Three acres of fun sit beneath seaside skies. Take a wake-up dip in the heated pool then take your continental breakfast out in the Mediterranean courtyard as your hair dries in the morning sun. Watch the kids expend energy on the sunken trampoline.
Get your appetite going over a riverside walk and come home to the sound of steaks sizzling over gas and guzzle them in the fresh air. Hog the hot tub that seems to hang over the S-bend in the river and stay out until sundown to track the stars.
Living spaces here are spectacular. How spectacular? There’s a wine-storage area. You’ll find it next to the bar where you’ll help yourself to a sundowner cocktail each night. Before that, get yourself in sleep mode with a visit from a massage and beauty therapist.
The main space here is an oak-framed monster, like the belly of an ocean-going galleon. Dine at one end; relax in the other, with the fire flickering heat and the Wi-Fi serving up TV streaming. Swim in the gently shelved heated pool, grab some games, toys, and books, and discover more among the beanbags in the secret attic playroom.
Cook on the range and get 14 around the table in the main dining hall beneath the rib-like oak beams. Or out on the Med-style terrace with supper sizzling on the gas barbecue in the summer sunshine. Or just succumb to the lure of the pool and sign up our chef for a one-off celebration or fully catered break.
Stock up the fridges with fresh fare from Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s, Annie’s for veg, and Food for Thought for delicious deli. Or go organic at Riverford. Treat yourself to takeaways from The Wild Fig, Seeds 2 Totnes, and Emma’s, or head to Delphini’s for wicked gelato and sorbet made daily on the premises.
Eat out at a smorgasbord of gourmet restaurants, inns, and cafes in Dartmouth and Totnes. For great views and proper sticky-toffee pudding, try Bushell’s Riverside. Tuck into the fish catch of the day at Bayard’s Cove Inn. Or tickle your tastebuds with the tasting menu at Michelin-starred The Angel – Taste of Devon.
Sample sumptuous seafood at Taylor’s, Dartmouth’s oldest restaurant. There’s more of the same at Michelin-recommended The Seahorse, and pizza with a pint or two on offer at The Steam Packet Inn and The Ferry Boat Inn. Tuck into mussels at Rockfish caught in their own boat. Or try Indian at Tamarind Tree and Chinese at Little Asia.
Bedrooms here come with a twist. Bag the master and you’ll pretty much roll out of bed into the heated pool. Trot down the spiral staircase in your swimming gear and splash the morning away.
Bedroom one is that first-floor Aqua Suite with pool access as well as an en-suite and TV. Choose the ground-floor Zen Master for a superking bed and pullout bed plus a TV and en-suite, or a ground-floor kingsize double, a twin, and a kingsize/twin.
The cabin bedroom comes with a single bed and a bunk room offers access to the secret play loft. It’s aimed at children (but that’s just a suggestion).
Childhood memories are made in wonderful West Country homes like this. Buckle up for a mini-trek down winding country lanes where the hedges rise as high as the building excitement. But that’s just the beginning of the adventure. On arrival in Dartmouth, Lamper Head rises like an oak-framed spacecraft above the roll of the river.
Homesickness? With room for 14 guests, you’ll bring home with you. You’ll also want to bring your bathing costumes for the heated indoor pool with beach access. If kids have bounced on your bed in the Aqua Suite, the water’s just a spiral staircase away. Dry off with a sunshine breakfast in the Mediterranean-style courtyard.
Up top in the bunk bedroom, there’s a very special feature indeed. Kids here get private access to their very own play loft, lined with beanbags and bursting with books, toys, and games. You’ve more of the same in the living/dining area where you eat as a family in one end and relax over fireside TV at the other.
Outside, there’s three acres of gardens, parkland, and vitamin D to discover. Walk the riverside, test the springs on the sunken trampoline, and stay out to stargaze from the balconies. Older kids will hop into the hot tub and never emerge. Every day brings a new room to discover, a fresh perspective, and another magical memory.
