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Inner Dowsing Lightship

Property class: 3

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Photo gallery for Inner Dowsing Lightship

A balcony with a white table and a black chair, overlooking a marina with boats and buildings in the background. - Inner Dowsing Lightship (Rochester)
A wooden staircase with built-in lighting, leading to a door at the top. - Inner Dowsing Lightship (Rochester)
A riverboat with a covered deck and a dining area, docked at a marina with several boats. - Inner Dowsing Lightship (Rochester)
A cozy room with a wooden floor, a dining table with chairs, a red sofa, and a small black stove. - Inner Dowsing Lightship (Rochester)
A bedroom with a large bed, a smaller bed, a desk, and a ladder. There are framed pictures on the wall and a shelf with books and a lamp. - Inner Dowsing Lightship (Rochester)
Inner Dowsing Lightship provides laundry facilities and more. Stay connected with free in-room WiFi.

Reviews

9.6 out of 10
Exceptional

Popular amenities

  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
  • Laundry

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Room options

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Showing 3 of 3 rooms

View all photos for Superior Double Room, Ensuite, Marina View

A bedroom with a bed, a desk, and a view of a body of water through large windows.

Superior Double Room, Ensuite, Marina View

9.2 out of 10
Wonderful
(9 reviews)
  • Marina view
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed
  • Free wired internet

View all photos for Classic Double Room, Ensuite, Marina View

A bedroom with a metal bed frame, a wooden bedside table, a small bedside lamp, and a wall-mounted artwork.

Classic Double Room, Ensuite, Marina View

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(6 reviews)
  • Marina view
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Traditional Apartment, Ensuite, Marina View

A bedroom with a large bed, a smaller bed, a desk, and a ladder. There are framed pictures on the wall and a shelf with books and a lamp.

Traditional Apartment, Ensuite, Marina View

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • Marina view
  • 50 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed and 2 Large Twin Sofa Beds

About the neighborhood

Located in Rochester, Inner Dowsing Lightship is in the historical district. Leeds Castle and Dickens' Swiss Chalet are local landmarks, and some of the area's attractions include The Vines Park and Diggerland. Looking to enjoy an event or a game while in town? See what's happening at Brands Hatch Circuit or Priestfield Stadium. Visit our Rochester travel guide
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Map
Inner Dowsing Lightship, Medway Bridge Marina, Manor Lane, Rochester, England, ME1 3HS

What's nearby

  • Cineworld Rochester
    18 min walk - 1.0 mile
  • Dickens' Swiss Chalet
    3 min drive - 1.3 miles
  • Ranscombe Farm Country Park
    4 min drive - 2.3 miles
  • The Vines Park
    5 min drive - 2.3 miles
  • Hollywood Bowl Rochester
    5 min drive - 3.3 miles

Getting around

  • Chatham Station
    6 min drive
  • London (SEN-Southend)
    70 min drive

Restaurants

  • The Golden Lion
    5 min drive
  • McDonald's
    10 min drive
  • Beantown Coffee
    3 min drive
  • Rochester Best Kebab
    4 min drive
  • The Queen Charlotte
    5 min drive

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Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • In-room WiFi speed: 25+ Mbps
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Free secured self parking on site

Family friendly

  • Laundry facilities

Conveniences

  • Laundry facilities

Guest services

  • Change of bedsheets (on request)
  • Change of towels on request
  • Housekeeping (on request)

Accessibility

  • No elevator

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bed sheets provided

Bathroom

  • Hair dryer
  • Private bathroom
  • Shower/bathtub combination
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • 32-inch smart TV with digital channels

Food and drink

  • Electric kettle
  • Free bottled water
  • Tea bags/instant coffee

More

  • Heating
  • Portable fan

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

There is no front desk at this property
The host will greet guests on arrival
This property doesn't offer after-hours check-in
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Host will greet you

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Property payment types

  • American Express
  • Mastercard
  • Visa

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards and debit cards; cash is not accepted

We should mention

This property does not have elevators

Frequently asked questions

Is Inner Dowsing Lightship pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking?

Self parking is free at this property.

What time is check-in at Inner Dowsing Lightship?

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM. After-hours check-in is not available.

What time is check-out at Inner Dowsing Lightship?

Check-out is at 11:00 AM.

Where is Inner Dowsing Lightship located?

Situated in the historical district, this guesthouse is within 2 mi (3 km) of Dickens' Swiss Chalet, The Vines Park, and Rochester Cathedral. Rochester Castle and Restoration House are also within 2 mi (3 km).

Can I cancel my reservation for free and receive a full refund?

Yes, this property offers free cancellation on select room rates, because flexibility matters! Please refer to the property cancellation policy on our site for more details about any exclusions or requirements.

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Reviews

Inner Dowsing Lightship Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

9.8

Cleanliness

9.4

Amenities

9.8

Staff & service

9.6

Property conditions & facilities
Rating 10 - Excellent. 48 out of 58 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 8 out of 58 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 58 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 58 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 58 reviews

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely stay! Great hosts, great location, will stay again for sure.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
On one the hottest days of the year there was a welcoming breeze lovely sitting on the deck with a cool drink watching the wildlife and sunset amazing only wished we could have stayed longer we will be back to explore Rochester thanks Kathy and Anthony
Stayed 1 night in May 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
lovely location view and friendly check in
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
What an absolute gem. Such a remarkable couple who own the accommodation. So very friendly and helpful. Lots of history about the actual accommodation within the room, which gives the stay an added dimension. The room was very comfortable and clean. We would recommend. We had a lovely few days.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I loved it. Really lovely room in a lovely location
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Glorious location and super cute accommodation. Only negative is that two of the three rooms are up very narrow steep steps (it’s a boat!) and the car park is 100m away so not easy to get to if you’ve limited mobility. But if that’s not an issue for you, 100% recommend!!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Unique and special historical accomodation,great ,ication and fine hosts
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Amazing

We had a lovely stay, great place, really nice views and really nice host. Great breakfast too.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
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.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
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.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Unique place

Unique place to stay. Owners were both very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was very good.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
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.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
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!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
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!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

A Delightful find

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
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Recommend!!

Very nice stay on this lovely boat! My parents had one of the double rooms and myself and the kids had the apartment. We were made very welcome by the owners. The boat was well equipped and beautifully decorated. The kids also loved that there was a basketball hoop & football goal they could use. Everyone was happy.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Unique & Great Location!

We had a warm welcome from the moment that we got there. The room was so bright with windows/doors down to sides of the room. All that yoj would need. A lovely sun deck to to relax on and enjoy the late summer sun. Location for Rochester City center & surrounding area was spot on. In the morning the continental breakfast was really good to start the day.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
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.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Feel of the Med on the Medway 😎

What a treat staying on a boat! Well worth it. So glad we chose this place. At a marina so a little out of the way. Lovely food at The White Horse Borstal. Hope to return. Need to have reasonable mobility because of steps and hill up to the pub. Jeremy and family were great hosts. We hope to return soon. Thanks for your hospitality. The breakfast was superb.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
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!
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
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.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities

Disappointing

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…
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Really nice stay on a very unique and historical boat. Clean and well kept. Owners obviously love the place!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2026
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Unusual place to stay but very pleasant. With the high weather temperatures we have just had it was a tad warm dispite a large fan. Slept with doors open. Minor improvement could be made but that said our stay was very good. We would return. Thank you.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful stay
Stayed 1 night in May 2026