Hotels in Weymouth

Weymouth is the place that taught Georgian England to go to the seaside: George III bathed here repeatedly from 1789, and the long curve of cream and pastel terraces along the Esplanade still reflects that royal patronage. The beach is the real draw, a broad, gently shelving sweep of fine sand that suits families better than almost anywhere on the south coast, and the town is a natural base for the Jurassic Coast, Portland and Chesil Beach.

Its sailing waters were good enough to host the 2012 Olympic events. The seafront has a faded, slightly scruffy edge, with tired amusements and chip shops, and the town can feel packed in high summer and very quiet out of season. Inland, Maiden Castle's vast Iron Age ramparts and the chalk-cut Cerne Abbas Giant make easy, rewarding half-day trips. Stay around the Old Harbour, where the pubs, seafood and quayside character are better than on the busier main Esplanade.