Sea View Cottage, Portland

07/09/2024

Apparently the Waverley Paddle Steamer has been operating off the Dorset coast this week. Has anybody seen her?

23/08/2024

Following advice from a marketing expert in the USA, we've been experimenting with photography recently, in particular 'Panorama' shots that are as close to a widescreen image as you an get with an ageing Samsung Galaxy phone. We're not expert at this by any means and some of the results have been. ... well, er, amusing at best, and only fit for the wickerwork filing tray at worst! This one is taken from a corner of the Dining Area and shows the route to or from the Kitchen on the left and, towards the right, the Living Area in the background. A certain amount of distortion inevitably occurs and, although the stairs look as if they represent a serious assault on Mount Everest, we can assure you that they are only 49 degrees from the horizontal (we had to go back to school boy/girl physics to caculate that!). Comments welcome...

08/08/2024

A lovely sketch view from the living room of Sea View Cottage, Portland, made by our current guest who says her family have 'completely fallen in love with it'. Lovely!

05/08/2024

Got a lovely text from this week's guests earlier this evening...

01/08/2024

Our Oline Travel Agent listing strategist has given us advice on updating our photos. Foremost was that these should be shot on a sunny day. And we're so busy that 28th to 30th July were the only dates we could have access to the cottage for the next 40 and possibly 50 nights. And they were really sunny, so in we went! Her's a peek preview of the new photos

17/07/2024

26/06/2024

Near perfect weather and sea conditions on Chesil Beach at the Isle of Portland earlier today. Come on down! - we still have 6 nights availability from 28th July

25/06/2024

Here's confirmation that Portland is a hidden gem.

04/06/2024

The 80th Anniversary of D-Day is nearly upon us and of course the Isle of Portland played a vital role in that as it was the embarkation point for all US Military personnel and vehicles embarking on the largest sea-boarne invasion force in military history.

Although Sea View Cottage is booked for pretty much the whole of this week (4th to 10th June - to guests making their sixth visit to the cottage) some of you may like to know what's going on on the Isle of Portland on Thrsday 6th June 2024. So feast your eyes...

25/05/2024

Here’s the first in a series of posts about trips you can easily make from Sea View Cottage by public transport. Just leave the car parked up and go wander. We’ll begin with the easy short trips then go further afield in subsequent posts. Most bus stops in south Dorset have electronic screens showing the arrival times of the next 2 or 3 services in real time, which is incredibly helpful.

1. North to Weymouth. No 1 bus service (to Weymouth) from Chiswell (walk down Higher Lane, by the side of Sea View Cottage, turn left at the main road and cross it) to the Kings Statue, Weymouth. Service every 16 minutes during the day. Return by the same service, again from the Kings Statue but this time to the Old Police Station, Portland (just above the cottage, opposite the entrance to Victoria Gardens).

2. South around the Isle of Portland. Pick up the No 1 bus service (from Weymouth) from the Old Police Station, Portland (just above Sea View Cottage, opposite the entrance to Victoria Gardens). Service every 16 minutes during the day. Break your journey wherever you want, eventually returning to Chiswell. Then cross the road, turn left then right up Clements Lane then shortly after bear right up Higher Lane back to the cottage). Or maybe stay on the bus and continue North to Weymouth? (see above).

3. Portland Coaster to and from Portland Bill. Open top bus service every 2 hours (approx). Utilises the same bus stops as the No 1 bus South around Portland (see above). It’s not exactly cheap - £25/day for a family of up to 5 - but you can hop on and off and use it as transport between attractions such as Portland Bill, Portland Castle, Portland Museum, and Weymouth.

4. Lodmoor Country Park and Bowleaze Cove. First travel North to Weymouth on the No1 bus (see above). Then board the No 4 bus service to Preston from the Kings Statue (service every 20 minutes during the day) alighting at Lodmoor Country Park (for the Sealife Centre and RSPB Lodmoor Nature Reserve) or Bowleaze Coveway. Return the same way.

19/05/2024

Sea View Cottage now sleeps 5 guests! We've added a third single bed in place of the the old sofa bed in the top floor bedroom (something and nothing in our view). It's identical to the other beds at this level and has the same Dormeo Memory Plus memory foam mattress. We've also done some roof repairs and replaced the ceiling under at this level, done a bit of local decoration - and the room now looks amazing!

Now for the interesting bit - we use Price Labs dynamic pricing which is based on the number of bedrooms, not the number of beds and, because the number of bedrooms hasn't changed (still 2) our prices haven't changed either! We reckon to recoup the cost by virtue of the fact we're now exposed to searches for 2 - 5 guests, not just 2 - 4. Obviously sleeping 3 people in one bedroom (albeit it a big one) won't suit everyone, but it'll work for some folk - and save them a packet too!

16/04/2024

Today is 5 years to the day since Sea View Cottage, Portland, opened its doors to travellers. 16th April 2019 was the date Laney Parker and her friend Sally checked in as our very first paying guests. Since then we've learnt on the job, improved our offer to guests, and (believe it or not) lowered our prices! (I know, it's insane, but we're pretty in touch with what the current market will bear). Nearly 400 bookings later, well over 1000 people have spent two or more nights here and said some lovely things about us. So here's a big thanks to them and a very happy birthday to Sea View Cottage, Portland https://seaviewcottageportland.letsgouk.com 🥂🍾🍹

01/04/2024

Quiddles Cafe Bar has now re-opened after its winter break - just in time for Easter! Only a 7 minute walk from the cottage, it's right on the seafront and is the place to go for fish, prawns and calamari/squid (known locally as quiddles, hence the cafe's name). Great breakfasts and leisurely lunches, but they close mid to late afternoon depending on the weather. Not much room inside so best visited on a glorious sunny day when you can sit outside. Booking essential. https://www.facebook.com/Quiddlesbeachcafe16/?locale=en_GB

Outdoor Beach Cafe situated on the world famous Chesil Beach serving great food until 3pm daily

26/02/2024

Sea View Cottage has always been into Tech (no, that’s Tech, not Tat!). And as of today, our online Touch Stay ‘Cottage Guide Book’, which we provide all guests a link to once they’ve booked, has been viewed 4,935 times! A while back we figured out how to provide a preview of it under the ‘Portland’ tab on our website. And now that little bit of tech has been adopted by Touch Stay and featured in a Touch Stay blog. We’re quite touched! 🙂