near their own beaches further east.

For a family beach holiday they are among the best choices: separate bedrooms let children go to bed early without the whole flat going dark, the kitchen takes care of breakfasts and packed lunches, and a washing machine copes with sandy clothes. The gently shelving beaches and the seafront attractions are all close to the main apartment areas.

Yes, and long stays are where the model is strongest. At 28 nights or more the nightly rate usually drops well below the short-break price, bills and Wi-Fi are included, and there is no tenancy paperwork, deposit scheme or utility set-up to deal with. That makes an apartment a practical base for a work placement, a relocation or a winter by the sea.

Yes, and many guests do. The beaches, the town centre and the main apartment areas are linked by frequent buses or are within walking distance of one another, and trains from Bournemouth station run to Poole, Southampton and London. In summer a car mainly adds the cost and bother of parking.