Inner Dowsing Lightship

A lovely place to stay,great views looking down Medway,can be a bit noisy from motorway bridge nearby,really needs to offer breakfast as its not cheap just for a bed but staying on an old boat looking down the Medway and Rochester makes the price more bearable.

I know the area really well, as I used to live nearby. The surrounding area doesn’t have a great deal to do, but if you have a car there’s plenty of choice within a few miles. I was visiting my mother, and wasn’t looking for entertainment. Fancied staying on a boat, which was good Amazing river views, especially the first night as it was 33c and beautiful to sit outside on the deck area. .

The houseboat is located in a marina which looks a bit rundown, a car is absolutely necessary to go to Rochester or any other nearby village. The owners have been renovating the property for the past few years and indeed our room was nicely decorated and clean. Unfortunately though the boathouse is located next to a highway bridge and the noise is just unbearable. We booked our room in November 2024 for a stay in July 2025 on a B&B basis. At our greatest surprise we were told that they no longer serve breakfast but that they would get back to us after our departure to agree on a partial refund. They never did. We contacted Hotels.com and instead of helping out they simply said they could not get hold of the owners… So we ended up paying 135€ for a one night stay without breakfast (extremely expensive for a room only rate) and had to go to Rochester and pay an additional 23£ to have breakfast! That was deeply disappointing. If the owners had decided to no longer serve breakfast they should have informed Hotels.com and the incoming customers and have the latter decide whether they wanted to keep their reservation. As simple as that. Hospitality is after all a profession…

Surrounding wasn't that great but its a working harbor, beautiful boat. Quite and chilled if we are down that way we will definitely go back.

Absolutely amazing and unique stay, the view, the comfort and the history of the ship were all genuinely wonderful. We arrived on the hottest day of the year so far and the lovely hosts kindly ungraded us to the much larger self catering accommodation as this was much cooler and was much appreciated! Everything was just amazing!

Very cosy and warm, steep steps up to room and parking a few minutes walk away. A wonderful view to wake up to overlooking the river Medway. No breakfast inc and it’s not clear reading the other reviews, I think it’s overpriced without breakfast. We enjoyed our stay but I wouldn’t stay here again unfortunately. If you are a light sleeper noisy traffic in the background also. The host was friendly.

The property is very different to a hotel I would say quirky very unique being the last wooden hull lightship remaining Very friendly owners who live on board warm and cosy when blowing a gale as it did when we stayed Difficult to find in the dark needs more signage to direct you

Very helpful check in.Good breakfast in an interesting location.A piece of history.Close to a good local pub and a nice walk into town

The owners were very welcoming and the boat was a lovely experience that we hope to repeat in the near future. Breakfast was delicious and served with a happy smile.

Simply beautiful, as a native to the area and someone who has worked in multiple hotels in the area I have to say that this was a refreshing surprise and the entire family enjoyed their stay. From the unique setting to the warm hospitality shown by the owners, not to mention the amazing breakfast, it was a beautiful stay in a beautiful setting with comfort to equal the views. We cannot wait to come back again!

Eine Nacht auf dem Schiff im Hafen ist mal was anderes. Zwei Zimmer stehen zur Buchung zur Verfügung, davon ein Familienzimmer mit einem Hochbett. Zimmer und Bad sind liebevoll eingerichtet. Frühstück gibt es unter Deck, im warmen Sommer sicherlich auch auf Deck. Gastgeben leben selbst auf dem Schiff und sind sehr freundlich und nett. Gesicherter Parkplatz auf dem Hafengelände ist fussläufig zu erreichen. Der Ort Rochester ist per zu Fuß oder per Auto (schneller) zu erreichen. Gerne wieder...

Beautiful find. Very impressed, everything was perfect. The room was amazing, especially waking up to the views in the sunshine. Everything we needed and the room was spotless. All the little details have been thought of. The breakfast was yummy and the owners very friendly. We even had a text the evening we arrived asking us what time we would like breakfast and the options available. Such a lovely personal touch. Will definitely go back and recommend to others.

Unique place to stay. Owners were both very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was very good.

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Lovely accommodation. Very lovely hosts. Very good breakfast . Comfy bed. Unfortunately close to M2 bridge and rail line. Relaxing with constant back ground noise . And i would say not in a marina more a boat yard. Not a problem for us but need to be aware very steep stairs to upper deck.

We loved the experience! The host was terrific.

Lovely, unique location and host was amazing

We had a such a wonderful time on this beautiful family run boat. My husband and I stayed in the comfort quadruple room with our two young boys aged 6 and 8 to explore Diggerland and Rochester a few minutes away. We were even able to spend a day at Port Lympne Safari an hour' drive during the half-term break. Jeremy and his wife were so warm and hospitable and every little detail on the boat is exceptional. We looked forward to the fresh breakfasts every morning from croissants, pastries, breads, yoghurts, fresh fruit and best of all themed pancakes what the boys loved. Thank you for a memorable stay!

We had a lovely stay, great place, really nice views and really nice host. Great breakfast too.

Unique and special historical accomodation,great ,ication and fine hosts