Dunkery Lodge Factsheet

Dunkery Lodge is a spacious and attractive period house set in its own grounds. We only take a small number of guests and we specialise in providing a base for short breaks and longer holidays for those wishing to explore Exmoor coast and countryside - or just needing to relax in comfortable surroundings! We provide a high standard of accommodation, including good private car parking. As well as walkers and tourers, we welcome those looking for a romantic setting to celebrate special occasions such as wedding anniversaries, birthdays and reunions. We are a non-smoking establishment.

Location & parking

We are located on the Townsend road into Minehead and are about 5 mins walk from the centre (Wellington Square) and 10 mins walk from the seafront. We offer level access from the road and private, gated  parking for all our guests. We are also completely secluded from the road, with good sized gardens, a heated outdoor swimming pool (April-September) and seating areas. Guests may leave their cars at Dunkery during the day if they wish.

Guests may arrive for their accommodation from the early afternoon (unless by prior arrangement with us). We do like to know, however, approximately when you expect to arrive. 

Rooms & Facilities

All our rooms are en-suite with colour TVs.
We do not offer family rooms (all our rooms have double or twin beds) and we cannot take children under 12 years because of our unsupervised swimming pool. The tariff for children 12 years and older is our normal tariff since they must occupy separate rooms from their parents. We will consider requests for single occupancy of our rooms in relation to other demand.

We only take 6 paying guests. Our rooms may be booked by name or left to us to allocate to you. The room choices are: 

Townsend - a generous sized bedroom with an en-suite dressing room and a 3-piece en-suite bathroom with bath. For guests preferring a shower, Townsend has a shower room adjacent (actually a fully tiled "wet" room with no shower cubicle to negotiate, a wash hand basin and a further toilet).

Hoppcott - a good sized double OR twin bedded room with an en-suite bathroom with shower (no bath).

Dunster - our largest double bedroom with good facilities, seating areas and views. There is an en-suite bathroom has a shower, toilet and wash hand basin. There is a second wash hand basin in the room as well.  Guests choosing Dunster will be asked to pay an additional supplement of £2 per person per night.

All our guest bedrooms are fully equipped with all the usual facilities. On both floors there is a small chiller available to our guests from which we supply fresh milk and still water.

We have a Guest Lounge with TV/Video and maps and books our guests may use. We have a large and comfortable private Dining Room with pleasant garden views.

Meals

We aim to cater for most special diets. Breakfast is served from 8.30 AM

Guest information

We maintain a growing resource of local and regional information for our guests - suggestions for walks, visits, tours etc. Shopping, recreational facilities, entertainment etc.

2008 Tariff

Our standard overnight price for B&B is £32 per person per night in the high season (April - September). If you stay 3 nights or more, then we reduce the room rate for subsequent nights to £28 and £30 per person per night respectively. For 1 week stay there is a further reduction. All our rooms are doubles; single occupancy (if a room is available) is normally £5 extra per night. Our best (Dunster) room is £2 per person per night in addition.

Booking Terms & Conditions

Deposits
We normally require a deposit which will be the cost of one night or one-third of the total cost, if this is greater. Customers whose room reservation is confirmed, whether in writing, by Web or E-mail or by telephone have made a contract with Dunkery Lodge to take up the accommodation reserved for them, whether or not a deposit has been made prior to the reservation date. 

Cancellations
Customers who are unable to take up the accommodation for whatever reason should contact Dunkery Lodge at the earliest opportunity to cancel their reservation.

Refunds
Provided sufficient notice has been given and the accommodation can be re-let, then at the discretion of Dunkery Lodge, a deposit already made may be refunded, less any costs. If this is not possible, then a booking cancellation fee of two-thirds the cost of the booking may be charged.

Customers who do not take up the accommodation prepared for them at Dunkery Lodge and who do not contact Dunkery Lodge in advance to cancel the booking or to explain their absence, will be considered liable for the full amount of the reservation made.

We recommend you take out holiday insurance for your protection.

Insuring yourself & your holiday with us

Having had a number of bookings at Dunkery unfortunately cancelled through ill-health and other events, we recommend that you cover yourself through insurance. We offer the low cost UK Holiday insurance "Guest First" which is backed by SouthWest Tourism and the British Hospitality Assocation. This insurance covers your cancellation costs, but can also cover other unforseen events that might occur whilst you are on your holiday.  Please ask us to include a proposal form when we send you a receipt or confirmation for your booking. Alternatively you can apply directly on-line to Guest First UK Holiday Insurance.

How to Book / Availability

Getting to us

By Road

Minehead is on the A39. From the M5 motorway choose Exit 24 (Bridgwater / Minehead), then A39 or Exit 25 (Taunton), then A358. The A358 joins the A39 at Williton -turn left for Minehead.

Reaching Minehead from Bridgwater or Williton on the A39, go straight across the first roundabout into ALCOMBE and then turn right off the A39 (just past a small parade of shops on the right), signposted Minehead Town Centre. 

Travelling from the Porlock direction on the A39, pass the first turn off signposted Minehead Town Centre and after Whitegate road take the first turn (left) at ALCOMBE (there is a small parade of shops on this corner, facing you on the left). 

Stay on this road (the Alcombe Road, becoming Townsend Road). We are on the right hand side 50 metres past the KING EDWARD ROAD turn (see image below). Look out for our sign. We are very secluded from the road.

Aerial view of Dunkery Lodge

By Coach / Bus

Seasonal National Express coach services visit Minehead (Tel: 08705 808080) or catch a coach to Taunton and change to a local bus to Minehead. Descend at Bancks Street.

By Rail

Taunton is the nearest mainline station. There is a regular bus service leaving the south side of Taunton station for Minehead. 

NEW!! Through trains to Bristol for holidaymakers and local residents will run from Minehead from Friday 20th July. For the first time since the branch line between Taunton and Minehead was closed as part of the "Beeching Cuts" in January 1971 regular public service trains will be running from Minehead to Taunton and Bristol on selected dates through the peak summer weeks.

            The trains are the outcome of several months of planning between The West Somerset Railway, Butlins, Mainline Rail and Victa Westlink Rail, the last of whom will provide the train services. There has also needed to be complex negotiations with Network Rail and the Office of the Rail Regulator. The outcome is that services will run on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays between Friday 20th July and Monday 27th August.  The trains will leave Minehead at 11.10 and will call at all West Somerset Railway stations before reaching Taunton at 12.55 and then run non-stop to Bristol Temple Meads, arriving at 13.46. The return will depart from Temple Meads at 14.06 and will stop at Taunton at 14.42 and then all WSR stations to Minehead, where arrival is at 16.25.