25 of the best hotels in Devon

Times

4 days ago

As a Cornishman, every time I cross the River Tamar into Devon, there's a bit of me that feels as if I'm venturing into foreign territory. The rivalry between the two counties is centuries old, and while it's friendly most of the time, it has a habit of emerging unexpectedly over certain crucial matters — such as pasties (definitely Cornish), cream teas (always jam first) and rugby (Pirates for ever). But underneath the niggles, Devon and Cornwall have more in common than divides them: from the craggy coast, golden coves and quaint fishing villages to the perennially tempestuous relationship with tourists (in Devon, by the way, you're a grockle; in Cornwall, an emmet).
The attractions are similar too: lazy beach days, long pub lunches, sea swims, peaceful hikes and the kind of countryside for which summer holidays are made. The advantage Devon has over Cornwall is there's more of it: this is England's fourth-largest county after North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Cumbria, which means the pressures of summer are a little more diffused, and there's more space to spread out and explore. It also means that you need to think more carefully about where to stay, as crossing from one coast to the other is a trek, especially in the inevitable summer traffic jams.
North Devon is the less gentrified of the two coasts, home to faded old Victorian resort towns such as Ilfracombe, Lynton and Westward Ho!, but also wilder spots including Braunton Burrows, the underexplored Hartland Coast and the western side of Exmoor. South Devon is a blend of brash and boutique: with the candyfloss resort towns of Torquay and Paignton, as well as the chichi South Hams and the yachtie havens of Dartmouth and Salcombe. For proper wildness, go for Dartmoor, the southwest's strangest landscape, where sculpted tors loom on the horizon, and centuries-old villages hunker in wooded valleys.
When it comes to places to stay, you will find sprawling country houses, boutique hotels, cosy cottages, characterful pubs and everything in between. I've chosen 25 of my own favourites here, but there are scores of others I could have included. Cornwall will always feel like home for me, but I never need much of an excuse for a trip to Devon.
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If there's a more entertaining hotel in Devon than this, we've yet to find it. It's the epitome of the Pig family's playful style, with a junk shop aesthetic of mismatched furniture, odd antiques and vintage ephemera that somehow simply works. The setting is marvellous: a grand part-Elizabethan house overlooking the Otter Valley, with views of woods and rolling fields in all directions, and a walled kitchen garden that supplies produce to the restaurant. Choose from quirky rooms including an old horse box, a converted laundry or the secret attic hideaway — or book one of the posh garden wagons and the hotel will pick you up for dinner in its Land Rover. The Folly in the garden serves excellent pizzas and hosts music nights, and there are spa treatments in an old potting shed.Details Room-only doubles from £209 (thepighotel.com)
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This is what you want from a Devon getaway: a quietly elegant house, glorious gardens, an excellent restaurant and miles and miles of Dartmoor countryside on your doorstep. It's owned by Olga Polizzi, who's renovated the grade I listed house in her signature country-chic style. It has a flavour of the Highland lodge about it, with botanical print furnishings, a wood-panelled library and Hunter wellies to borrow. The house was commissioned by Georgina, Duchess of Bedford, the paramour of the painter Edwin Landseer, but it's the gardens designed by Humphry Repton that steal the show. The head gardener will give you a tour, or ask the in-house ghillie for fishing lessons.Details B&B doubles from £355 (thepolizzicollection.com)
Find tranquillity galore on a working smallholding in east Devon, where you can immerse yourself in the nitty-gritty of country living: learning how to bake your own bread, making pasta from scratch, preserving with pickles or catching your own mackerel for supper. The house is full of charm and not in the slightest pretentious; the seven bedrooms have chintzy wallpapers, retro tiles and antique knick-knacks, plus splendid views over the Coly Valley. Copper Beech has the most space, or book the Southleigh Wood cabin or the Old Kitchen annexe. A generous farmhouse breakfast is included in the rates.Details B&B doubles from £179 (glebehousedevon.co.uk)
There are several huge, super-fancy country hotels on Dartmoor, but I much prefer this little place on the east side of the moor: a 500 year-old traditional Devon longhouse that's been sensitively renovated by its owners, Sam Perry and Jo Gossett, who moved here from Hackney in 2007. There are only six rooms, blending slinky urban style (animal hide throws, sheepskin rugs, leather sofas) with the building's original beams and solid shell of cob and stone. My favourites are Orla, with its romantic in-room bathtub and Teign Valley views, and Kota, which is in a standalone barn in the garden. Breakfast is delicious (try the homemade granola) and there are supper clubs in the winter.Details B&B doubles from £165 (weekebarton.com)
Totnes is a town renowned for its alternative ethos, and this pimped-up pub at the top of the High Street fits right in. It's run by Geetie Singh-Watson, whose husband, Guy, founded Riverford farm in the Eighties, and it's governed by laudable 'No Bull' principles: an organic restaurant, 100 per cent local suppliers and eco-friendly materials throughout, from the mattresses to the breadboards. There are nine rooms, all simply furnished and very cosy, plus a four-bed apartment across the street.Details B&B doubles from £175 (bullinntotnes.co.uk)
North Devon and big tech are concepts that don't tend to go hand in hand, but the little village of Woolsery is a real curiosity. It's become the fiefdom of the Bebo founder Michael Birch, who has family connections with the village, and his wife, Xochi. First they acquired the pub, the Farmers Arms, then an organic farm, a chippy, several cottages (including a former smithy) and the old shop, which now doubles as a posh B&B. All have a retro style harking back to the Thirties and Forties. It makes for a bizarre experience — nostalgia meets countrified cosplay — but there's no denying the quality of the renovations, and the food is fab. It's in a lovely, quiet area, too, with Hartland Point nearby.Details B&B doubles from £275 (woolsery.com)
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This austere 16th-century manor with a flashy modern spa tacked on the back and a swanky Michelin-starred restaurant is a peculiar mix. On the edge of Plymouth, Devon's perennially unfashionable city, the old house is a timewarp — carved wood, suits of armour and creaky corridors — while the restaurant, Àclèaf (it means 'oak leaf' in Old English), overlooks the Great Hall from the minstrel's gallery. Behind the hotel, the Gaia Spa feels like it belongs to a different hotel altogether, with its living moss walls, glass-walled pool and gleaming Spatisserie café. Whether the clash feels clever or jarring is a matter of taste.Details B&B doubles from £180 (boringdonhall.co.uk)
For cool rooms and clifftop views, nowhere in Devon does the business quite like Gara Rock. It's set on a properly isolated stretch of the South West Coast Path, across the estuary from Salcombe on the way to the headland of Prawle Point (which is well worth a walk, by the way). The style is fun: sheepskin rugs, leather armchairs, Indian-print throws, and a hipster mix of wood, wicker, hessian and glass, giving it the feel of a posh friend's coastal crashpad. Huge windows draw your eyes to the sea around every corner, and there's also a lovely pool, cinema room and spa. Sea-views are essential: standard rooms have balconies or patios, but for a splash, the spacious loft-style suites are the ones to pick. It's pricey in summer, but there are often good shoulder-season deals.Details B&B doubles from £295 (gararock.com)
Owned by a charcutier and a winemaker, this sweet country farm encapsulates the Devon good life. The farm dates to the 17th century but the two barn rooms have been renovated with 21st-century sensibilities: clean lines, minimal clutter. Horseshoe Barn feels more contemporary, with its wood cladding and Scandi interiors; Meadow Barn feels more traditional, with its slouchy sofa, buttermilk walls and antique rugs. Both barns overlook the courtyard but have their own private gardens with hot tubs. The owner Alice Shuttleworth leads guided walks into the surrounding countryside, while her husband, Hugo, supplies salami, merguez sausages and goat chops for the barbecue. A glass of Alice's Furleigh Estate sparkling wine goes down very nicely, too.Details Seven nights' self-catering for two from £942 (bottlefarm.co.uk)
Thanks to several decades' worth of TV shows and cookery books, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's famous whitewashed cottage will be immediately familiar even if you've never stayed there — which you should, because it makes an ideal base from which to explore east Devon. Many people come here to take a course — perhaps fish filleting, breadmaking, meat-smoking or beekeeping — but the chance to spend the night is a treat, with quaint, characterful rooms, goodies from the cottage chefs and views over the famous kitchen garden. Note that two of the cottage rooms share a bathroom — book the Master Room if you want an ensuite, or go for the Gardeners Cottage.Details B&B doubles from £180 (rivercottage.net)
No hotel in Devon has a setting as unique as this: a tidal island beside the golden sands of Bigbury-on-Sea, which at high tide can be accessed by a Heath Robinson 'sea tractor' called Trundle, built for the purpose. The hotel was a favourite haunt of the writer Agatha Christie, who lived along the coast at Greenway, near Dartmouth, and it still has more than a dash of art deco style about it: shell-shaped armchairs, old-fashioned telephones, parquet floors and a stained-glass roof in the Palm Court Lounge. Unsurprisingly, the hotel's murder mystery weekends are very popular. Dine in style in the Grand Ballroom or the Nettlefold, or try the island's pub, the Pilchard Inn, for something more relaxed.Details B&B doubles from £664 (burghisland.com)
The chalky soils and mild climate of south Devon are the perfect terroir for winemaking, and this sumptuous hotel sits among rolling vineyards that run down to the Exe estuary. It's the latest project of the Devon restaurateur, hotelier and celebrity chef Michael Caines, so you can expect to be seriously spoilt here: glitzy suites, vineyard tours and of course a Michelin-starred restaurant, with a glass of the estate's classic cuvée as the aperitif. Choose from one of the estuary-view rooms in the main house or a swish shepherd's hut in the 28-acre grounds. The posh Pool House is a great addition.Details B&B doubles from £495 (lympstonemanor.co.uk)
After years of globetrotting, the designers Edwin Ho and Mike Jowett have put down roots in rural Devon and created their own boutique retreat on Tidwell Farm. The barn rooms blend rustic architecture (beams, stone walls, old cattle troughs) with glamorous design flourishes, from in-room bathtubs to camp rococo beds. This is rustic chic dialled up to the max. You can also rent the entire eight-bed manor farmhouse if you're really in need of the space. Amazingly, the whole farm is heated by an eco-friendly biomass boiler, including the little outdoor pool. Ho and Jowett are often around to chat to guests, as is their golden retriever, Gibson.Details Room-only doubles from £175 (anran.co.uk)
On a sunny summer's day here you'll have to pinch yourself not to believe you're staying at a flashy resort on the Med. Positioned right on South Sands, this is a relaxed, stylish beach hotel that makes the most of its location. Sea View rooms have glass balconies looking out over the water, while Valley View rooms are cheaper and overlook fields. The spa is a big draw, and the glass-fronted restaurant-slash-beach-bar is a lovely setting for supper as the sun goes down. Details B&B doubles from £268 (harbourhotels.co.uk)
Clad in larch and with a grass roof, this striking modernist house seems to disappear into the landscape from one angle, while from across the lake it becomes a contemporary design composed of wood and glass. The striking style continues inside, where sleek Scandi-influenced interiors and expansive windows create a feel of real luxury. The house scooped a Riba award in 2019; it's the kind of place that would send Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud into paroxysms of pleasure. Set on the Chevithorne Barton Estate between Exmoor and the Blackdown Hills, the grounds encompass a nationally significant oak collection, as well as two rowing lakes and lots of wildflower meadows.Details Seven nights' self-catering for ten from £4,995 (uniquehomestays.com)
Newly opened in 2025, Fowlescombe looks set to become one of Devon's fanciest farm getaways for those who can afford it. It's on a 500-acre organic farm that specialises in rare-breed cattle, but don't be fooled into thinking this is a rustic, roughing-it kind of place — the ten suites are sumptuous, crafted from old barns using local oak, stone and wool, with the kind of sharp design that you'd normally expect in a big city hotel. Farm experiences are a big part of staying here: pitch in with feeding the animals, pick some fresh veg for dinner or take a bread-baking masterclass with the chefs. Details B&B doubles from £465 (fowlescombe.com)
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A classic spot for Sunday lunch in the South Hams, this gastropub sits on the shingly seafront in Beesands. It's been in business since 1867 and run by the same family, the Heaths, for more than 20 years. The rooms (all with cricket-themed names) are simple and bright, with a palette of sea-blues and wave-whites echoing the views outside, while black-and-white photos dotted about document the pub's past. The grub is of a high standard, with seafood obviously taking centre stage. Details B&B doubles from £160 (thecricketinn.com)
These two fabulously contemporary treehouses just to the north of Dartmoor are hidden in private woodland but bang up to date in terms of design, with their ink-black cladding, crisp carpentry, widescreen glass doors, skylights and wood-burners. Starling is among the trees, while Black Cap sits further up the hillside and offers a panorama over the hills. Both of the treehouses have hot tubs out on the deck, perfect for late-night stargazing. There are some great country pubs nearby and lots of hikes on Dartmoor — or steer your bike along the Granite Way.Details Two nights' self-catering for two from £700 (nymetwoodtreehouses.com)
Sandwiched between two moors — Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor — Tavistock was once an important stannary town, where locally mined tin and other metals were assayed, but it's now often overlooked. That's a shame, as it's a handsome place, ideally placed for hiking and free of crowds. The Cornish Arms is the town's top pub, highly rated for its food and with seven attractive rooms all named after local wildlife. The two suites, Stag and Mallard, offer lots of space and both have copper bathtubs. Details B&B doubles from £155 (thecornisharmstavistock.co.uk)
If you're torn between hotel facilities and self-catering convenience, Gitcombe might be just the ticket. There are nine cottages dotted about the estate, with shared access to two swimming pools (both heated, one indoor, one outdoor), a tennis court, adventure playgrounds for the kids and 14 acres to explore. There's a cottage here to suit all needs and family configurations: the spacious original farmhouse, several converted barns and a magnificent loft-style retreat that sleeps eight and offers sweeping views down the valley. It's all been very tastefully done — the challenge here will be working up the enthusiasm to go anywhere else. Which you should: the River Dart and the South Hams are on your doorstep.Details Seven nights' self-catering for four from £2,645 (gitcombe.co.uk)
Long lauded as one of south Devon's top dining pubs, the Millbrook has also added a brace of upmarket self-catering cottages to its portfolio — meaning you can dine and drink to excess and still be within stumbling distance of your own bed. The two cottages, Land and Sea, share a similar palette: light, white and Scandi-adjacent, with the cottages' rustic architecture contrasting against bespoke joinery, digital window blinds and trendy furniture. There's also a private garden for guests' use. The village is quiet and off the beaten track, so a good place to escape for quiet walks. Both cottages have a two-night minimum stay; dogs are welcome. Details Two nights' self-catering for two people from £590 (millbrookinnsouthpool.co.uk)
The location is almost hard to believe here: a grandstand position above the epic, sea-swashed sweep of Saunton Sands. Throw in glossy interiors that look like something from a Homes & Gardens shoot and you're getting some idea of the scene. The clifftop villa has been adapted into seven self-contained apartments, with French doors opening onto a (shared) 60ft balcony that spans the width of the building. For maximum glamour (and privacy), opt for the top-floor penthouse, which looks like a luxe loft in the Hamptons and has a wood-burner, skylights and private balcony. Details One night's self-catering for two from £399 (chaletsaunton.com)
A lovelier coastal inn you could not hope to find — and even though it's now owned by the Cornish brewing behemoth St Austell Brewery, it's clung onto its hugger-mugger, thatched character. The rooms in the main inn are as cosy as they come, higgledy-piggledy in style, with little windows peeping out onto the road; there are more spacious rooms in a terrace of cottages across from the main inn. But it's the downstairs bar where everyone congregates: low-slung and beamed, with big stone fireplaces and vintage knick-knacks on the walls, it's the perfect picture of a Devon pub.Details B&B doubles from £150 (masonsarms.co.uk)
The little waterside village of Stoke Gabriel on the River Dart has a long and illustrious history of boat-building and this house has been impressively converted from its original incarnation as a 19th-century boat house. It stands right beside the water's edge, with widescreen windows and balconies opening onto the river. A striking staircase winds up through the centre, connecting the open-plan kitchen diner with the upper floors, and there's a charming waterside patio. For lunch pop along to the River Shack for seafood, then hire a kayak or paddleboard to see the river up close.Details Seven nights' self-catering for four from £4,995 (uniquehomestays.com)
This is the ultimate seaside cabin, tucked under tall cliffs on its own private patch of beach on the little-explored stretch of coast between Noss Mayo and Bigbury-on-Sea. It's reached via a 15-minute walk down the steep cliff path from nearby Carswell Farm. At the bottom, you'll find the hut, solidly built from slate and stone. Outside there's a tiny beachside patio and an alfresco hot tub; inside, there are hammocks, a little kitchen, a tiny bathroom and a bed loft reached by ladder. Despite its off-grid location there's mains water and electricity, and a wood-burner for chilly nights. You can even get supper hampers delivered — which is handy, considering the nearest shop is miles away. It's unsurprisingly popular, however, so you'll have to book months ahead — or settle for one of the other cottages on the farm. Details Two nights' self-catering for two from £910 (carswellholidays.com)
Have we missed your favourite Devon stay? Let us know in the comments below