Whether you want to hold a wedding celebration, host a conference or just spend a few days relaxing in luxury, there's a spot ready for you on the coast, with good food, great drinks and plenty of nighttime fun, look no further than these three spots...
The Boathouse: "Whether you want to sit outside with a dog, or inside with a date, or bring your granny for a G&T, there's a place for everyone."
With its stunning location right on Christchurch Quay, a spacious restaurant and bar area which regularly hosts live music, outside seating and even its own crazy golf course, The Boathouse is arguably one of the most relaxed venues in Dorset.
In winter, a large contemporary fire greets visitors, while a log store set into the wall makes for a cosy ambience. During summer months, the doors and windows are flung open to make the most of the sunshine and quay life.
Initially run as a restaurant by current owner Kim Slater, who bought the building around 18 years ago, The Boathouse gained a bar licence a few years ago, so now has a whole new lease of life in the evenings.
"Having a bar licence has definitely helped the business," explains director Jeremy Carpenter.
"If you just want to come and have a drink somewhere with a nice view it's a fantastic place to come. We have live music in the bar area, we have a pianist Thursday evenings, acoustic guitar Friday and Saturday evenings, and then Sundays from 4pm to 7pm.
"We have a bunch of local artists, they're all really talented, and we have the occasional band in as well."
When it comes to food, The Boathouse serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the year apart from Christmas Day, with a full menu available all day Saturday and Sunday. During the week, food is served all day, but limited to paninis and pizzas from 3pm to 6pm.
The focus is on fresh, top quality food, with an emphasis on the fish and sea food which is so readily available in the area.
"We major on fish dishes, especially in the summer, as local as we can get," says Jeremy.
"One of our biggest sellers is lobster from the local fisherman on the Isle of Wight. It's so popular, you can add it on to a burger if you want, on the side, and you can add it to your steak for surf and turf.
"It's non-pretentious, honest food. It's all made fresh from fresh ingredients."
The restaurant's whole fish is a regular best seller, with whole bass or whole bream frequently on the menu, although a filet is offered if customers prefer.
"The novelty of having something that's caught locally that morning and having it on your plate in the afternoon is great," enthuses Jeremy.
"I don't think there's enough of that."
The restaurant side of the business has expanded so much in recent years that a kitchen refurbishment is now in the pipeline, with the team focused on the coming summer months.
"The summer for us is about getting the right menu on," explains Jeremy.
"The Pimms starts flowing, all the musician artists will play a bit later, all the doors and windows are open. Sometimes we put music outside as well.
"When every section is open it's impressive to see. You can have 5-600 people on the premises all day non-stop.
"There's a real difference between summer and winter. This winter has been fantastic for us, it hasn't really slowed down. But when the sun's out here, it really comes to life."
Chandelier Bar With it's hot pink and lime green furnishings, dark wood tables and, of course, a chandelier centrepiece, the Chandelier Bar seems at first glance to be a world apart from The Boathouse downstairs.
Yet, while it exudes glamour and decadence, it manages to maintain that relaxed, cosy ambience.
The bar was born out of a tragedy when the venue suffered a large fire upstairs in May 2013, which destroyed the kitchen area.
"It needed refurbishment," says Jeremy.
"We thought 'while we're doing that, let's do the whole of the upstairs'. This was a temporary tent, almost, before. A lot of the money was spent on the conservatory. We can use it all year round because we can heat it or cool it down."
The huge bi-fold doors which make up two sides of the seating area ensure that stunning view is optimised, and can be opened up completely during the summer months.
With its very own bar upstairs, the venue offers a selection of Champagnes, wines, beers and spirits, along with a wide choice of cocktails.
"It's the perfect venue to hire out for parties - birthdays, anniversaries, weddings," adds Jeremy.
The standard function room package offered is £20 per person for room hire, a drink on arrival and tapas nibbles, for a minimum of 50 people.
"Whether it's for a birthday or a wedding, I'm not going to charge people more, unless they want more," explains Jeremy.
It's an extremely popular deal - the bar was booked out for the majority of weekends during November, December and January, and again for the month of April.
However the venue is open to the public on evenings when a function is not taking place - check the venue's Facebook page, or call and ask a member of staff a few days before you intend to visit.
"There's no point having this beautiful space and spending all this money on it and not using it," says Jeremy.
He is hoping Christchurch Council press ahead with plans to give the bandstand on Christchurch Quay a marriage licence, so the Boathouse can take on the organising of wedding ceremonies as well a offering a venue for receptions.
The Beach House Tucked away on the Sandbank at Hengistbury Head, lies a beachside hut offering one of the most unique dining experiences in the area.
The Beach House is owned by The Boathouse owner Kim Slater and director Jeremy Carpenter and boasts an informal atmosphere day and night, as well as some of the best sunsets around.
During summer months, the venue is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving fare including fresh sea food, fish and chips, burgers and lobster washed down with a flute of Champagne, while live music accompanies diners on Tuesday and Saturday evenings.
But perhaps the real draw is the journey to the eaterie, which is generally reached by boat.
"You can get the ferry from Mudeford, there's the Christchurch ferry which leaves from Wick or Christchurch Quay, there's the Hengistbury Head land train, you can cycle or walk from Hengistbury Head or you can take your own boat," says Jeremy.
"You rock up and the island is quite quiet, you open the doors and it just hits you. You've got music going, there's lobster and Champagne flowing, lights are on low, candles lit.
"It's one of the most incredible dining experiences I've had, and that's from someone who works there. It's incredible, and it's a little wooden shed on a beach."
The menu is similar to that at The Boathouse, but slightly reduced due to both storage and the fact that the restaurant gets so busy during the summer months.
"It's a lot simpler down there," explains Jeremy.
"It's simple, honest, mostly sea food, especially on the specials. There's a little shop there if you just want to pop down for an ice cream, or you can have a panini, or a full-on, three-course meal."
Again, the venue is available for hire out of season, for parties, weddings or corporate events.
"We do a couple of weddings a year," says Jeremy.
"We've had a few wedding planners that come and organise it all and we will just go and open it up and staff it. It's a great place for corporate dos, big parties. Out of season, come and see us.
"We do have set prices, but I'm more than happy to tailor it to people's needs."
Plans are afoot to update The Beach House this year, with money being put into a new heated awning system so the outside space can be used.
"The sea views are amazing," adds Jeremy.
"You look out one way and you've got the Isle of Wight, the other way you've got Mudeford Harbour, and the sunsets there are just magical."
(BLOB) boathouse.co.uk, 01202 480033
