Family-Friendly Luxury at Saltmoore Yorkshire: Our Experience with a 6-Month-Old

My postpartum experience has been plagued with anxiety and depression, and while we’ve taken some day excursions with Chloe, we hadn’t yet done a few nights away but we decided on a little vacation up along the North Yorkshire coast at Saltmoore, just after Chloe turned 6 months old. This was also a late birthday trip for me. I usually plan a getaway for my birthday. Last year, was Croatia, the previous year we were in San Francisco, the year before that we went to Devon, and before that, Eagle Brae in the Scottish Highlands.

I love a trip.

I had saved Saltmoore as somewhere to go and picked it purely based on the fact, I had saved it and it was on the coast. I double checked to make sure it was family friendly and was delighted to see they had a separate accommodation called The Beach House that was more family-oriented. I booked one of the rooms with an outdoor bath not quite knowing what to expect but it sounded like something we would enjoy.

Arriving at Saltmoore with a Baby

Finding Saltmoore was quite easy and as you turn off the motorway along the coast, you are suddenly in a lush green space nestled between the moors and the coast.

The Beach House has its own parking lot right across from the building, so getting baby out and setup in the pram was easy, as were the subsequent trips to the car.

I didn’t know much about Whitby and we had arrived at about 8:20 PM on a Tuesday, delayed mostly due to packing up the car and making sure we were set with everything we needed. Whitby and the surrounding areas are quite quiet on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and we had arrived just a bit too late to head up to the main Saltmoore house for dinner. We ended up heading out after checking to get some meals to go at Sainsburys, about a 10 minute drive through town.

Unfortunately by the time we were back to the hotel, it was well past Chloe’s bedtime and she struggled to get to sleep until about 11:00 PM just because she was overtired. If you know you’re going to be arriving in the evening after 7:30 or 8:00 PM during the week, I would prepare to bring some food so you’re not caught out.

Our Room at Saltmoore With a Baby

When we had booked we had indicated we would have one child with us, but there was no way to indicate that she was a baby, so when we were shown our room they had to switch out the rollaway bed for a cot.

We ended up setting up our own travel cot because there was no mattress or pad in the bottom of the pack and play provided, and you could feel the bars beneath the bottom insert. On the plus side, there was plenty of room for both during the week. I would recommend planning to have a backup cot of your own if your child isn’t used to a pack and play for sleep.

I did bring a travel cot blackout cover, and this saved us for Chloe’s naps and bedtime. Despite some really thick curtains, it was still a bit too light out. But we visited in early July when the nights are long and sunset is very late.

In terms of other facilities for baby, the only thing we were really missing was a better receptacle for diapers. I was able to wash bottle’s in the bathroom sink (I had brought my own soap).

The Outdoor Bath

We absolutely loved the outdoor bath on the deck outside the room. We would book the same room again. We didn’t end up using the pool facilities due to the opening times for children, but these large metal baths easily fit myself, my husband and a float for Chloe. It was actually a great introduction to the water for her too.

Dining at Saltmoore

Breakfast was the only meal we had at Saltmoore, and it was included in our stay. The breakfast buffet options are quite limited but this made up for with the breakfast menu of prepared food. We tried a few different options during the week and all were fantastic. The Arnold Bennet omelette was my favorite.

The hot coffee was good, and they were able to make a hot latte, but on our first morning we asked for an iced latte and iced americano, which were both incredibly disappointing. I would rather be told we can’t make that than be given what we had. My iced latte was milk with the smallest bit of coffee and the iced americano was undrinkable according to my husband. We’re coffee snobs, I will admit. The hot latte I had a few days later was much better quality.

(A tip: if you’re looking for a proper iced latte or iced americano, Mary’s Sandwich Shop in Sandsend does the best ones around).

Because of Chloe’s nap times and bedtime, we got food in Sandsend or Whitby and ate lunch and dinner in the room on the deck. Mary’s Sandwich Shop absolutely lives up to the hype and we were lucky enough to visit a few times when it wasn’t busy. In Whitby, we got fish and chips and scampi from Royal Fisheries, which was really good. I would happily go back there for food!

Things to Do Near Saltmoore with a Baby

We kept our itinerary very loose and we did a lot of walking around to Sandsend and we drove into Whitby to park and walk around the center. There’s a lot to see, but beware of Whitby’s steep hills! It may not always be easy with a pram but we did manage just fine.

We drove along the coast up north to Saltburn one day (and did more walking). We followed that up with a trip to Whitby Abbey which is very cool to see looming over the town during your stay, and it is accessible with a path for your pram.

We also walked down to the beach one evening and dipped Chloe’s toes in the North Sea. We didn’t spend much time on the beach, but it is something I’d like to do on a future visit, especially as there are some beaches littered with fossils nearby.

I had wanted to visit some of the picturesque fishing villages nearby like Staithes and Robin Hood’s Bay but we ran out of time. No cars are allowed down in Staithes, you have to park at the top and walk down but we just continued on north to Saltburn. (Chloe was asleep in the car and I wanted her to nap.)

Would We Go Back to Saltmoore Hotel with Baby?

We absolutely would. We wished we had stayed longer we had such a relaxing time. It was very nice to be surrounded by other new parents navigating a stay away with their new babies in a luxe environment. Next time we visit, our little one should hopefully be walking and we can enjoy even more of the surrounding areas and activities.