Hotels near Poole Quay: walking times and parking compared
Hotel du Vin and The Antelope are about 4 minutes' walk from Poole Quay. RNLI College, 14 minutes away, has 60 harbour-view rooms. Parking compared.
Facts checked against official sources on 1 November 2026. How we research
Hotels near Poole Quay compared
The table runs from nearest to furthest. Walking and driving times are estimates from OpenStreetMap routing between each hotel's postcode and the quay's postcode, BH15 1HJ, where the Brownsea ferry and harbour cruise kiosks are, with no traffic. Room, view and parking details are from each hotel's own website, read on 29 October 2026.
| Hotel | Address | Est. time to the quay | Harbour views | Parking | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel du Vin Poole | 7-11 Thames Street, Old Town, BH15 1JN | About 0.2 miles, 4 min walk | The hotel says its location near the quay has views of the harbour and the Purbeck Hills. No room type is sold as harbour view | 10 spaces on site, £15 overnight, first come first served | Hotel du Vin Poole |
| The Antelope | 8 High Street, Old Town, BH15 1BP | About 0.2 miles, 4 min walk | Not stated | Not stated on the hotel page | Greene King Inns: The Antelope |
| RNLI College | West Quay Road, BH15 1HZ | About 0.65 miles, 14 min walk | All 60 bedrooms, across Holes Bay | Free on site, first come first served | RNLI College Hotel: book a room |
| Travelodge Poole | Lifeboat Quay, Holes Bay Road, BH15 1LS | About 0.7 miles, 15 min walk | The hotel overlooks Holes Bay. A specific view can be chosen for a charge on selected stays | Limited free parking, first come first served, run by Smart Parking | Travelodge: Poole |
| Premier Inn Poole Centre (Holes Bay) | Holes Bay Road, BH15 2BD | About 1.2 miles, 25 min walk | Standard Double with a view | Free on site; register your car on the reception tablet | Premier Inn: Poole Centre (Holes Bay) |
| Harbour Heights Hotel | Haven Road, Sandbanks, BH13 7LW | About 4.3 miles, 12 min drive | Harbour View Double, Harbour View Double with Balcony, Harbour View Double Deluxe | Free, first come first served | FJB Hotels: Harbour Heights rooms |
| Sandbanks Hotel | Sandbanks, BH13 7PS | About 4.6 miles, 13 min drive | Harbour View with Balcony, Superior Harbour View with Balcony, Harbour View Family with Balcony | Free, first come first served | FJB Hotels: Sandbanks Hotel rooms |
| Haven Hotel | Sandbanks, by the chain ferry, BH13 7QL | About 5.8 miles, 16 min drive | Poole Harbour Double with Balcony | Free, first come first served | FJB Hotels: Haven Hotel rooms |
- Address
- 7-11 Thames Street, Old Town, BH15 1JN
- Est. time to the quay
- About 0.2 miles, 4 min walk
- Harbour views
- The hotel says its location near the quay has views of the harbour and the Purbeck Hills. No room type is sold as harbour view
- Parking
- 10 spaces on site, £15 overnight, first come first served
- Source
- Hotel du Vin Poole
- Address
- 8 High Street, Old Town, BH15 1BP
- Est. time to the quay
- About 0.2 miles, 4 min walk
- Harbour views
- Not stated
- Parking
- Not stated on the hotel page
- Source
- Greene King Inns: The Antelope
- Address
- West Quay Road, BH15 1HZ
- Est. time to the quay
- About 0.65 miles, 14 min walk
- Harbour views
- All 60 bedrooms, across Holes Bay
- Parking
- Free on site, first come first served
- Source
- RNLI College Hotel: book a room
- Address
- Lifeboat Quay, Holes Bay Road, BH15 1LS
- Est. time to the quay
- About 0.7 miles, 15 min walk
- Harbour views
- The hotel overlooks Holes Bay. A specific view can be chosen for a charge on selected stays
- Parking
- Limited free parking, first come first served, run by Smart Parking
- Source
- Travelodge: Poole
- Address
- Holes Bay Road, BH15 2BD
- Est. time to the quay
- About 1.2 miles, 25 min walk
- Harbour views
- Standard Double with a view
- Parking
- Free on site; register your car on the reception tablet
- Source
- Premier Inn: Poole Centre (Holes Bay)
- Address
- Haven Road, Sandbanks, BH13 7LW
- Est. time to the quay
- About 4.3 miles, 12 min drive
- Harbour views
- Harbour View Double, Harbour View Double with Balcony, Harbour View Double Deluxe
- Parking
- Free, first come first served
- Source
- FJB Hotels: Harbour Heights rooms
- Address
- Sandbanks, BH13 7PS
- Est. time to the quay
- About 4.6 miles, 13 min drive
- Harbour views
- Harbour View with Balcony, Superior Harbour View with Balcony, Harbour View Family with Balcony
- Parking
- Free, first come first served
- Source
- FJB Hotels: Sandbanks Hotel rooms
- Address
- Sandbanks, by the chain ferry, BH13 7QL
- Est. time to the quay
- About 5.8 miles, 16 min drive
- Harbour views
- Poole Harbour Double with Balcony
- Parking
- Free, first come first served
- Source
- FJB Hotels: Haven Hotel rooms
Hotels in Poole Old Town, by the quay
Hotel du Vin Poole gives its address as The Quay, Thames Street, in the Old Town. It has ten parking spaces of its own: seven under an archway just before the hotel and three against the wall on the right, at £15 overnight, first come first served. If they are full, the hotel sends guests to the Britannia Quayside pay and display car park behind it, BH15 1HA, which it quotes at £12.50 overnight. The hotel takes payment by card only and calls itself pet friendly.
Its page also notes that improvements to the outside of the building were still under way on 1 November 2026, with no end date given, so ask what is planned for your dates.
Check prices for Hotel du Vin Poole on Expedia →
The Antelope is a Greene King inn on the High Street, "tucked away" behind The Quay, with 23 bedrooms in single, double, twin and superior grades. Poole Museum is 30 yards from the door. There is no lift, and most showers are over baths, which matters for anyone who cannot manage stairs or a bath step.
Check-in is from 2pm and check-out by 11am. Reception is open from 7am to 10pm, and breakfast is served from 7am to 10am on weekdays and 8am to 10am at weekends. Its page gives no parking, so plan on a council car park (see parking near Poole Quay overnight below).
Check prices for The Antelope on Expedia →
Harbour-view hotels on Holes Bay
RNLI College describes Holes Bay as part of Poole Harbour. All three hotels here list free parking on site, against £15 overnight at Hotel du Vin and none at The Antelope.
RNLI College is the lifeboat charity's training centre on West Quay Road, and its hotel rooms are let to the public alongside crews on courses. Its booking page says all 60 bedrooms look across Holes Bay, and each has a double bed and a pull-out sofa bed. Breakfast is in the price, and on-site parking is free, first come first served. Guests can pre-book the RNLI Discovery Tour at £5 an adult and £2.50 a child, half what non-residents pay.
Check prices for RNLI College on Expedia →
Travelodge Poole stands at Lifeboat Quay on Holes Bay Road, and describes itself as overlooking Holes Bay by Poole station. Its parking is limited, first come first served and enforced by Smart Parking, so give your registration at reception when you arrive. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out by noon, and the hotel is staffed 24 hours. For a charge, on selected stays, Travelodge lets you pick a room on a floor plan, including by view.
Check prices for Travelodge Poole on Expedia →
Premier Inn Poole Centre (Holes Bay) is further up Holes Bay Road, about 25 minutes' walk from the quay by the estimate. It sells a Standard Double with a view as a separate room type, and parking is free once the car is registered on the tablet in reception (the car park is managed by Horizon). No booking link is shown here yet.
Hotels overlooking Poole Harbour from Sandbanks
The rooms that face the open harbour and Brownsea Island are on the Sandbanks side, not by the quay. All three are FJB Hotels, and each rooms page lists free parking, first come first served. Their walking times to Sandbanks beach, and their pools, are compared in hotels in Sandbanks.
- Harbour Heights is on Haven Road and describes panoramic outlooks over Poole Harbour. Three of its room types are sold on the view: the Harbour View Double, the Harbour View Double with Balcony, and the Harbour View Double Deluxe, which has two Juliet balconies. The hotel names Brownsea Island in the view.
- Sandbanks Hotel sells sea-view rooms over Sandbanks beach and harbour-view rooms on the other side. Its Harbour View with Balcony, Superior Harbour View with Balcony and Harbour View Family with Balcony rooms face the harbour; the superior rooms are up a flight of stairs.
- Haven Hotel is at the tip of the peninsula by the chain ferry, and its harbour-facing room is the Poole Harbour Double with Balcony.
Check prices for Harbour Heights Hotel on Expedia →
Check prices for Sandbanks Hotel on Expedia →
Check prices for Haven Hotel on Expedia →
Sandbanks beach rules, parking and the ferry are covered in Sandbanks beach and Sandbanks parking.
Parking near Poole Quay overnight
BCP Council's Quay Visitors multi-storey on Old Orchard, BH15 1SB, is open 24 hours, with 539 spaces, 16 disabled spaces and a 1.9 metre height limit. From 6pm to 8am it charges £2.60. Daytime charges, 8am to 6pm, run from £2.60 for up to 2 hours to £12.90 for up to 10 hours (BCP Council: Quay Visitors multi-storey car park).
Hotel du Vin also names Quay Visitors and the High Street Shops car park, BH15 1NR, as alternatives to its own spaces.
Is Poole Quay the same as Poole Harbour?
No. Poole Harbour is the whole natural harbour, which BCP Council calls Europe's largest; its entrance, where the Sandbanks chain ferry crosses, is only 300 metres wide (BCP Council: visit Poole Harbour). Poole Quay is the waterfront in Poole Old Town, postcode BH15 1HJ, where the boats to Brownsea Island, Swanage and the harbour islands leave from. Fares and times are in boat trips from Poole and the Brownsea Island ferry.
Frequently asked questions
What hotels are near the Poole ferry terminal?
The Channel Islands and France ferries leave from Hamworthy, across Poole Bridge from the quay, so the same Old Town and Holes Bay hotels are the nearest. Estimated walking times to the terminal, and the port's own car park, are in Poole ferry terminal.
Which hotels near Poole Quay take dogs?
Hotel du Vin Poole, The Antelope and Travelodge Poole all take dogs, each for a charge, and Haven Hotel takes dogs by prior arrangement. Fees and room limits for each are compared in dog-friendly hotels in Poole and Sandbanks.
Is there anything on at Poole Quay in November?
Yes. The free 5 November fireworks on Poole Quay return in 2026, with live music and entertainment from 5pm and the display at 8pm. Poole Tourism warns drivers to expect delays leaving the Quay Visitors car park straight after the fireworks (Poole Tourism: November 5th fireworks), which makes a hotel within walking distance an option for that night. Later in the month, Poole's Christmas launch day on 21 November starts with a parade led by Santa that leaves Poole Quay at 4pm and ends in Falkland Square, and the town's Christmas lights and festive events run into the new year (Poole Tourism: Christmas in Poole).
Can you see Brownsea Island from a hotel in Poole?
Harbour Heights and Sandbanks Hotel both name Brownsea Island in the descriptions of their harbour-view rooms. None of the Old Town or Holes Bay hotel pages describes Brownsea as part of a room's view.
Related guides
- Boat trips from Poole: harbour cruises, Swanage and the Jurassic Coast
- Brownsea Island ferry: fares, times and parking at the quay
- Poole ferry terminal: routes, parking and nearby hotels
- Dog-friendly hotels in Poole and Sandbanks
- Hotels in Poole: every area, from the Old Town to Sandbanks