Blog Details

We are a Visit England Accredited Hotel with rooms situated throughout 4 floors. The hotel has no lift due to the grade 2 listed building status meaning we can't make alterations to install one. We will of course, help with luggage though.

Our food is traditional and cooked using fresh produce of fish, meats, vegetables & dairy sourced from Scilly & Cornwall where possible. Our style is not nouvelle cuisine or a fancy Michelin Star type restaurant.

Our experienced staff offer excellent & attentive service, far beyond the normal expectations for a 2 star rated hotel

Our swimming pool is 8 metres x 4 metres and so neither small, or Olympic size! An unusual extra facility compared to even many other hotels. Its size is governed by available space, and is covered in and heated.

Our rooms are comfortable & furnished to the same standard. All are en suite with either bath, shower or both, and some are compact, hence the special offer lower tariff for these.

The hotel is situated in the centre of Hugh Town, at the quieter side and is ideally positioned for easy access to the harbour for inter island boats to the inhabited islands of Tresco, Bryher, St Agnes & St Martins.

I try to post regular photographs of the islands, and you can see more of the hotel in the photo galleries on the right hand side of the page.

If you would like to contact us please feel free to email or telephone:
contact@bellrockhotel.co.uk Tel. 01720 422575

Tuesday 31 May 2011

Guest Review Extracted From TripAdvisor

“The Icing On The Cake!!”

Date of review: 30 May 2011

I have just come back from another excellent stay at the Bell Rock. This my fourth year associated with the hotel, where I come and stay twice a year – May and September. I’m always made very welcome and the standard of accommodation and food remains consistently excellent - thanks to Daniel and his team. I would recommend anyone who has not been to the ‘Scillys’ before to look no further for exceptional service and friendly hospitality!

Room Tip: All excellent but speak with Daniel for specifics.
Reviewer ratings for this hotel:

Date of stay: May 2011
Visit was for: Leisure
Solo Traveller

Monday 30 May 2011

Bank Holiday Monday 30th May 2011

...(What's a Bank Holiday?)

Lovely view from the Golf Club this afternoon between shifts:

Saturday 28 May 2011

Guest Letter of Thanks

TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence

I am very proud that we have received a Certificate of Excellence for the Bell Rock Hotel from TripAdvisor.
The whole team here work hard to look after our guests and ensure they enjoy their stay, so I would just like to say "Well done everyone!"

Guest Review Extracted From TripAdvisor

“A wonderful hotel”

Date of review: 27 May 2011

We have just returned home from a twelve-night stay at The Bell Rock Hotel in St Mary's. This was our second visit to the hotel. We stayed in the very comfortable Room 21, which is on the ground floor and next to Reception. Our room was spacious, very clean, well maintained and comfortable and our "en suite shower room" was a "Pod", which we affectionately called the Tardis. We took our laptop with us and found that whereas in the rest of the hotel, reception was poor, in Room 21 we had no problems as it was near the router which was located in Reception.

We had all our evening meals at the hotel and the food was varied and tasty. We had a minor blip with one dish, but it was immediateloy taken away and replaced with an alternative - no fuss, no argument - just apologies and good-nature. The Chef has a gift for puddings and our waistlines are now proof of this!

The breakfasts were always excellent - quick service, good selection and, again, served by good-natured, attentive and friendly staff.

We have never seen hotel staff work so hard and so willingly and all had a cheerful word or greeting - even if we met outside in the street! And twice, we asked for things that weren't strictly available, and they turned up (miraculously) the next day. Absolutely remarkable!

The atmosphere in the hotel is very friendly and what is also reassuring is "Mine Hosts" are there regularly and sit in the bar area each evening, chatting with the guests and ironing out any little problems they may have or advising on trips to take and places to see, before taking their own evening meal from the menu offered in the dining room.

The pool area is clean and well-maintained; the pool itself is small and nice and warm! There is a small sun terrace near to it, which faces south and is out of the wind, and it is nice to dry off here whilst sipping one of the excellent wines that are on offer (and all at VERY reasonable prices).

So really, we would be hard-pressed to find even one minor criticism of this most charming hotel except (maybe) it caters for the older generation rather than the young trendies. We consider ourselves as "older trendies" anyway - and as you have gathered, we were more than happy at The Bell Rock Hotel.

Special thanks to Daniel, Adrian and (of course) the delightful Martina who managed to always make everyone smile.

Date of stay: May 2011
Visit was for: Leisure
Travelled with: spouse/partner
Member since: 04 March 2007
Recommended by this reviewer? Yes

Wednesday 25 May 2011

Wednesday 25th May 2011

Beautiful view of the harbour today taken whilst waiting for Rat Bags to re-open after lunch. Who cares about lunchtime closures when you can sit and watch the boats!

Dining Room - Re-Decorated & Re-Furnished 2011

I have now uploaded the photographs of the new look Dining Room for 2011. The walls have been re-papered with a lighter cream coloured wallpaper, and we now have all the new solid wood tables, and the leather dining chairs.
The layout of the dining room is slightly different now to that of previous years, as the chairs are slightly bigger, and require more space. The initial verdict from returning guests is that the chairs are a lot more comfortable, and the room feels a lot lighter. Thumbs up then!



There are a few more images in the Public Areas photo gallery on the right side of the page.

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Guest Review Extracted From TripAdvisor

“If you want service and good food you will not be disapointed.”

Date of review: 17 May 2011

It is not often I write to say thank you, but I did feel compelled to say how much my wife and I enjoyed your hotel, cuisine and the exceptional friendly staff. We would return without even looking at other venues it was that good.
I would also like to thank you for your kind coments on your blog after I performed some impromptu close -up magic and balloon modelling after dinner on Friday 13th May. I enjoyed it as much as your guests did.
Many thanks Lez and Liz Ellis

Date of stay: May 2011
Visit was for: Leisure
Travelled with: spouse/partner

Monday 23 May 2011

View From Buzza Over Hugh Town & The Harbour - Sunday 22nd May 2011

Sunset on Friday 20th May 2011

Guest Review Extracted From TripAdvisor

“A very nice hotel”

Date of review: 22 May 2011

We thoroughly enjoyed our short break at the Bell Rock - it's ideally positioned for the beaches, harbour and shops of St Mary's. Everywhere in the hotel is spotlessly clean and all the members of staff we met were friendly and efficient, from the manager down to the cleaner.
The food in the restaurant was of a high quality, well presented and there was always a good choice available. Our room was spacious and comfortably furnished, and we especially liked the generous amounts of tea/coffee/milk supplies provided.(some hotels give enough for 1 or 2 cups at most)
All in all, a very pleasant stay - would have no hesitation in recommending this hotel.

Date of stay: May 2011
Visit was for: Leisure
Travelled with: spouse/partner
Member since: 25 March 2007

Friday 20 May 2011

Sunday 15th May 2012

...I know this post is a little late, but I wanted to share this picture of a tree I saw up on the Garrison. It might just be me, but I thought the tree looked a bit like an elephant!!? See what you think?!!


I also took a piccy over the sea towards Annet as the sea was shimmering with the bright sun

Guest Email of Thanks

----- Original Message -----

From: Janet Bisson
To: bellrock.hotel@btclick.com
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2011 6:52 PM
Subject: Thanks


Dear Daniel,

We both enjoyed our stay very much. The Islands are extremely beautiful and the service given by all the folk at the Hotel was second to none.

Kind Regards,
Janet Bisson

Saturday 14 May 2011

Guest Visitors' Book - 02.05.11 to 14.05.11

Sunset - Friday 13th May 2011

Well, we managed to get through Friday the 13th without any mishaps or calamities, so that was lucky (if you're the superstitious type?).
The sunset last night just after 9pm was lovely purples and pink across Porthcressa on my walk home:


Friday 13 May 2011

Magic Really Does Happen In The Bell Rock Hotel

...Or at least, it did this evening!! We have a guest in at the moment who is a magician and a member of the Magic Circle (so no explanations or solutions given unfortunately!), and he has performed various card tricks and illusions for the guests in the bar in an impromptu little show after dinner.
I have to say, it was amazing to see the skill of these illusions! One trick he did was to have an empty champagne flute into which he placed a 2p coin and a £2 coin. In a quick and barely visible flick of the glass whilst his hand was nowhere near the opening, the 2p coin just disappeared!!
The guests and staff have been truly wowed by it all, so many thanks go to our guest for this!
Along with tricks & illusions, he also does balloon modelling, and made a couple for the staff. Here is a picture of the one he made for Adriana:

Thursday 12 May 2011

Wednesday 11th May 2011

It's been a while since I took a photo to post up. I was hoping to take some on Sunday when we went out to Tresco for the day; but I had to leave my phone at home as it was plugged into the computer for a software update which was taking an age to do, and we would've missed the boat!

Yesterday gave the perfect opportunity though on my way back into work for the evening. I saw a cloud formation that looked much like a big bird in the sky! It could be a Kingfisher or a Tern perhaps with it's pointed beak? See what you think?



Whilst there on Porthcressa Bank, I took another picture, as I liked the almost silhoutte effect, but sadly I must've had a bit of camera shake as it's slighly blurred :(

Saturday 7 May 2011

Guest Review Extracted From TripAdvisor

“Fantastic Hotel In Perfect Location”

Date of review: 6 May 2011

It has a good, quiet location and is spotlessly clean. The staff are friendly and efficient, and the restaurant provides excellent food.
The only negative would be ‘no lift’ but if you can negotiate stairs OK, this hotel is better than most three star hotels. Would certainly recommend this hotel to anyone.
It was my second visit to this hotel and the same high standards were maintained, as before .

Date of stay: April 2011
Visit was for: Leisure
Travelled with: Friends
Age group: 50-64
Member since: 02 April 2008

***Manager's Comment to follow up review on TripAdvisor***

"We are pleased that you have enjoyed another stay at the Bell Rock Hotel, and we hope to be able to welcome you back yet again in the future.
I see you have picked up on the fact we have no lift facilities. It is something that the hotel proprietor has looked into, but the problem we have is that the hotel is a listed building, and the staircase can't be touched/altered. We will of course help guests with luggage when required. I am glad though, that it didn't spoil your holiday in any way."
****

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Guest Email of Thanks

Good Morning Daniel

Just a short note to say Thank You so much for a wonderful weekend in your Hotel for the Gig Racing. It was our first race on the Scillies and we were overwhelmed by the hospitality and friendliness of all the Scillonians but especially the staff in the hotel.

We look forward to coming again next year!
Please say a big Thank You to all those involved.

Regards Shirley and Mike Pitts

Sunday 1 May 2011

Guest Review Extracted From TripAdvisor

“Our first taste of Scilly”

Date of review: Apr 30, 2011

Can't rate this hotel highly enough. Just returned from our first trip to Isles of Scilly and stayed at the Bell Rock for four nights. Welcoming and attentive staff, good well prepared food, comfortable and clean rooms, what more could one ask for. The beautiful weather and breathtaking scenery were the icing on the cake but the care and consideration shown by Daniel and his staff made our holiday very special. Thank you everyone, Bell Rock rocks!!!

Date of stay: April 2011
Visit was for: Leisure
Traveled with: Large Group/Tour
Age group: 50-64