Intimate Luxury at Orestone Manor Country House Hotel

Orestone Manor is an independent family run, classic country house hotel located in the beautiful South Devon village of Maidencombe. The hotel's USP is its location - it offers spectacular sea views over Lyme Bay and beyond. The hotel is run by Neil and Catherine D'Allen (both chefs) and is a cosy refuge offering outstanding food with intimate luxury.

Orestone Manor has a lot of history attached to it. The Georgian manor house was the former home of the acclaimed narrative painter, John Callcott Horsley, best known as the designer of the first Christmas card. In 1857, Horsley painted a portrait of his famous brother-in-law, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, which now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

Style and ambience

Not only is the hotel located in a beautiful location, it also has a delightful ambience. The lounge was cosy with a number of comfy sofas and fireplaces. It felt more like a beautiful family home rather than a hotel. The walls were adorned with lovely paintings and there was a beautifully curated collection of objects of art.

The hotel has 14 bedrooms each done up in an unique style. Rooms are categorised as Classic Rooms, Sea-View Rooms, Superior Rooms, Feature Rooms or Speciality Suites based on their size and style.

Our check-in was quick and we were then escorted to the coach house conversion (a Speciality Suite) by Neil, one of the owners. Neil showed us around the split-level suite explaining all the features included in the brand new contemporary suite.

Shire - Luxury duplex suite

Just a few meters away from the main building of Orestone Manor are two coach house rooms - Shandry and Shire. We stayed in Shire during our visit.

Shire is a split-level luxury suite that boasts of a well-kitted bedroom, a separate lounge and balcony on the upper floor, a private outdoor hot tub and private parking space just outside the suite entrance.

The bedroom had a comfy king sized bed, flat screen TV with Sky TV, and other amenities like iron and ironing board, hair dryer and lots of storage space. The room had colour changing ambience lighting that could be controlled with a remote. The bedroom led out to a small outdoor area with a hot tub!

The bathroom was luxurious, extremely clean and had a large powerful shower. Fluffy robes and towels and luxurious toiletries from Highland Aromatics were provided. The 'His' and 'Hers' sinks were a nice touch.

On the upper floor was the living room with a comfortable sofa, a bean bag and another flat screen TV. The kitchenette included a small fridge, tea/coffee making facilities and a hospitality tray. And a roll top bath! Yes, an indulgent, free standing bath that exuded luxury and style. The living room led out to the balcony which afforded beautiful views over Lyme Bay.

The Shire suite was amazing - spacious, well-furnished with a modern contemporary décor and beautiful views down to the sea. It had all the amenities of a luxury hotel and offered seclusion as well. We could have stayed there forever!

Dining

The restaurant at Orestone Manor was awarded two AA rosettes for fine dining and it is easy to see why. The main restaurant offers a lovely ambiance coupled with attentive yet discreet service. The menu is focussed on fresh and local produce and offers a lot of choice. We were very pleased to a see a Vegetarian menu with lots of options and sampled Vulscombe Goats Cheese, Beetroots and Walnuts (starter), Lentil Nut Loaf, Cherry Tomato Sauce, Market Vegetables (main course) and Wild Mushroom Tagliatelle, Spinach Perogi, Tarragon Cream and Pine Nuts, Salad (main course). With a strong focus on quality and taste, each dish we sampled won us over. An Assiette of Miniature Desserts was a lovely way to round off the meal before heading back to our suite.

Breakfast the next morning was in the Conservatory Restaurant. The food and service matched the experience of the previous night.

Out and about

Orestone Manor is a lovely place to spend a relaxing weekend or even a longer break. It is ideally located to visit many of the popular attractions in Devon. From glorious beaches to the stunning landscape of Dartmoor and from historical buildings to picturesque coastal towns, everything is within easy reach. Check out Visit Devon's website for more information on things to do in Devon.

Book your stay

We enjoyed our stay at Orestone Manor - a beautiful tranquil location, comfortable room,  good food and friendly staff.  If you are looking for a hotel with a friendly ambience, superb food and attentive staff, we highly recommend Orestone Manor.

Rooms at Orestone Manor start from £110 for a Classic Double in the low season (November to March) to £325 for the Garden Hot Tub Room in high season (June to September). The prices for the Coach House Suites range from £250 to £350 depending on the season.

For more information or to make a booking, use the details below.

Orestone Manor | Rock House Lane, Maidencombe, Devon TQ1 4SX
Telephone: 01803 897 511

As mentioned earlier in the post, Orestone Manor is the birthplace of the Christmas card. In 1843 a batch of 1,000 Christmas cards were designed by Sir John Horsley of which fewer than 20 remain in existence today. One sold at an auction in 2001 for £22,500, while the mint condition version in the V&A Museum is worth £25k. To celebrate the birthplace of the Christmas card, the family-owners of Orestone Manor have designed a modern day Christmas card based extremely closely on Mr Horsley's original design and the hotel is giving away luxury packs of these cards free to all guests staying or enjoying dining at the hotel in the run up to Christmas.

*Our stay at Orestone Manor was complimentary as a part of a press visit. All opinions, as always, remain our own.