Has anyone stayed at Woolacombe Bay Hotel ( or any other child friendly hotel?)

[danceswithreindeer]

Is it any good.?We stayed in a 'child friendly' hotel last year and enjoyed it. Thought we might try again this year but fancied somewhere different. Has anyone got any other recommendations if no-one has been to woolacombe?

yep! she's very efficient .

Haven't stayed in the hotel, but Woolacombe is fab for young families - a friend has a flat overlooking the bay so we've been lucky enough to stay there several times. The main beach is wide and sandy, with a stream flowing down across it. Just round the corner there's a smaller beach with fantastic rock pools plus loads of small sandy pools left at low tide - great for tinies to paddle or 'swim'.
The town itself is a good old fashioned seaside town - everyone is extremely friendly. If you take children into the shops you'll usually find that the owners will chat and explain things. Mine were given posters in one of the surf shops even though we were just browsing.
Lovely walks across the cliff path from Morthoe - sometimes you can see seals popping their heads up from the waves.
Another good place for young families is Swanage in Dorset - the nearby National Trust beach at Studland Bay is lovely. Nearby is Brownsea Island - take a ferry across and enjoy the peaceful setting - walks through the woods and one of the few places where you may be lucky enough to see a red squirrel.

OOooh, it sounds lovely (sigh)
Does anyone have any opinions on whether it is best to go self catering or hotel with young children (2 1/2 and 4yrs) Dh doesn't want to go self catering as he wants a 'proper' break for us but it seems like the more practical option...oh I just can't decide what to do.

I prefer self catering because you can please yourselves - you don't have to drag the kids off to a meal at a particular time.
Also, in a hotel you may not wish to leave young children alone in the room while you go down to relax in the pool/bar/whatever.
Mine are 11 & 13 now, so we do a bit of both, but when they were younger I thought self catering was infinitely preferable.
We did stay in hotels on the continent a couple of times and ended up lying on the bed all evening with the telly turned down low drinking ourselves stupid! In Holland we watched a programme about body piercing - it was in English with Dutch subtitles and was quite enlightening!!!

i booked an apartment at the Woolacombe Bay last May, on recommendation from mumsnet; in fact hoxtonchick we CAT'ed each other didn't we?? We loved it, and are going again this May for 2 weeks this time! The hotel is in a fantastic spot, and Woolacombe is small and friendly. Loved surroundings area, Croyde etc, and tonnes of places to visit with children. We stayed in the Copperfield Apartment, just across the road from main hotel entrance. Only has a small lounge and kitchen, but three good size bedrooms, which was just what we needed. Used the hotel pool etc which was great, give it a try!!

We've just come back from a short break at the Woolacome Bay Hotel. We stayed in a family room in the main hotel ( 1 double bed and 2 singles in a huge room).

for those of you wondering how it works with the kids at mealtimes -

Kids tea is between 5 and 5.30 pm.

Then there are several options for them to be looked after later:
1, Baby listening service
2, They can come and sit with you whilst you have dinner at 7pm
3, They can go to the kids club between 7 and 9 pm and watch a film or do other activities.

Our 2 are aged 5 and 7, so we did option 2, taking PSPs and battleships to occupy them whilst we ate.

We had a lovely time, although I would prefer the flexibility of self catering for anything longer than a short break

forgot to say that the hotel will also arrange a baby-sitter for you if required, if you book it in advance