The best hotels in Devon: Where to stay for romantic getaways, spa weekends and outdoor adventures

The word is out: Devon is the place to be. With beautiful coastlines dotted with Blue Flag beaches, plus acres of rolling countryside to explore – including the added bonus of Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks – this area of South West England is a staycationer’s dream.

If stately architecture, Michelin-starred cuisine, cool bars and shopping sprees is what you’re after, Exeter, Devon’s coastal capital, won’t disappoint. You’ll also find plenty of indie shops and eateries sprinkled throughout the county, along with countless cute tea rooms and cosy old pubs.

As for where to stay, gone are the days when time spent on the English Riviera would have entailed lodgings in some generic, overpriced seaside hotel. Nowadays, your options are virtually limitless – choose between bedding down in a listed manor house, cosy cottage, woodland spa retreat or a budget boutique hotel. If you’re travelling with kids or a four-legged friend, you’ll also find a host of family- and dog-friendly places to pitch up.

But if you really want to get away from it all, you can opt to stay on a private island, exploring the rugged countryside from a centuries-old castle and getting your wellies muddy during the day. Come the evening, you can return to your stargazey shepherd’s hut before heading out for a sundowner overlooking an estuary, or getting blissfully pummelled in an award-winning spa.

Whatever you’re after, you’re sure to find the perfect place to rest your head, with our hand-picked round-up of the best hotels in Devon.

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The floor-to-ceiling window frames views of the Buckland Abbey Estate on Dartmoor, while the skylight above your bed enables you and your other half to stargaze without setting foot outside your shepherd’s hut. And stargaze you shall – StarBeds Hideaways is as off grid and remote as it gets. Getting here is an adventure in itself, with a Supacat multi-terrain vehicle whisking you up the hill to your abode.

Shepherd’s hut needn’t mean rustic, either. Here, you’ll find homey comforts, such as roll-top tubs with rain showers, plus wood-burning stoves. You’ll also find birding binoculars, nature identification books and fire pits for cosy evenings.

Price: Doubles from £164

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This countryside retreat overlooking the Exe estuary takes its food very seriously – and it shows. Helmed by Michael Caines CBE (who you may have spotted on the BBC’s Great British Menu), the kitchen at this cream-hued, Grade-II listed Georgian manor earned its first Michelin star within six months of opening. Guests can look forward to sampling the nightly eight-course, seasonal signature tasting menu, alongside tipples from Caines’s own vineyard. In fact, you can ask him about the vintages in person, since he takes the time to greet new arrivals.

Sunset’s a big event here, too – perch outside (or soak in your outdoor tub, if you’ve booked the Wood Warbler Suite) with a gin and tonic, birding binoculars in hand, and drink in the Exe-ceptional views. 

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There are just five individually styled, rustic-cool rooms at this 500-year-old granite longhouse, respectfully updated by a couple of hipsters from Hackney, so, you’ll get to know your fellow guests very well. Odds are, they’ll be from London or Bristol – young professionals, trading their hectic lifestyle for a couple of days’ rambling in the countryside or a spot of fishing nearby.

Breakfasts and dinners are sociable affairs, consumed communally at the 3m-long polished slate table to a chilled soundtrack of Balearic beats. If you’re in search of some tranquillity, you’ll find it in your wood-beamed, low-ceilinged room, dotted with 1950s pin-up postcards and strewn with sheepskin rugs (or while soaking in your freestanding tub). 

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This tapestry-adorned, oak-panelled manor house dates back to the 16th century, and if you’re an appreciator of architecture, you’ll be thrilled at the sight of original features such as soaring ornate ceilings, beamed walls and flagstone floors. Compared with the characterful four-poster rooms with antique furnishings and  freestanding tubs by the fireplace, the more contemporary stable rooms and courtyard rooms may pale a tad.

However, if you’re a serious spa-goer, the on-site Gaia spa – said to be Devon’s largest – is all that matters. You can happily fill your days with signature hot-stone massages, body scrubs and spells in the hydrotherapy pool and steam rooms, only pausing your wellness routine to seek out the secret cocktail bar, hidden behind a wall of books.

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Sometimes only one thing will do: a waterfront hotel overlooking miles of beach and dunes, where you can split your time between stints on the sand, the indoor and outdoor pools, tennis court, spa, and watching the sun set from your balcony. All this while your children are kept busy by magic shows, film nights, surfing lessons and other kids’ club activities.

Saunton Sands – a striking hilltop Art Deco edifice with smart, on-the-ball staff – fits the bill. Retro-style, interconnecting rooms are a good bet for families, while the dedicated children’s menu at The Beachside Grill – the more informal of the two on-site restaurants – caters to young taste buds.     

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Couples in black tie waltz by beneath the chandeliers in the Grand Ballroom, while the live band plays on and the bartender mixes your drink with a vintage cocktail-maker and plenty of pizzazz. If you feel as if you’re in the middle of a Hercule Poirot scene, that’s no accident – this glam 1930s Art Deco haunt for the rich and famous once hosted Agatha Christie, among many other illustrious guests, and murder mystery parties feature among nightly entertainment.

Burgh Island Hotel is the sort of place where you’re welcomed with champagne on arrival, before taking a dip in the tidewater Mermaid pool, lounging on blue-and-white-striped deckchairs on your balcony, then dressing up to the nines and rubbing shoulders with celebs (maybe).

Twice a day, the causeway to the private island gets cut off by the tide, and the only way out in or out is by sea tractor or helicopter – not that you’d want to leave.

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This neo-Elizabethan pile is located in a dramatic spot and acts as an ideal gateway to the surrounding heather-covered moorland, Stone Age circles and woodland-covered hills. Many guests (and staff) dress in tweed, returning from long walks in the rugged countryside with plenty of appetite for the estate venison and duck served beneath the chandeliers of the Great Western restaurant. Other outdoor pursuits abound – from clay-pigeon shooting and falconry displays to off-roading and golfing.

In spite of formal decor and rooms decked out with sumptuous fabrics, this hotel is not stuffy in the slightest – dogs, children and muddy hikers are all welcome. If you’re after some seclusion and pampering, opt for a self-contained cottage and a range of Espa treatments at the on-site Elan Spa (complete with gentlemen’s quarter).

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Right on the Southwest Coast Path and a mere 10-minute stroll from the private namesake sandy cove with calm, shallow waters and excellent rockpooling, Soar Mill Cove Hotel seems purpose-built for young fresh-air fiends and their four-legged friends.

Run by generations of the Makepeace family, this hotel takes hospitality very seriously – children are well-catered for, with a kids’ playground and play hut, heated saltwater pool for splashing in, child-sized portions at one of the hotel’s two restaurants, plus in-room books and games for use during inclement weather.

If you’ve brought your pooch with you, you’re free to make use of the kitchenette to prepare canine meals before retiring to your sea-facing room to peruse the walking maps for the next day’s adventures.

Price: Doubles from £155

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