Last Updated on May 27, 2024
North Devon Country House Hotel by the Sea provides the perfect destination for a great escape
The Watersmeet Hotel sits atop the craggy cliffs of Combesgate Beach, on North Devon’s Woolacombe Bay, between the village of Mortehoe and the award-winning long sands of Woolacombe Beach, widely recognised as one of the best in the UK.
It’s an example of the hotel you’ve always wanted to find. It’s a building with history and character and it’s been lovingly maintained, expertly updated, and sympathetically developed over the years. There’s a friendly, competent operations team, who are happy to take time to discuss with you the finer details of your stay, on the phone, in advance of your arrival. You’ll enjoy excellent food created by a great chef using local produce. You’ll have a comfortable, contemporary-styled bedroom for private time and plenty of public space to spread out in, both indoors and outside. The latter is important because at this hotel you need to build in lots of time to stop and stare.
At this point on Devon’s rugged north coast, the Bristol Channel has met the Atlantic Ocean and the views from the Watersmeet’s terraces, restaurant and sea-view rooms are both dramatic and vast. They provide arresting entertainment and a unique backdrop to enjoy an excellent food experience in the Watersmeet Hotel’s Rocks Restaurant. All meals are served here, in a two-level rotunda to give as many diners as possible visual access to that priceless, mesmerising display of crashing waves, fascinating rock formations and glorious colour-changing skies.
The hotel has a reputation for fine dining and supporting local producers and suppliers (as evidenced by the near-dinner-service number of AA rosette awards on display). Newly appointed Head Chef, award-winning John Cairns, is building on that base, refining the menu with new fish and shellfish dishes. Rocks is open to, and popular with, non-residents – always a good sign.
The current menu features steak from nearby Exmoor, choices of fish dishes, seven additional main dishes and a selection of starters. From this extensive selection, we chose the perfect scallops, with celeriac and lemon butter parsley along with a tian of crab very prettily presented with mango, coriander, chilli, and tomato salsa.
The main dish of venison was a big hit. With crispy venison shoulder, spiced red cabbage, fondant potato and celeriac the meat cut like butter and the vegetables were excellent. The fish of the day, sea bream with brown shrimp and samphire was cooked perfectly, the tasty white fish slipping easily from the bones.
Desserts were impossible to pass up on with the biggest appreciative “Yes!” going to the Trio of Apples souffle. A triumph (especially when accompanied by a glass of Boschendal Vin d’Or).
The wine list is excellent and accessible, and it’s great to see that a decent number of good wines are offered by the glass. For those of us curious to expand our knowledge, it opens up a whole new opportunity to experiment and enjoy the experience.
The breakfast menu has all you could ask for whether fish, meat, or plant, all are well-presented and perfectly prepared. Lunch is available between the hours of 12 and 2 pm and the bar, lounges and terrace are open throughout the day for coffee, drinks, and light bites. Devon Cream Tea is served in the lounge between 12 pm and 5 pm. Remember, in Devon, we top our scones with cream first, then comes the jam!
The property has its own private steps down to a secluded sandy cove with rock pools and a short walk along the cliff-top takes you into Woolacombe’s small town centre, a colourful mixture of independent and chain shops and its impressive two-mile long beach, a surfer’s delight.
This is walking country with most of the land owned by the National Trust. The hotel sits on the South West Coast Path, the UK’s longest official National Trail, so the possibilities for exploration from the front door are plenty.
A 15-minute walk up the hill in Mortehoe, you’ll find a delightful village with a typically English village church, this one with a fabulous 13th-century barrel roof and traditional lychgate, museum (covering life in this coastal setting), local pub and tea rooms.
Slightly further afield to the east is the larger traditional seaside resort of Ilfracombe, with the vast expanse of Exmoor National Park beyond. To the south, you’ll find Rosemoor one of the Royal Horticultural Society’s five managed sites in England. En route, you’ll pass through pretty Appledore, one among many interesting sites. For something more rural travel west and off the beaten track to the dramatic Hartland Peninsula. From the hotel, you can see the island of Lundy with boat trips leaving from Ilfracombe and Bideford from April through October.
After a hard day of fun, the Watersmeet Hotel provides the perfect retreat. Its pool, jacuzzi and steam room offer the opportunity to relax and unwind and there’s a full range of spa treatments offered, bookable in advance). During the summer months, the outdoor pool is open, surrounded by well-kept lawns and a terrace.
With twenty-eight comfortable and unique guest rooms (including three spacious luxury suites) offering spectacular sea views, its fantastic location, extensive food offer and spa facilities the Watersmeet Hotel and Restaurant offers something for everyone. There’s a range of specialised packages available offering excellent value stays. For up-to-date details look on the website, where you’ll also find details of the individual rooms.
Watersmeet was the winner of the “Best Waterside Hotel” category in Conde Nast Johansens’ 2024 Awards for Excellence. They billed Watersmeet as “North Devon’s Premier Coastal Escape” on their list of luxury hotels. As you sit and contemplate nature from the comfort of this lovely establishment you can only agree.
Watersmeet Hotel & Restaurant is located at Woolacombe, North Devon, EX34 7EB
By car, you can turn off the M5 at junction 27 and wend your way along the A361, or from London take the train from Paddington to Barnstaple and then bus/taxi.
Web: https://www.watersmeethotel.co.uk
Jenny was a guest of the Watersmeet Hotel & Restaurant
