Once Upon A Tide

Hotel Description

You know what’s funny about Once Upon A Tide? The name made me roll my eyes a bit when I first booked it – I mean, come on, right? – but honestly, it’s actually pretty perfect once you’re there. This little 4-star gem sits on Southfield Road, which isn’t the main drag through Bude but that’s kind of the point. You’re maybe a five-minute walk from the chaos of Summerleaze Beach (where all the families camp out with their windbreaks), but far enough back that you’re not dealing with the summer crowds tramping past your window at 7 AM.

The place has this sort of boutique feel that doesn’t try too hard, if that makes sense. I stayed there in September last year and the woman at check-in – Sarah, I think? – actually knew which room would be quieter since there was some construction happening down toward the canal. That’s the kind of attention you don’t get at the big chain places. The rooms themselves are proper comfortable, not just Instagram-pretty. Good shower pressure (seriously important after a day getting sand-blasted on the beach), and the beds are actually decent quality – none of that rock-hard mattress nonsense. What really got me was the little touches: proper tea and coffee setup, not those weird pod things, and they’d left some local biscuits that were honestly better than they had any right to be. The view from my room looked out toward the town rather than the sea, but you could still catch glimpses of the water between the houses, and there’s something quite nice about watching Bude wake up in the morning.

Here’s what I really appreciated though – the staff clearly know the area. When I asked about walking the South West Coast Path, they didn’t just hand me a generic leaflet but told me exactly where to pick it up for the best stretch toward Widemouth Bay, and warned me that the bit near Upton gets pretty muddy after rain (which, let’s be honest, is most of the time in Cornwall). Parking was straightforward too – they’ve got their own little car park, which in Bude during summer is basically worth its weight in gold. The 9.4 rating makes sense when you add it all up. It’s not flashy or trying to be something it’s not, just a really solid place run by people who actually care. If you’re planning to explore the coast or just want somewhere comfortable to collapse after battling the Atlantic winds, you could do a lot worse than Once Upon A Tide. Plus, you’re close enough to walk to Rick Stein’s restaurant if you fancy treating yourself, though honestly the local fish and chips down by the river is just as good and half the price.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $107. One-Bedroom Apartment with 1 double bed for Max persons: 2

Reviews

• Carleton from United Kingdom – 21 June 2025 (9/10)

  Location, cleanliness, staff, facilities, parking
  
  What could be improved: N/A

• Lisa from United Kingdom – 2 June 2025 (10/10)

  Hosts were friendly and helpful. Apartment was clean and spacious.
  
  What could be improved: N/A

• Chris from United Kingdom – 31 May 2025 (10/10)

  South facing courtyard, large bathroom

• Markus from United Kingdom – 15 May 2025 (10/10)

  Lovely apartment in quite area, close to bude town centre. Spotlessly clean. Very light and suprisingly spacious. Lots of thought gone into the apartment. Has everything you could want for your stay. Free wifi which worked very well. Very comfy bed. Parking space to the front of the property. Very cosy and had a wonderful stay. Ideal for us only 10 mins walk into bude. We would definately dtay here again. Very impressed and cannot rate it highly enough.
  
  What could be improved: There was nothing tgat i didnt like.

• Andrew from United Kingdom – 8 May 2025 (9/10)

  Lovely and new, wonderfully appointed. Loads of hot water and the host kindly left a welcome pack of tea milk coffee and loo roll. Very handy as we only stayed two night. Large bath towels too.

• Sarah from United Kingdom – 22 April 2025 (10/10)

  The flat felt luxurious. It was peaceful and quiet with bonus cute guinea pig neighbours. We had everything we needed.
  
  What could be improved: Nothing

• Nadene from Australia – 21 April 2025 (10/10)

  It was comfortable, clean, and had many little touches like good lighting and heating, excellent kitchen facilities and a very good shower.
  
  What could be improved: Blowflies in the bedroom!!

• Ellen from United Kingdom – 21 April 2025 (10/10)

  Very quiet, beautifully presented with every thing for a relax no stay and close to the town centre.
  
  What could be improved: Nothing

• Mandy from United Kingdom – 14 April 2025 (9/10)

  Great location and free parking, spotlessly clean and had everything that we needed
  
  What could be improved: Bed was a bit uncomfortable

• Sue from United Kingdom – 9 April 2025 (9/10)

  N/A
  
  What could be improved: N/A

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities