A group of seven walking friends recently stayed at this delightful, partly 13th century, thatched country inn for a week. First of all, the rooms. They were clean, quiet and well-designed, with comfortable beds, and with mattresses that felt like they were new (maybe they were). Each room also had a well-functioning shower (and some rooms had baths too), plenty of storage space, and replenished tea and coffee-making facilities – including the good-quality biscuits – every day. One friend said that it was the best hotel shower he’d ever had. The residents’ lounge was also really comfortable and handy for a group like ours. And then there’s the food. The breakfast menu was the most extensive I’ve ever seen in a hotel, with options of the usual full (veggie) English breakfast, eggs, cereals, yoghurts etc. but also omelette, pancake, porridge with fresh berry compote, fresh fruit salad and more. Every day the chefs prepared for each of us a most delicious sandwich, filled with a filling of our choice, taken from a wide range of options. One friend (not the same one who loved the shower!) said it was the best sandwiches they’d ever had. After the first day the staff even asked us what filling we would like in order to ensure we would each get a variety throughout the week. Initially we booked for dinner for just the first two nights, but the food was so good that we ate there all seven nights of our stay. Between us we tried practically everything on the main and dessert menu and there was not one occasion when anyone was disappointed with the food they were served. The hotel also serves a range of high-quality wines, beers/ales and a variety of gins. It was lovely too to have a little section of the room with a large table just for ourselves for dinner. Whether you are a walker or a tourist visiting the local sights, the location is superb. For walkers and runners, there is a path directly from the hotel car park down to the southwest coastal path. From there the walks in either direction are absolutely stunning. Usually we did a circular walk, sometimes returning partly inland. Other times we did a linear walk and caught the bus back. The bus stops directly outside the hotel. Clovelly, Appledore, Westward Ho!, Instow, Hartland and Hartland Quay as well as other beautiful places are all just a walk/short drive away. But what stands out the most is the staff. Every single member of staff – the managers/owners James and Becca, front-of-house bar/waiting staff Anna, Olivia, Millie and Sarah, chefs Dave and Will, and housekeepers Sharon and Jan – was approachable, helpful, friendly and attentive. And every single one of them was very well trained, which led to extremely efficient customer service and a consistently pleasant customer experience, from our first contact with the hotel to make the initial enquiry and then booking to the personalised service throughout our stay to the fact that they got all of our bills correct at the end. The latter is
