HOTELS & INNS

Soar Mill Cove Hotel, near Salcombe

This hidden gem is nestled down a tranquil leafy Devon lane, among the hedgerows and hills, away from Salcombe’s summer crowds. Offering a range of dog-friendly rooms and suites with sea-view terraces (and self-catering), it’s super family friendly but there’s not an amusement arcade in sight – just walks, wildlife, a tennis court – and a simple little indoor pool with a sauna and spa treatment rooms. The walk to the beach is a quarter-mile downhill through the fields, where you’ll find a secret sandy cove that gently shelf into the water and with rockpools. You can sneak out before the hotel wakes up for breakfast for a dawn swim and walk back up barefoot, with salt in your hair, just wrapped in your towel. The generous breakfast spread of fresh fruit and pastries (which you enjoy overlooking the sea views) is just the ticket after an early morning dip.

Mercure Paignton Hotel, Paignton

Privilege Room at Mercure Paignton Hotel

Part of the Accor Group, the Mercure Paignton newly opened in 2023 – a 161-bedroom stay, with a range of sea view and dog-friendly rooms right on Paignton’s seafront. With 5,300 properties across 110 countries, the Accor Group’s new four-star Devon addition is as elegant as you’d expect, with art-deco inspired interiors and local art on the walls. There’s also an airy ground floor restaurant serving up locally-inspired cuisine and, out front, a two-tier Mediterranean-style terrace where you can sip your Aperol and soak up the English Riviera sunshine.

The Rising Sun, Lynmouth

It’s probably North Devon’s most famous destination pub – and Muddy Award winning – but did you know you can this thatched 14th century inn is also good for a sleepover? Stay upstairs in one of 14 newly re-furbed bedrooms, overlooking the charming harbour, or if it’s a special occasion, maybe book Shelley’s Cottage which is named after the Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley who honeymooned here with his first wife. Equipped with a sitting room, kitchenette and a private garden, you might not be scribing poetry, but we think you’ll be inspired by the half-tester bed.

Cary Arms & Spa, Babbacombe

As you’d expect from an award-winning Peter de Savary hotel, this English Riviera stay is a coastal gem, combining olde English pub vibes with Mediterranean-worthy sea views. Stay options abound, from eight sea-facing en suite rooms, two 19th century cottages and contemporary beach huts – all styled with New England vibes. From the pub, you can walk around the waterfront to Oddicombe, a Blue Flag beach with a café, beach hut hire, watersports and a cliff railway. The water is perfect for a gentle swim, with a sandy beach coloured red by the local sandstone cliffs.

Burgh Island Hotel, Bigbury-on-Sea

The Art Deco jewel in Devon’s coastal crown, Burgh Island Hotel sits on its own private island, which gets cut off from the mainland as the tide goes in and out, just 500m from Bigbury beach. It has 25 rooms and suites individually decorated in period style, including a sexy Beach House once used as a retreat by Agatha Christie. The domed Palm Court Bar is the perfect setting for an aperitivo while watching the sun set above the crashing waves. Spend windswept days walking along the beach, take a dip in the Mermaid Pool, or grab the mallets for a game of croquet. Starting at £600 per night, it’s one for a special occasion but it’s one you won’t forget in a hurry, especially if you arrive by sea tractor (or helicopter…).

Orestone Manor, Maidencombe

Devon coastal countryside meets Provence – you can walk from the characterful Georgian manor hotel down the steep hill to the practically-private beach at Maidencombe in around 10 minutes and huff and puff back up in 20. Here you’ll find 14 rooms all uniquely decorated, including opulent sea view suites with four-poster beds, plus three modern double-storey suites with hot tubs overlooking the sub-tropical gardens. Muddy stayed in the Horsley Suite, a large luxurious room overlooking the sea, painted in clotted-cream with a brass four-poster and a mattress so high it gave a whole new meaning to hopping into bed with someone.

Saunton Sands Hotel, Saunton

This 72-bedroom spa hotel sits right on Saunton Sands, where you’ll find three miles of white-gold beach and colourful beach huts and watersports hire. It’s a big favourite of surfers and families with buckets and spades. Behind lies incredible UNESCO sand dunes, perfect for exploring and as a sheltered spot for picnicking. The hotel has the vibe of an elegant ocean liner, with the added benefit of two swimming pools and a luxury three-storey spa, which includes a hydropool with a window overlooking the breakers. There are two restaurants – both formal and informal, plus a games room and playroom for kids and two hours free childcare daily. I know!

SELF CATERING

Poplar Cottage, Budleigh Salterton

How does a beautifully restored double-fronted Georgian dream sound for a seaside sojourn? With three bedrooms, and two bathrooms (plus a downstairs cloak) it could easily accommodate a big family or friends sharing. You can just glimpse the sea from one of the bedrooms, and when you’re not playing on Budleigh’s famous pebbles (they’re huge!), there’s a farmhouse style kitchen with Aga and a sunny courtyard for gathering around a table and sharing a glass. Genteel and laidback, Budleigh is known more for its music and literary festival than its night life, although there are few good cafés and a popular Italian which serves up homemade gelato.

Tors Park, Lynmouth

Looking for a place by a quaint harbour to WFH this June? Lynmouth is beautiful all year round, but especially before the busy summer months and Tors Park are currently offering with 10% off for stays in their contemporary apartments for home workers over five days. Plus, there’s a chance to WIN an £800 stay over on Muddy Reader Treats as part of our Summer Lovin’ giveaways. Ends on 9 June.

Georgeham, Croyde

Georgeham apartment, Croyde Marsdens Cottages

Overlooking the surfer and family paradise of Croyde Bay, this stylish apartment is a teeny 10m from the beach, and even when you’re not on it, you can enjoy the action from your private patio. Comprising one bedroom with a super-king which can be made up as twin beds, it’s perfect for a couple holidaying on their own or with a babe in arms. Ask us – we’d book the babysitter, as Croyde has some cracking pubs and eateries, ideal for a sundowner.

Culloden House, Westward Ho!

Perched on Fosketh Hill, Culloden House is newly refurbished Victorian villa offering luxury self-catering stays for up to 16 guests (plus pooches). Before you sink your feet into the sand of the Blue Flag beach, just a five-minute walk away, take a moment to enjoy eight plush double bedrooms all en-suites – plus freestanding roll-top baths which look out onto the epic Devon landscape. Better yet, step out to the terrace for a dip in the hot tub and front-row sea sighting.

Byron Woolacombe Holidays, Woolacombe

Less than a five minutes’ amble to the family-friendly sands of Woolacombe Beach in North Devon, you’ll find Byron Bay’s stylish apartments, complete with fabulous sea and valley views. Sleeping from two to eight guests, these contemporary pads come with a choice of terraces or balconies, exclusive access to a heated onsite pool, a sauna, games room and gym, so you’ll be kept busy – and kids won’t dare get bored.

Bovisand Lodge Holiday Park, Plymouth

This 4-star bijou holiday park, offering heritage apartments, luxury lodges and large Pemberton caravans, is just a three-minute skip with your bucket and spade to the family-friendly Bovisand Beach. Set in 21 acres, it’s Green Tourism award-winning, and family run with the emphasis on off-grid and back-to-nature. Walk the south west coast path walk, or on rainy days, splash around in their exclusive heated indoor pool. Plus, a ferry ride to Plymouth’s cobbled Barbican, where you’ll find The Box Museum and National Marine Aquarium, is just a few miles away.

The Lookout Tower, Beer

Exterior of the The Lookout Tower at Beer Head, Devon

Want a waterside stay with a difference, a total one-off? This former 18th century signal station overlooking the sea at Beer Head has been lovingly transformed into an incredible two-bed stay, with astonishing sea views. You feel like a lighthouse keeper but with all the mod cons of underfloor heating, wet room and Neff white goods. Plus, a high-tech pneumatic vacuum lift which has to be seen and experienced to be believed! Step outside, to bliss out in the Scandi-Style sauna and, beyond that, there’s 95-miles of Jurassic Coast ideal for beach-combers, walkers and day-dreamers.

De’Nada, Vernon Court, Torquay

De'Nada apartment at Vernon Court, Torquay

Located in a former swanky Victorian hotel, this contemporary one-bed apartment is all about the view (hello Torbay!), and the fact it’s just 250m from the beach below. With one master bedroom, it makes a dreamy destination for couples, especially as Torquay’s marina and bright lights are on hand for evening entertainments, including The Elephant, a fabulous Michelin-starred restaurant right on the harbour.

Tides, Ilfracombe

Tide apartment Ilfracombe, Marsdens Cottages

Featured in Homes by the Sea and the BBC Coast series, Tides is a stunning modern property overlooking the sea, close to the iconic Victorian bathing pools at Tunnels Beaches. It sleeps up to eight across five bedrooms, with three bathrooms, and two balconies for your aperitif, along with cool features including a cosy wood-burner and a turret-style spiral staircase. Ilfracombe is a great town for exploring, with a brilliant harbour, home to Damian Hirst’s giant bronze statue of Verity, and oodles of indie shops and cafés.

Idyllic Devon stays practically on the beach

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