Seaview Restaurant at The Sandbanks in Poole

My wife and I were invited out to lunch at the Sandbanks Hotel in Poole yesterday. The main restaurant was closed so we three seated ourselves in the outside snack bar area. There was not a great choice but the food was said to be Italian and run by Italians, and having been to that country expected to be served a good standard of food. This was absolutely not the case. We ordered two box salads - one chicken and chorizo and the other a smoked salmon nicoise, and also a pizza. The two salad boxes were about 150mm square and contained mostly lettuce and tomato - the lady who had the chicken said the chicken pieces were so small she could hardly see them. I had the pizza, and because I was hungry I did try to eat it - but had to leave about half. I would compare it to an inferior supermarkey pizza. I have had pizzas in Naples at a quarter the price and they have been far superior. Added to the food were a J2o orange, a 250ml glass of wine and one beer. The total cost £62.00! We left still hungry and went to an Italian restaurant in Westbourne a couple of hours later, and for about the same price we had seafood risotto, sirloin steak and sea bass in a champagne sauce along with the same drinks. It does not take an expert in Maths to work out who is giving value for money! A complaint was made at the time, and to be fair both the kitchen and the hotel manager offered a refund - which was declined, as the point of the complaint was not to get money back but to highlight what was thought to be an unacceptable situation. The place looks lovely with great views over the beach and sea, but it is an "eatery" not a viewing platform. We obviously would never lunch there again - but we all felt that they are serving inferior food at inflated prices. It is a shame as it denegrates the overall reputation of this Hotel. If you charge top prices you should serve top quality food.

Tasted like airplane food. Had an awful meal. Chicken was dry, tomato soup bland and all in all it wasn’t one of our best meals. My prawn gratin was nice. Ordered spaghetti pomodoro and got tagliatelle with the same tasteless sauce as the soup! James was lovely but service from others was a bit slow and patchy.

The Seaview Restaurant at The Sandbanks Hotel provided a safe place for us to eat during our recent stay! With direct access to Sandbanks Beach and excellent quality if limited food choices!

Buffet dinner should have been served in a trough. Salads bland, sweaty cold meats. Confit duck brought a whole new meaning to Rubber Duck. It possessed elastic qualities.Mashed potato probably made our friends the Martian Men. Bland unseasoned tired overcooked vegetables. Whole thing a disgrace. As Sat Nav sometimes says ....Avoid. £27 a joke.

A great clean café with a good selection of food on offer and drinks to suit all. Cakes and specialties recommended.

Stayed at the hotel - breakfast was uninspiring. Staff friendly but buffet distinctly average. Probably won’t return

Looking forward to a weekend away and part of that enjoying a nice meal wish I had read the reviews. Poor service from outset 2 course meal delivered and eaten in 30 minutes. Not asked if we wanted a drink until half way through main course. Had to ask for bread roll during my main course as none offered. For a restaurant in a 4 star hotel this leaves a lot to be desired, felt we were an inconvenience and being rushed.

As guests at the Sandbanks Hotel our deal included dinner on the first night in Seaview Restaurant. We wish it hadn't. Sat at numbered tables in a vast dining hall, we sat with the large coach load of diners that arrived earlier. For starters my wife had a beetroot dish that had obviously come straight from its bottle, and I had a tiny haddock tart. Things could only get better. For main course my wife had butternut squash that was large and not particularly nice. I had salmon with crushed potato and broccoli that was also ordinary and easily forgotten. If you like mass produced food in impersonal surroundings, this is exactly what you're looking for. You won't find us there, that's for sure.

Visited this hotel without reading reviews. Aem it's called the Seaview? Why? We were given a table inside as it was 8.30 in the evening and dark - it overlooked the Pizza counter outside, tables, chairs and a giant coffee machine which someone cleaned for most of our visit. You cannot see the sea from inside the restaurant . The restaurant seats about 100 or more and we were one of eight people. the lights were on full. The menu is Fish and Chips etc. Three courses for a set menu. Took them 40 minutes to bring the starter even though there were more staff than guests. My partner didn't get his starter and they had to take mine back until his was ready. What a shambles. Lots of kids running past in swimwear and parents sitting outside smoking. The food was like the atmosphere - grim. Little note - we left having eaten a very medium meal ( vastly over priced) and went to the bar. All the tables had dirty glasses sat on it while several staff stood at the bar chatting. So we left - If we fancy a slice of Pizza over the summer & want to sit outside - we know where to go.

We visited the restaurant purely as we wanted to eat out in Sandbanks. We weren't staying at the hotel, but walking though to get to the restaurant, we saw that the hotel was in a great location, nice decor and a buzzy family atmosphere. I didn't realise the restaurant I booked was the main hotel restaurant, i presumed it was an independent restaurant in the hotel. The restaurant is in a large room, which is presumably used for breakfast at the hotel and loses any cosiness or individuality. The food is a set menu and is priced for 2 courses or 3 courses. The menu is quite short with about 5 choices for starter and mains with nice crowd pleaser type dishes like fish and chips and butternut squash soup. The starters came out very quickly, so not sure how freshly cooked they are, but the fishcake course came out as 3 bite sized fish balls rather than a fishcake, with a large amount of home made salad cream and some small copped cucumber. Had a nice taste but would prefer a couple of small fishcakes than 3 mouthfuls of 3 fish balls. The main course of duck leg was cooked nicely, but the veg was quite bland and the crushed potato was a bit luke warm but tasted nice. One of the party had fish and chips, which was a nice piece of fish and then 4 potatoes that looked more like roast potatoes than chips and some crushed peas, which tasted ok. For dessert we had cheese and biscuits and they had a nice selection of cheese, quite a few crackers which is unusual, as often you get given only 3 or 4 and some grapes, celery and a chutney which had a strong indian flavour which wasn't suitable for cheese & biscuits in my opinion. The service was good, but the staff did hand around the table quite a lot, topping up drinks a little to often. All in all a nice dinner but not amazing.

After a great walk along the beach decided a hot drink and something to eat would be a good idea. Had not been there before so not too sure what to expect, was really surprised, the food was very good, and at a reasonable price.

What can I add to the well deserved positive recognition to this resteraunt, nothing really, except the staff are superb! Each and every one for sure. The good quality ingredients and fresh fish are always to hand and you can tell this with every dish. Sometimes you may wait a tad longer than you’re used to, but that’s understandable when each dish is hand made for you. Keep up the great work everybody and keep them new recipes coming in Don

We enjoy catching up with friends on the patio for lunch here. The views are amazing. Happiness is .... sitting on the patio with a chilled glass of wine on a summer’s day looking out to sea 😎

Large restaurant catering for large groups. Not what we expected, set menu with not much choice. Food average.noisy show in adjoining room. Wedding in the other. Nice staff, not for us on a Saturday evening.

We stopped by here for a quick bite to eat after a long walk down the beach from Bournemouth to Sandbanks. Can't fault the setting... sat out in the sun on the terrace. Very peaceful and serene. However the food and service were bad. We had the hummus and pepper wraps. Tasted like they were made a week ago and left in the fridge since then. I've had much better from the local petrol station! It's a shame because like I said, the view was great! Also, really overpriced for what you get...

Rooms were really lovely and clean,,food unpredictable, the service made me smile, as like the food it was hit and miss dependant on who we got., but we enjoyed the trip

Viajamos a mar restaurante para experimentar algunos de los opulencia de este zona cara, pero decepcionados por las porciones muy pequeñas de comida muy sosa, con muy poca variedad.

On a hot summer's day, we ate in beach cafe, but evenings were a delight in the Seaview restaurant. Good service, helpful staff and really enjoyable meals. All with a fantastic view over the wonderful Sandbanks beach.

Elegimos este hotel ya que se encuentra directamente en la hermosa playa de Sandbanks y perfecto para una copa antes o después de comer, pasear por el paseo marítimo.

The food quality is very good, the menu varied and the staff are all attentive. But the views across the sandy beach to the sea are outstanding.

Era entre semana miércoles en abril. El servicio fue eficiente, de hecho fue rápido, y educado. La comida, era justo lo que esperaba, muy bien presentado y sabroso. Ensalada de pollo coro entrante, o pierna de cordero flan de huevo, y una desmoronar, regados con una botella de rosado - y al final de ella. Gran vista, buena comida, agradable servicio, justo lo que queríamos. Gracias

stayed for 3 days and 2 nights - the meat especially the lamb was brilliant. It just fell into your mouth and dissolved. It was totally magic. The duck and pork equally as good. The sausages for breakfast too were 10/10

Seis de nosotros fuimos a cenar el domingo hoy. Que me imagino que las normas eran similares a los hoteles hermanos de la cadena. . Las alturas del puerto. y el refugio. Por desgracia no. No estoy seguro de donde el cocinero no su formación pero posiblemente no calificados? 4 de nosotros pareció que la comida era mala. . Carne dura y forma. cordero poco hecha. De hecho la señora en la cola detrás de mí les dijo que tome la carne ya que era tan poco hecha. Los pudines era ordinario. . . . La tarta. Era como de cuero. Por £12. 95 por una campo y 15 libras. Por lo tanto, 95 para dos, fue una experiencia horrible. Nosotros no vamos a allí de nuevo, lo cual es una lástima porque la ubicación del restaurante con vistas al mar y las vistas al mar son fantásticas. Personal amable extranjero también.

das Essen gut, der Service lausig. Die Aussicht grandios, vor allem wenn am Abend plötzlich so ein Riesenpott hautnah an einem vorüber gleitet, denn durch diese Meerenge müssen alle durch dort.

Need to stock what is stated on the Wine List and keep fall back supplies - queuing at outside bar needs to be better controlled and not a free for all. Less reserved seating. Barring these items / areas blasted excellent

Good variety at breakfast time with full English available, selection of cereal and fruits and juices, also yogurts making it ideal for adults and children

I mainly went for lunch. It was a reasonably nice day so we sat outside which was lovely because there is only a wall seating the hotel from the beach. I am a veggie and there was no vegetarian option but the selection of vegetables was good. There is an outside bar serving snacks like burgers and pizzas

Living in the area and having passed the hotel many times, decided to stop for lunch on the terrace yesterday as it was such a lovely day. The terrace is overlooking the beach and a very comfortable place to sit. We ordered burgers which were extremely tasty, served with good garnish and wonderful fries!.Ony shame that it was not served a bit hotter. Excellent waitress, reasonable price. Definitely recommend and will return

Four of us went for what we hoped would be Sunday lunch in a nice setting. The cavernous room is reminiscent of a 2 star boarding house in Blackpool in the 1950's.No atmosphere whatsoever.The meat on the carvery was terrible... dry Turkey breast, grey gammon and tough beef. The lamb once the dried up end of the joint had been discarded ( at our insistence ) was OK. The was until the "chef" carved it and picked the meat up in his bear hands to dump it on our plates. The vegetables were all cold even though they had been sitting under a warming light for a couple of hours.One of the worst meals I have had anywhere in the world.

The beach club is the open terrace restaurant outside on the terrace overlooking the sea. We have bought drinks here a few times, and seeing that food ordered by patrons on previous occasions looked nice, we decided to eat here this time.We ordered mussels and a pizza. The pizza was like a bought pizza base with tomato sauce and what seemed to be mainly cheddar cheese on top, with a tiny bit of mozzarella. It was not hot when it arrived and quickly became like cold cheese on toast. Not pleasant and I wouldn't recommend it or order it again. The mussels were OK, but we also wouldn't order again.The service however was excellent, waiters on hand and very friendly with quick service. Tea was good and I had a lovely gingerbread man cake with it.It's a beautiful place to sit and watch the sea and the beach, drinks and service were great, but the food was poor.It wasn't expensive, pizza and mussels were around £10 for each. Order something different and you might be luckier with your food.

Food was 'OK' location great, main restaurant again ok, bit like an all inclusive holiday restaurant, staff were not on top of their game at all, the bar area....I've been in better wetherspoons than this, shame really as used to be lovely but in need of cash thrown at it as its past its best along time ago, personally I think there's way to much competition to top this

I booked wks ahead to ensure my 14 yr old daughter had a great birthday meal. I bkd a table of 8 next to the window overlooking the beach knowing the kids would want to play outside as soon as finished eating. We arrived and where taken to a table at the back of the restaurant. I questioned it and the waitress holding the menus kind of struggled her shoulders. We were given menus but not explained that there was a buffet for kids up to 8pm, so having tried to find something for the kids to eat, when eventually our order was taken we were told about the buffet. Thank goodness we arrived at 7pm and could make use of that. The 3 adults ordered the 3 course menu£26.95 a head. The soup tasted no better than tin soup. The lamb was fatty and luke warm. I presumed for the price there would be veg!. The deserts were awful. Pavlova was shop bought and the apple delice - vile and left it. The service was literally if you could catch the eye of someone as they seated other guests. A couple of staff english wasn't up to understanding asking for 2 scoops of chocolate and 2 scoops of vanilla. We only got the vanilla and again has to catch the eye to ask for chocolate. It was the maitre D that I saw who then went to tell off the waiter in our view. £160 bill and 5 kids at £8.50 each seemed like a wasted night. Having told them on the way in it was my daughters birthday, the best they did was say Oh thats nice. No offer of a surprise candle!!! Not what I had hoped for from an expensive always fully booked hotel. On the way to the loo I commented to the restaurant reception the food and the service was awful and the reply was. Oh dear. Complacent...

First time we have tried this venue, we had a table overlooking the sea, the menu included a carvery which we decided to try the food was cooked to a T and very tasty with plenty to choose from. The puddings were equally as good, we were looked after by Pablo who is an asset to the hotel. The hotel was hosting a jazz weekend but coped ok. Well worth a visit.

The restaurant is a bit dated - with average food and service. We were staying at the hotel so the restaurant was convenient - but there is better nearby

Walked up from the promenade area to enjoy a cream tea. After asking for some menus as we were sitting on the terrace we waited in vain for a menu of serving staff, e.g. The one we had asked for menus to come and take our order. After a respectable period I went to the bar to order some drinks and a cream tea. Upon their arrival a little later I found my beer was missing and was reassured it would be brought along shortly. I finished feeding my son, my wife and daughter finished their cream tea and still no beer. When it arrived we were told that the barrel had been changed which was lucky otherwise the beer would have been terrible. This is fair enough just send someone out to tell me! I sent the beer back as now everyone had finished it was time to leave and asked for a refund. After waiting in vain for the refund to appear in goes my wife who is told that they were waiting for someone senior to approve the refund. She takes my daughter to the toilet and returns and the waitress says that she will chase someone up for us. Someone senior arrives, tells us the delay was due to the barrel change (which would have been ten minutes shorter had they brought the beer in the first place-no explanation offered for that!) and they then asked where the drink was! Upon reassuring the senior person that we hadn't accepted it and certainly hadn't drunk it we eventually received our refund. In addition they didn't bring any milk for my wife's coffee which was also terrible. The beach cafe further up has much better coffee and a terrace, should of stayed there!

The food is ok . This is the main restaurant used for the hotel it is very dated and could do with being brought up to date. The view is great if you get a window seat breakfast has large selection. Evening meals are ok but not a great selection and if your staying at hotel for a week the menu is not as interesting as it could be seeing as they are on the coast and could be serving up some great local produce. I think as I said it just needs to be pulled into 21 st century

Wow the most amazing location for lunch and can highly recommend the moules and frites, mind you tad sandwiches looked good too!

A modern and sensitively designed high quality Resteraunt, in keeping with the Stein's reputation for providing a quality dining experience within a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.On our night we were recommend to try the "Keralan Curry" What a good choice that was, a real show stopper in providing us with a very well balanced taste of Southen India and not to spicy-hot for us Brits! If you want a perfect fish curry it's here!We have read some other comments and feel they may be a little unfair. We want to say, it's a very welcomed new venture in sandbanks and the food and experience is in keeping with other quality venues in pricing. You can always find cheaper if that's your main drive.Some fine tuning to staffing the bar is always a good thing at any bar, we do want our drinks don't we! Good luck to the staff and the management team and keep up the great work in keeping us well fed and happy customers Warmest regardsDon

The Sandbanks Hotel and restaurant is in a wonderful location with outside tables on a terrace right on the edge of the beach. However the menus and food are a disgrace. It's hard to imagine how a restaurant in such a prime location can be run with absolutely no regard for quality. The food really is of the lowest common denomination. Cheap high carb low quality school canteen / hospital food rubbish. Oh, and the beer is cloudy too. The staff try, but it's futile.

Less than average in every respect. Slow service and main meals very ordinary. Managed to get my order wrong twice! My son's meal came late, he's only 7, which meant we sent ours back and waited for his to arrive. My advice, enjoy the hotels location but eat out!

We ate here as it was part of our hotel stay deal. We thought the service was very good.Food was good with decent size portions. I had ham hock croutons, Pork Belly & the cheese board. My wife had the prawn cocktail. chicken & Lemon Tart. We both really enjoyed our food and thought it was well presented, well cooked and very tasty.Reasonable wine list that isn't too over priced. I can also recommend the Vintage Port. The let down for this place is the atmosphere, it's situated in the very large dinning room at the hotel and only a few tables are used so it's like eating you meal in an aircraft hanger. If they only put in some partitions to screen of the unused area it would make the experience so much more enjoyable an intimate. Overall if staying at the hotel then this is a good option however the lack of atmosphere means it's not a destination restaurant for me albeit this may change in the Summer when the hotel is probably a lot busier.

what a shame such a nice location and such poor food the staff try so hard but it's dated very much like the management

Went to Sandbanks on an overcast Sunday in June. Thought it would be a great location for lunch as it has a great view overlooking the sea. Went to the bar and it took about 25 minutes to get served drinks and order food. At this point we asked the wait on food as I'm pregnant and need to eat meals at regular times or I feel pretty sorry for myself and feel horrendously sick. They said an hour, which wasn't ideal but at least having asked we were prepared. After an hour my husband went to the bar and was told that the food was going to be delayed by another 40 minutes! He was told that this was because they were holding a wedding and usually were closed to the public when they held weddings but hadn't for some reason today. He then asked if we could have some crisps or something just so that I had something in my stomach - they said that they didn't sell crisps individually so we couldn't have any (despite crisps coming with my meal). At this point it had been an 1hr 40 minutes since we arrived and there was no sign of our food - they were still taking orders for food from other people and not notifying anyone that there was a delay. We got a refund, but I was pretty unwell after the ordeal and would never go there again, I was shocked at how unhelpful and thoughtless they were. We left with no food and went to a nearby kiosk and got some snacks.

Popped in for a coffee, which was fine. Because of the location the five of us decided to stay for lunch on the patio, which was a mistake, very slow service, and the food was appalling, for a start it was cold when it arrived. Two of had mussels, portion size was that of a starter, the burger looked like it was processed not home made as expected fir the price. Will pop in for coffee again, but that's it. Will eat across the road at the Jazz Café.

We came to celebrate the birthday of my friend. We order 2 course meal. Main dish dist flavour at all. We order a lamb shank but meat was hard and plain. We were 5 and dint have good experience. The service was good. I won't comeback for dinner again.

Tea 4 Two with my 88 yrs old mother, we were seated in a spare function room facing outside white sheds when the rest of the seating area wa empty apart from a party of 9 ladies, so my view was the shed and beige curtain!,were the advent said sea view restaurant, i had to send my decaf coffee back as its taste was very bitter and didn't drink the replacement. I appreciate they had a wedding that day but finding staff for anything ment walking back to the reception area. The staff were first class when you found them but it felt as if we were not important at 14.95 a head, very disappointed.

Walked into empty restaurant and greeted coldly and lectured on not having booked (family of 5 staying at the hotel). The only option for the kids was the buffet and it was awful. A choice of pasta (overcooked then dried out under lights- a theme of this buffet) and tomato sauce, fish fingers, potato wedges that took 15 minutes to replenish and arrived as my daughter was finishing her meal of beans and cucumber ), baked beans (the only decently cooked part of the buffet), dried out tomato and cucumber slices, dried out rice and dried out sweet corn and a congealed pot of chilli. The pudding was a chocolate mousse the kids hated and the other plates were empty. When I asked for another option- fruit or ice cream they said this wasn't possible. We waited for a while and they came back with dried out cupcakes. I would be ashamed to serve it on a play date, let alone charge money for it. The service was confused- many staff none really knowing what the others were doing. I gave this place two stars as the adult food was OK- v expensive (and I live between London and HK!) and uninspired but just about OK if you like a lot of cream. Really, really avoid this place, especially if you have children- even those who like the unimaginative fish finger and chips menu will not like this place!!

had a fabulous Mother's Day lunch at the sandbanks hotel. We booked a table for 10 including young children and nothing was to much trouble,attentive happy staff,lovely food and fabulous views. Cannot recommend highly enough thank you for a lovely day

We hosted our family(14) for a Boxing Day lunch, which was carvery buffet style. Unlike other carvery' we had had this did not disappoint, a great selection of appetisers, every meat was available with a huge selection of vegetables, all cooked to perfection, I don't know how they managed it but it was a compliment to their craft

As a family we have been here on a couple of occasions. It's a good location for Sunday dinner. Food is good quality and the staff on the whole friendly. Unfortunately on the last visit we were charged an extra £25 on top of the actual lunch time menu price. It was only as I sat in the car I realised the mistake. They apologised and said the error was due to the till being rigged up for evening menu prices. Just check your bill ....I will give them another chance

Super set menu, great service. Amazing beef that did not even need a knife to cut it , done just how I like it.Good all round.

This is a lovely,well-appointed restaurant with excellent service and delicious food in a wonderful setting. It night not be ideal for a metropolitian audience (no quinoa here!), but I felt well looked-after, excellently dined and had a lovely dinner with marvellous sea views. A classic!

I attended a family wedding in May and at the afternoon tea me and my son had a hot pot of coffee dropped on us! I wasn't, badly scalded but it was painful at the time. It was entirely the fault of the waitress, she was the only member of staff to have two pots on a tray. When she picked one up the other naturally over balanced all over us. The man in charge directed me to the toilets so I could dry my dress. He gave me his card and said to send him the dry cleaning bill. My son and I then stank of coffee all evening, which was very off putting. Luckily the stains came out of the clothes when they were cleaned, so I sent the bill to the hotel as agreed. That was 6 weeks ago and I have not even had an acknowledgement of my letter let alone a refund for the cleaning bill. I am not a greedy person. The refund, a written apology and some small gesture in the way of compensation would have been an acceptable outcome. Even if they had just sent the £14 odd for the cleaning I would have considered the matter closed. So please consider relevant health and safety aspects if you use this hotel. If the coffee had been dropped on my little grandson instead of me, the situation would have been very different and we would be taking legal action against the hotel. It was not an accident, it was a situation that was entirely preventable if the number of staff had been properly trained.

We came here for my Dad's 65th Birthday as he has always wanted to have "Afternoon Tea" He loved all things to do with the water and some years ago, he and a friend had a boat moored in Poole Harbour. This is why we chose The Sandbanks Hotel for the treat.I had made a reservation for this and also asked for a bottle of champagne to be brought over when the food was delivered. Unfortunately I had to go and find someone to ask for the champagne.The food served for Afternoon Tea was delicious and the scones were the best we've ever eaten.However, I did expect slightly better service than we received. The waiters/waitresses didn't seem to know what the others were doing. We were asked 3 times if we had ordered. We were also very disappointed that the tea & coffee was served in metal pots that were badly water stained. Then the crockery that was used wasn't what we class as traditional for Afternoon Tea. I know this might be me being fussy but I always think of floral china when I think about Afternoon Tea.Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed the time and most importantly, my Dad was really happy but it wasn't the experience I had hoped for.

We visit sandbanks every year and I have to say, this year we think the food has dramatically improved! The dinner menu was spot on! I am quite a fussy eater, but there was at least one choice every night that I liked and enjoyed thoroughly.The children's buffet was also available and my sister ate from there often. It looked beautiful and also had a wide range of food.

Had dinner on only one occasion as we found food to be bland and menu uninspiring. Staff were good and did offer to change meal but we declined.

sunday carvery was good value and best carvery food I have experienced. can't wait to return.yorkshire puddings to die for, also a special mention for the roast potatoes.well cooked meat and generous portion on plates that were not too small.

the staff here were very good and attentive and the food was to a high standard. breakfast could have had a bit more choice, scrambled/poached eggs would have been good but there was an extra charge, pnly fried and boiled were offered

This restaurant is fantastic we have never tasted meat like it. The chef there is brill not cheap but very good

Tasty food served by very pleasant staff Pianist played lovely music during dinner.Lots of options from the menu

Sunday Carvery Lunch for two with spa and gym accesslunch was great and the staff were organised, loved the view of the balcony, however the spa was not good as it was a small poole, no keys for lockers, the lockers were rusty, very small gym and not very clean and it wasn’t that what we expected. 4 out of 10 for the spa and 8 out of 10 for the restaurant

Sunday carvery lunch for two with 'spa' access (groupon).... Absolutely top class service in the restaurant- super organised, courteous and friendly. Lovely views, very pleasant setting- though a very large dining room, not an intimate setting! Starters were delicious, though very light (nice, but if I was paying full price I would feel a bit short changed!). Roast meats selection was excellent and delivered 100% on quality; lamb and beef both melt in the mouth and cooked to perfection. Nice choice of sides and full selection of condiments. Nice selection of cold desserts, but bread and butter pudding the winner. Excellent restaurant experience.The 'spa' side of things was very disappointing, and greatly oversold on the offer! There is a small indoor pool, flanked by a few rickety looking public leisure centre style (unisex) changing cubicles, a pair of (unisex toilets), and a pair of unisex semi-open showers..... Tile floor with (not) attractive green non-slip matting, and condensation everywhere. Tiny, limited gymnasium, a handful of (very nice) cushioned sun loungers.... There is a small sauna... Towels are free to use! But this is not a 'spa' as you might expect from the advertising....

I have visited Sandbanks several times, and the area is stunning. This time, I decide to try the restaurant located in Sandbanks hotel. The location with sea views is amazing, the service really good,paying attention to every detail, and the food delicious! The starters were my favorite, specially the hot sea food pancake!Definetely it is good value for money and,overall I would say it is a great option for a relaxing meal in front of the sea.

The choice of menu at this restaurant is very limited but was well cooked and presented. Great view out to sea

Sorry, but we had a bad experience with the hotel, that even the food at this cafe was rubbish, and quite expensive to say the least.

This restaurant overlooks the entrance to Poole Harbour and is in the Haven Hotel on the Sandbanks peninsula (NOT at the Sandbanks Hotel as the title might suggest. The Sandbanks Hotel is part of the same group but about a mile to the north.)The location and views are the hotel and restaurant's USP and they are magnificent. One can easily spend many hours here just watching the constantly changing scene outside as boats etc go to and fro from the harbour. It's almost hypnotic!However, as a bar and restaurant, things are not so great. The food is average to good - depending on what you have - but the service is distinctly amateur. Many of the waiters and waitresses seem to be in need of training and also some do not appear to speak English.So go by all means for the view but do not expect the highest standards in other respects.

So disapointed. Booked in advance and told them it was a special occasion. when we got there our names had anniversary written by the side. Staff told us they had no special tables and gave us a table next to the waitress terminal so we could not have a private conversation. Was made to feel awful. We left before ordering. Will not be going again.

Expected so much more.... Confusing menu options, self service, al a carte?? Dirty wine glass and not just a smear of lipstick, which was quickly tipped straight into another glass in front of us... Food was ok, nothing to write home about and not worth the cost! A real shame as we had high hopes. Fish and chips on the front would have been a much better option!

My first experience of this restaurant following excellent meals at the Bistro and outside Barbecue. We brought two friends who had recently moved to the area, extolling the virtues of this hotel and restaurant. A vast hotel dining room ambience, containing many hotel diners and a party of over 40 people in the same room! The wine waitress managed to pour more wine on the table than in our glasses and the food was served in stages, with uncomfortable delays in managing to bring the four dishes together, even though three selections were identical. Five attempts to obtain the bill at the end of the meal, resulted in us leaving the table and standing at the counter. On leaving, I complained to five different members of staff about the poor service and each time was met by total indifference. The next day I telephoned the hotel manager, who informed me that the restaurant manager was unavailable to talk, at 1.30 pm. The manager conveyed the same indifference and said that no complaints had been forwarded to him, therefore he would look into the matter - I heard no more. No doubt four local residents will never return to this restaurant and will tell all of their friends about this appalling experience.

Well worth trying, found it good food at reasonable hotel prices, comfortable room, tasty food and good wine list

vegetable canneloni terrible - dry, hardly any filling. splodge of bechamel sauce on top.chocolate fudge pudding like a school dinner.shoved in a corner - staff had to pass food over to us.

Didn't stay here but met up with a friend & sat outside on the sunny terrace overlooking the sea & the Isle of Purbeck.Enjoyed a coffee & a chat!Great location. No doubt a great place to stay as a tourist.

We stayed at the Sandbanks Hotel for our 10 year anniversary in October 2012. We had breakfast and dinner in this restaurant and the food is gorgeous. We will definitely return.

This was a choice of venue to celebrate my father in laws 80th birthday. The hotel could not have benmore helpful ensuring we had a table with a seaview and the menu choice was superb. The restaurant Manger Joseph martins went out of his way to ensure we had anenjoyable evening.

we actually dined at the Seaview Restaurant in the Sandbanks Hotel, but this was not found by Tripadvisor.We are fortunate to live close to the Sandbanks Hotel and as we had family staying for the week we decided to go for a treat! We opted for an evening meal, it was mid-week so it was pretty quiet. The dining room has a lovely view out onto the beach & has a lovely atmosphere with music pumped through which wasn't too loud. From the moment we arrived, all our needs were catered to, we shown to our seats immediately, we requested water which we were given straight away and also we had been handed menus within the first five minutes. We ordered wine, which came very quickly. two of our party ordered starters, which arrived within 10-15 minutes of ordering - perfect. I had a mackerel salad with mussels which was absolutely divine, the portion size was spot on. The main course arrived probably 15-20mins after we had finished the starter, again perfect timing. My partner and I had rib eye steak with mash potato, roasted vegetables and the best gravy/red wine reduction I have ever tasted! It was lovely! The other member of our party had lemon sole, which was cooked to perfection. For dessert, my partner had raspberry mousse & I had the selection of cheeses, both were lovely. We all finished with coffee and a wander onto the veranda to admire the view. The service was excellent, the food divine and we did not feel rushed in any way. They had plenty of staff on to deal with every query.