From spa hotels to seaside retreats
It’s going to be another big year for staycations – with Devon set to be a popular spot thanks to its sandy beaches and charming seaside towns. Wondering where to stay? Here are the best hotels in Devon.
The Best Hotels in Devon 2022
Reviews are taken from this year’s Great British & Irish Hotels Guide, you can read the full reviews online or purchase your print Hotels Guide here.
Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa, Salcombe
One of the most picturesque hotels in the west of England, set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Salcombe Harbour Hotel is a waterside retreat overlooking the picture-postcard Devonshire town of Salcombe. A maritime theme is subtly referenced throughout the 49 rooms and one suite, with a soothing palette of blues and whites, natural fabrics and driftwood. There’s a menu of holistic treatments on offer at the HarSPA, from scrubs and wraps to relaxing facials. A spacious seaside sanctuary, its blue and gold indoor pool is flanked with Breton-striped day beds.
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+44 (0)1548 844444 / harbourhotels.co.uk/salcombe
Lympstone Manor, Exmouth
This handsome country house hotel is the culmination of experience gleaned by chef patron Michael Caines over an exceptional career as a Michelin-starred celebrity chef. Once the playground of the Baring banking family, it now has 21 glamorous guest rooms that take their names from birds of the Exe Estuary below them, as well as six new shepherd’s huts arranged around a pond in the grounds. Indeed, the soul of the place revolves around the Exe and its birdlife, featured in the staircase wallpaper (hand-painted by local artist Rachel Toll), the pictures of surrounding Devonshire scenery and the soothing bedroom colour schemes.
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+44 (0)1395 202040 / lympstonemanor.co.uk
Gidleigh Park, Chagford
‘Keep heart,’ reads a sign along the narrow, twisting lane to Gidleigh Park, ‘you are still en route’. It may be remote, but it’s a haven of luxury. The Tudor-style house – surrounded by abundant gardens and embraced by river and woods on Dartmoor’s edge – has been in the deft hands of Andrew and Christina Brownsword since 2005. They sensitively upgraded the house, embellishing the interior with smart fabrics and Arts & Crafts-inspired furniture. Gidleigh is as famous for its restaurant as its divine interiors, and dinner here – outstanding but unpretentious cooking, rooted in the local area – remains the highlight of any stay. After your meal, be sure to make time to borrow a pair of complimentary Dubarrys and enjoy a stroll around the beautiful estate.
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+44 (0)1647 432367; gidleigh.co.uk
The Pig at Combe, Gittisham
As you approach this grade I-listed Elizabethan manor down the mile-long drive, surrounded by meadows, it slips tantalisingly in and out of sight, building a sense of romance that’s utterly fulfilled on arrival. Always a special place, it’s now brimful of life, bonhomie and stylish informality. With the main bar installed in the historic Grand Hall, the fun starts the moment you walk in. There’s a wonderful, double-aspect conservatory restaurant with bare wood floors, restored shutters and incredible views; cosy snugs with roaring fires; a bar with wood-fired oven in the ‘derelict chic’ Folly; huge raftered bedrooms in the attic; an atmospheric private dining room in the original Georgian kitchen and so much more.
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+44 (0)1404 540400 / thepighotel.com
Cary Arms and Spa, Babbacombe
Visitors descend a cliff lane and dramatic views of the English Riviera unfold. Once ensconced in the Cary Arms & Spa – owned by Peter and Lana de Savary – you feel as though you’re in a Mills & Boon romance and Famous Five adventure rolled into one. Its delightful bedrooms, with echoes of New England-style, are each supplied with a stick of rock on the snow-white pillows. Eat Devon beef and Lyme Bay lobster in the stone-walled bar, or on pretty terraces that hang over the bay. Bedrooms in the inn are sumptuous and seaside-fresh, while the beach huts and suites are beautiful and contemporary.
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+44 (0)1803 327110 / caryarms.co.uk
Hotel Endsleigh, Milton Abbot
This delightful Regency cottage orné is set down a mile-long drive in its own secret valley. Built for the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, its 100-acre gardens were laid out by Humphry Repton, whose plans included placing hidden chimneys in the woods so they could see smoke curling prettily above the trees. Today, over a delicious meal, you can gaze on the same view from lovely terraces. Repton’s raised herbaceous border, the River Tamar and the tumbling woods beyond are a mesmerising sight.
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+44 (0)1822 870000 / thepolizzicollection.com
The Horn of Plenty, Tavistock
The majority of Devon and Cornwall is within an hour’s drive of this elegant 19th-century country house hotel, a stone’s throw from the Tamar Valley. For starters, the views of patchwork fields and dense forest are sensational. The other big draw is the two AA Rosette fine dining restaurant that has just been completely re-built so that now the doors open onto a huge new, valley-facing, two-level terrace (the best spot for afternoon tea). The food is modern British, made from locally sourced produce and exquisitely presented. The 16 stylish rooms are split between the main house (built in 1866 with high ceilings, huge windows and exposed fireplaces), the original coach house and a sleek new wing – the best come with a private balcony overlooking the pretty walled garden.
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+44 (0)1822 832528 / thehornofplenty.co.uk
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