Top class hotel in South Devon

Advantages: great rooms, nice staff, fantastic food, lovely gardens
Disadvantages: can be expensive and surrounding roads v.narrow

...OVERVIEW: I recently returned from a week long trip to Cornwall. To breakdown the amount of continuous driving that I would have to do we decided to stop overnight in Devon on the way back. The Buckland Tout Saints Hotel is situated in Goveton in the heart of the south Devon countryside, two miles from Kingsbridge. The hotel itself is a sixteenth century manor house, containing sixteen bedrooms. The original building is over 300 years old, but the hotel and rooms have been modernised several times and the décor is sensational. It is set in 4.5 acres of grounds and is said to be one of the top 200 hotels in Britain. We booked the hotel through lastminute.com and believed it to be a three star hotel, we were therefore very surprised upon arrival to have the main doors opened for us and our cases sent straight up to our room. The hotel is...

beanie8844 06.08.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Buckland Tout Saints Hotel, Kingsbridge

Riviera Bay Holiday Park, Brixham, Devon

Advantages: Active pensioners and seagulls will love it
Disadvantages: No help if you're disabled

...hundred yards from the entertainment complex. Most nights as we lay there trying to get to sleep, we had to endure the rowdy sounds coming from the nightclub, which went on until after midnight. This would then be accompanied by the drunken sounds of people tottering out of the club and walking directly past our window, laughing and singing noisily. Too bad if you wanted an early night, especially as we weren't getting much sleep on the uncomfortable beds. We've stayed at several caravan parks in Devon over the years, and have also stayed at the sister sites owned by the same company that runs Riviera Bay. We've never had complaints before about any of them. But the basic accommodation on this site can't be recommended. Most of the people staying in the cheaper chalets were elderly, perhaps because these are a cheap option if you have to...

jools61 08.08.2005 (15.11.2009) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Devon (England)

Appledore - a jewel in the Devon crown

Advantages: Friendly people, lovely views, quaint cottages, summers
Disadvantages: Bit of a ghost village in the winter

...I can hear you all saying 'Appledore? Never heard of it.' Well, neither had I until just over 5 years ago. How I came here. My family have always favoured North Devon and Cornwall for UK holidays and we had all spent many happy weeks in these areas relaxing and wishing that we didn't have to go back to our humdrum daily lives. Like many we'd trawled the local papers whilst on holiday, checking out the job and housing situation, and like most we'd return home with regret and dream of our next holiday. Well, everything changed for the whole family within the short space of 18 months. In that little time slot my husband, both my parents and my grandmother died leaving only my brother's family and my family to carry on. It was a devastating time for all of us and one which made my brother and myself take stock of our lives...

jackyann53 20.11.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Appledore, Devon

Saltram House, Devon.

Advantages: Lovely parkland and gardens, house.
Disadvantages: None.

...I live fairly close to Saltram House which is a property owned by the National Trust. It is great being so near as it is possible to visit fairly frequently for a short period, or spend longer depending on mood. The house is impressive, the gardens are beautiful and there are lots of walks around the grounds. Location Saltram is situated in Plympton which is in Devon. It is high above the River Plym, surrounded by woodland. The address is Saltram, Plympton, Plymouth, Devon, PL7 1UH. I would use a route planner if unfamiliar with the area as it is not on a main route. It is not far from Plymouth itself though being just on the outskirts, it is 3 and a half miles East of Plymouth City Centre. The entrance is in Plympton and there are brown National Trust signs as a guide and the entrance has magnificent pillars. Parking...

spottydog2 06.12.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Saltram House, Devon

South Devon Railway

Advantages: Nostalgic look back in time.Wonderful scenery, friendly Staff, Clean Trains.
Disadvantages: Short journey.

...We visited South Devon Railway for a day trip to Totnes on the steam train. Admission Prices: Return trip (single fares also available) Buckfastleigh - Totnes Littlehempston Adult £9.90 Senior Citizen £9.20 Child £5.90 (5 years - 14 years; under 5s FREE) Family £28.90 (two adults and two children) There is also FREE parking at Buckfastleigh for cars and coaches. We travelled from Totnes to Buckfastleigh to Totnes and it was just like going back in time. It was a thorougly enjoyable ride on a proper steam train. Taking in the wonderful scenery from Buckfastleigh to Totnes. We went in the summer and it was a fantastic journey beside the river Dart t. The trains are clean and comfortable, in my opinion much better than the trains of today. The children enjoyed the ride and the ability to get up and move...

livelylad 31.10.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of South Devon Railway Trust

Devon-ately a good holiday park!

Advantages: Good location, cheap
Disadvantages: Not 5 star appearance but perfectly adequate

...I've just come home from a three night stay at the Devon Valley Holiday Park in Shaldon, and thought I would share my experience with you. Location The holiday park is located just South of the River Teign, and also therefore the town of Teignmouth, in Devon (where the members of the band Muse come from). Devon Valley is six miles from Torquay and 20 minutes from Exeter. Facilities *Self-catering and half board options *Pet friendly and pet-free options *Heated Swimming Pool *Scuba-diving lessons *Fishing and crabbing *All weathers multi-sport court *Adventure playground *Under 5's soft play area *Nightclub *Restaurant *Takeaway *Shop *Arcade *Babysitting Service *Children's club *Choice of caravans, chalets and a holiday cottage What it looks like When you arrive at Devon Valley Holiday...

Luvlylana 17.09.2008 (11.02.2009) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Devon Valley Holiday Park

Thomas at the South Devon Railway

Advantages: Very pretty, well located to combine with other attractions
Disadvantages: Expensive, lack of display space, no platform tickets available

...The South Devon Railway is, as the name suggests, a railway situated in South Devon, running steam trains from Totnes to Buckfastleigh. I visited with my family in May 2007, on a special ?Day Out with Thomas? weekend. There are three working stations on the line: Buckfastleigh, Staverton and Totnes Littlehempstone. If you are travelling by car, it?s best to head to Buckfastleigh station where there is extensive free parking just off the main A38 road from Plymouth to Exeter. There is some limited free parking at Staverton. At Totnes station there is no parking, although you can park at the Main Line (First Great Western) station or the dedicated Totnes Council car park, for both of which there is a (reasonably steep) charge, and a short walk to the station. If coming by train, a good feature of this heritage line is that, unlike many...

Ali1000 11.06.2007 (18.06.2007) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of South Devon Railway Trust

Divine Devon

Advantages: So much to see and do
Disadvantages: Very crowded roads

...I always wanted to go to Devon when I was little. I had seen pictures of thatched cottages with hay wagons passing along dusty country lanes. I had seen golden sands lapped by crystal clear water and fringed by palm trees. It seemed an awful long way to go though so it was some years before we ventured to pack our car with all required for a week's camping. Sure enough, it was a long way to go and the trip wasn't made any easier by roadworks on the M5, already heaving with caravans. But hey ho, we Brits are used to this kind of travel and we carried on. We were staying at a campsite just outside Brixham in South Devon. The view over the River Dart was little short of stunning and we never tired of it all the time we were there.However, we only spent evenings on site as there were so many places to go. Brixham was closest to...

stitch99 27.07.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Devon (England)

Ambrosia Devon Custard vs Birds Instant Custard

Advantages: Great taste enjoyed by all the family, easy and quick to prepare - no lumps!
Disadvantages: More expensive and unhealthy than Bird's Instant, possible wastage

... The battle of the custards! Ambrosia Devon custard is smooth and creamy, with a pleasant vanilla taste, but can be a little over sweetened. It is very easy and quick to prepare in the microwave taking only 2 1/2 minutes, and you can heat it on the hob if you prefer. In the past, we have always used Bird's instant custard - the one you make with boiling water rather than the one you add to hot milk on the hob. I find this custard is just as nice, if not nicer than the new Ambrosia custard that we have started buying. This view is not shared by the rest of my family, and my preference for the instant stuff is probably because it is was I had when i was a kid. One advantage of the birds instant custard over the tinned ambrosia is that you can make as little or as much as you like. You aren't left the decision to scrimp...

potoroo99 16.09.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Ambrosia Devon Custard

A lovely B+B in Devon

Advantages: Convenient, friendly owners, good breakfast.
Disadvantages: A bit pricey

...Last summer I spent a few days in Salcombe after my Mum had booked this place as a birthday present for me. It was my first time in Salcombe so I didn't really know what to expect, but my Mum had been going there for years so I was looking forward to discovering it. The Ria View is run by Peter & Bernice Henesey Smith. LOCATION: The Ria View is on Devon Road in Salcombe, Devon. Salcombe is a tiny town on the south coast. The roads to get there are quite windy so take care. Ria View Devon Road Salcombe Devon TQ8 8HQ (0044) (0)1548 842965 PRICES: Prices for a double room at the Ria View start at £62 per night and go up to £84 per night. This includes breakfast. PARKING: The parking at the B+B itself is very limited. We managed to get mine in but there is room for 3 cars and they can only be small cars...

tartlette83 18.06.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Ria View B&B, Devon