The Nici Bournemouth Review

July 2026

What did I make of The NICI Hotel in Bournemouth? Miami vibe inspired but was it Miami nice? Read on for my full The Nici Bournemouth Spa Day Review.

One of my oldest friends (in length of friendship, not age!) – The Cool One – was given a gift voucher for The NICI Hotel: a spa day including lunch and a treatment.

I’d heard a few people mention The Nici before, but not much more than that, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.

I drove from Surrey to Bournemouth and left at 5:30am to beat the traffic and make sure I arrived in plenty of time to meet The Cool One at 9am. I made such good time that I ended up arriving early, parking up and heading into the hotel. My plan was to grab a cuppa and spend an hour or so clearing some work emails.

The moment I walked in, I knew I was going to like The NICI.

It has a really cool vibe. Think Miami-inspired boutique hotel. The spaces are beautifully decorated and everything feels stylish, fresh and effortlessly luxurious.

The Cool One arrived promptly at 9am and off we went to check in at the spa. The receptionist was excellent. She took her time explaining where everything was and how the day worked. I can’t imagine how many times a day she has to give that same introduction, but she delivered it as though we were the very first guests she’d ever welcomed.

We changed into our cossies and robes and headed out to the outdoor pool. There was a heatwave after all. It’s a lovely pool; quite narrow, but with just enough of a sea view beyond the hotel grounds to remind you that you’re on the coast. We settled onto some sun loungers and chatted for half an hour until it was time for our treatments.

We made sure we arrived in good time as the receptionist had told us to spend some time in the relaxation room beforehand and “set our intentions”.

We entered the quiet space which, like the rest of the hotel, was beautifully presented with lovely furnishings and a wonderfully calming atmosphere.

We lay on the day beds and did our very best to set our intentions, although we kept breaking into the odd bit of chatter, like schoolchildren whispering during a lesson.

Treatment Time

Treatment time arrived and I had booked a 60-minute massage.

Absolute bliss.

The treatment room was lovely and the massage was exactly what I needed. The Cool One had chosen a facial and when we reconvened afterwards in the relaxation room, she confirmed that hers had been wonderfully relaxing too.

Next, we headed to the indoor pool area, which includes a jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. The hotel has designated family swim times in the morning before switching to adults only, which I thought was a really nice balance. Earlier, there had been children enjoying the pool, but by the time we returned it had reverted to that calm spa atmosphere. It’s great that the hotel caters so well for both families and those looking for a bit of peace and quiet.

If I had one tiny niggle about the day, it was the amount of changing involved. You are not permitted to wear robes in the restaurant and bar areas. We arrived and changed into swimwear and robes, changed again for treatments, back into robes afterwards and cossies for swimming, then into normal clothes for lunch, back into (wet) swimwear for more spa time and finally back into clothes to leave.

And Lunch is where it got really good…..

Anyway, lunch at South Beach restaurant. And honestly, lunch was one of the highlights.

As part of the spa package we had a two-course meal included. We were initially given the set menu, but what I really loved was how relaxed and flexible the team were. They explained that although the voucher included the set menu, the value of the food allowance could be put towards anything on the menu. No fuss, no awkwardness, just complete flexibility.

The problem then became deciding what to have. There was simply too much choice. You had the a la carte menu, the set menu and a handheld & snack menu and I wanted something off of all of them.

The NICI Caesar Salad could be topped with shrimp and crayfish, grilled chicken or hot smoked salmon. There was Seafood Farfalle, Cauliflower Korma, a Shrimp and Crayfish Bloomer, a hot dog and fries, and a Bang Bang Wrap filled with spiced cauliflower, Miami slaw and yoghurt dressing.

Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I went somewhere and genuinely struggled to choose because so many things appealed. In the end, I opted for the Caesar salad and oh my word…

Rather than simply bringing out a plate of food, they arrived with a trolley carrying all the ingredients separately. The salad was then prepared tableside, with the server explaining each ingredient as it was added.

“Would you like more Tabasco?” Yes please.

“Extra anchovies?” No thanks.

The theatre of it all was something I’d normally associate with a chateaubriand rather than a Caesar salad, but it completely worked. It transformed a simple lunch dish into an experience and I loved every minute of it.

All of the food was fantastic and, with the sun shining, we genuinely felt as though I was on holiday abroad rather than the seaside town of Bournemouth. Thought I would be focusing on The Nici Bournemouth Spa Day Review and not appreciated what a big element the food would play!

Miami Nice

After lunch we spent more time around the outdoor pool doing what I consider to be one of life’s great pastimes: people watching. We tried to work out who was staying at the hotel and who was there on a spa or pool day. It was surprisingly difficult to tell, which probably says something about how welcoming and inclusive the whole place feels.

All I really know is that I absolutely love The NICI.

The vibe is effortlessly cool, the spa facilities are excellent, the staff are brilliant and the food alone is worth a visit.

I will definitely be back.

And I’m entirely grateful to The Cool One for so generously sharing her gift voucher with me. It felt like a real treat and it was a really lovely way to spend some quality time together.

If you’re looking for a gift for a friend, partner or loved one, a voucher for The NICI feels like a guaranteed winner. We left feeling relaxed, refreshed and having caught up on all of our gossip.

Five stars from me. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ And thank you again, Cool One. Same time next year?