Burgh Island Hotel can be hired in exclusive use for weddings and house parties of up to about 65 guests: 50 staying overnight in the hotel's 25 rooms, plus 15 non-resident guests in the ballroom. It is an Art Deco hotel on a tidal island off Bigbury in South Devon, built in 1929, and the whole island is closed to other guests during your event.
Seminars and company events
The official site does not offer meeting rooms or conference packages. Its hire pages cover weddings and house parties, so this is a place for a private celebration, a client gathering or an offsite dinner organised as an exclusive-use stay rather than for a day seminar. If your event is corporate, ask the team directly whether they will take it before planning around the island.
Weddings and receptions
Exclusive use is the core of the offer. It includes up to 25 rooms for 50 guests on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis, and room in the Grand Ballroom for 15 additional non-resident guests. The hotel states more than 17 years of experience hosting these occasions. On Friday and Saturday a two-night minimum applies. Other nights can be booked for one night, except on bank holidays, subject to availability.
The team works with you on advance planning, a menu tasting, advice and supervision of music and entertainment, parking on the mainland, transport across the beach and priority check-in for the couple and their parents. The site gives an illustrative timeline: check-in at 15:30, ceremony at 16:30, reception at 17:00, wedding meal at 19:00, entertainment at 21:00 and the bar closing at midnight, with an extension on request. Timings depend on the tide. A spa therapist is available for treatments before or after the day.
Rooms and capacities
The Grand Ballroom is the main reception room and holds dinner and dancing. The Pilchard Inn is a separate smugglers' inn on the island, the Nettlefold Restaurant is a second dining room, and the Palm Court Bar serves drinks before dinner. The site does not publish seated or standing capacities for each room. For house parties it quotes up to 50 guests.
Accommodation
The hotel has 25 rooms and suites, each named after a famous past guest. Exclusive use covers all of them. Priority check-in at 13:00 is available for up to four rooms, and standard check-in is at 15:30. Amenities listed include tennis, snooker, a mermaid pool and wellness treatments.
Catering
Dinner, bed and breakfast is included for resident guests in exclusive use. The hotel keeps a wine list and house champagne, and the bar staff can create a signature cocktail for the occasion. The official site says the bar closes at midnight unless an extension is agreed.
History and setting
The hotel was built in 1929 and extended in 1932, and it is a Grade II listed building in Art Deco style, restored to its 1930s look. It stands on its own tidal island, 18 miles from Plymouth city center and about 15 miles from Dartmoor National Park.
Getting there
The address is Bigbury-on-Sea, South Devon TQ7 4BG. At low tide a Land Rover and driver collect guests and cross the beach. At high tide the crossing is by sea tractor. The hotel helps arrange parking on the mainland and transport across the beach for weddings. Plan arrival times around the tide.
