Introduction

St. Abbs Haven Hotel is without a doubt one of the finest hotels to be found in Scotland. Come and spend a night or even a few days in an extremely comfortable hotel with a very relaxing atmosphere - once your stay is over you will not want to leave!

The hotel has beautiful views overlooking breathtaking Coldingham Bay, whilst behind is the rolling Borders Countryside.

The emphasis at St. Abbs Haven Hotel is one of excellence, offering the highest standards in food, accommodation, service and comfort. As well as a fine Restaurant, it has its own beautifully appointed Function Suite large enough for the biggest parties and celebrations. A very unique feature of the Haven Hotel is the magnificent Minstrel's Gallery, which is now the Resident's lounge.

Accommodation comprises of 1 single, 6 double, 3 twin and 3 family rooms. All have en-suite, telephone, television & a hospitality tray. The hotel also has its own licence to conduct weddings, which can be conducted outside overlooking the bay or inside. Weddings and Private functions are all tailored to individual requirements and adapted to suit all budgets.

The hotel employs its own Wedding & Function coordinator and is mentioned in the 2003 Scottish Wedding Directory. Families are extremely welcome and the hotel has a toy and games room for the season beginning 2003. Dogs are also welcomed at the Haven and the staff are friendly and welcoming.

History

What we know is the Haven Hotel was built originally in 1905 as an office by Miss Jane Hay of Leith. When she lived here she used to take in orphans, the last of these being a child whose father was drowned in the Titanic disaster of 1912. She also did a great deal of work for lifeboats and was largely responsible for the first lifeboat to come to St. Abbs Harbour.

When Miss Hay died in 1914, the Haven Hotel was converted by Miss Isabel Cowe into a boarding house. Each year Miss Cowe gave a Christmas Party and organised a summer picnic for the local children. She was a suffragette, keen to fight for women's rights, and once bicycled from John O' Groats to Lands End. One of her idiosyncrasies was to insist that every visitor to her boarding house had to kiss her.

She was also an incessant worker for the local lifeboat and before her death in 1931, was awarded the Gold Broach of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. To the rear of the Haven is a hut with a roof made from an upturned boat; it was here that Miss Cowe used to sleep when the Haven was full of guests.

Attractions

Nearby the Haven Hotel is the charming small fishing village of St. Abbs, which as well as being beautifully scenic, is also very popular with divers. It is said to be the Mecca of off shore diving in Britain.

Just outside the village of St. Abbs there is a splendid Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary. The walk along the cliff-tops to St. Abbs Head is breathtaking, and should not be missed!

A little further in the other direction will take you on to Eyemouth, and then the historic border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which are both packed with shops, and recreational facilities. They both offer sensational Golf Courses, which would suit amateur and professional alike.

Scotland's glorious capital, Edinburgh, is less than an hours drive and historic Lindisfarne (Holy Island) is approximately 25 minutes to the south.