by Suzy Bennett, The Telegraph, January 10, 2018
An insider's guide to the best spa hotels in Devon, including the top places to stay for swimming pools, steam rooms, saunas, hot tubs, gyms and luxurious treatments, as well as high-end dining, romantic rooms with sea views and family-friendly facilities, in Dartmoor, Woolacombe, Plymouth, Dartmouth and Salcombe.
• The best spa hotels in the south of England
Ilsington Country House Hotel Dartmoor, Devon, England
8Telegraph expert rating
The spa is a real treat at this 1910 country house hotel, with an indoor swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room and Kubel Dusche ice treatment. The gym is well equipped and two therapists offer massages, facials and beauty treatments using grape-based products from the renowned Parisien Caudalie range. Interiors have a traditional charm with original oak beams, high ceilings and country-style furnishings. Lounges are a mix of modern fabrics, Floc wallpaper and more traditional artwork. All rooms have countryside views, and there is also a sun terrace and a croquet lawn. Read expert review. From £105per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best hotels for spa breaks in Britain
Woolacombe Bay Hotel Woolacombe, Devon, England
8Telegraph expert rating
The Elemis spa at this expansive hotel a five-minute stroll from Woolacombe Beach has an indoor pool with hot tub as well as a steam room and a sauna. Treatments include anti-ageing and problem-skin facials, body wraps, massages, manicures and pedicures. Other facilities include a gym, fitness classes, a nine-hole pitch-and-putt golf course, hard tennis courts, squash courts, a championship-sized snooker table. The indoor pool is a blessing for families on a rainy day - and with set times for children, you won’t have to worry about disturbing other guests. Read expert review. From £160per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best hotels for spa breaks in Europe
Bovey Castle Moretonhampstead, Dartmoor, England
9Telegraph expert rating
This grand stately pile on a sporting estate in Dartmoor National Park has an impressive spa with heated swimming pool and whirlpool tub with deckchairs overlooking the grounds, plus steam room, sauna and gym. A range of ESPA treatments are available, as are several day packages that can include champagne and lunch, one or more treatments and full use of the spa. Afterwards, relax in your room with complimentary decanter of estate-made sloe gin and bathroom with roll-top bath, and ESPA toiletries. The silver-service Great Western restaurant is dazzlingly glamorous. The food wows too: try the estate venison or the seat trout. Read expert review. From £112per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The world's best hotels for spa breaks
Boringdon Hall Hotel Plymouth, Devon, England
9Telegraph expert rating
With a £5-million state-of-the-art spa, which hotel guests have complimentary use of, this Elizabethan manor house offers pampering-a-plenty in a perfectly-preserved historic setting. The Gaia spa is one of the largest and most sophisticated in Devon, with facilities that include a swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, several steam rooms and saunas, a relaxation room, large gym and beauty salon. The treatment list is extensive and includes a range of expertly-delivered signature hot-stone massages, along with facials, body scrubs and holistic rituals – personalised treatments of up to two hours using the spa’s own-brand products. Read expert review. From £100per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best spa hotels in Cornwall
Salcombe Harbour Hotel Salcombe, Devon, England
9Telegraph expert rating
This 50-room luxury spa hotel has a magnificent view of Salcombe Bay, with its mesmerising waves, sandy beaches and pastel cottages. The pool has a 'children’s hours' policy; outside these times, it’s a fragrant haven of calm. Treats include the blissful lava shell massage – hot shells that iron out tension – and ESPA facials (The Lift and Firm is recommended). Estuary View rooms offer startling river scenes that are guaranteed to promote mindfulness. Head out to one of the nearby coves for bucket-and-spade adventures or just mess about on boats on the river. Superb seafood and a cinema top off a stay here. Read expert review. From £140per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best family-friendly hotels in Cornwall
Dart Marina Hotel & Spa Dartmouth, Devon, England
8Telegraph expert rating
This stylish waterside retreat has boasts a small spa, fitness suite and pool with a steam room and hot tub. Treatments range from luminous and oxygenated skin facials, hot stone massages, and tropical glow treatments using 'saltmousse'. The newly-refurbished rooms are lovely. Each has a decked balcony, on which complimentary use of binoculars, bird-watching books and pashminas inspire guests to make the most of their coastal setting. The waterside-facing restaurant is a relaxing vantage point from which to watch the world go by. Read expert review. From £240per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best family-friendly Devon hotels
The Cary Arms Devon, England
8Telegraph expert rating
The spa at this delightful seaside hotel on Devon’s south coast has a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool. Other facilities include an aromatherapy and phototherapy shower, as well as steam rooms, a sauna and gym. Two 'Thalgo' treatment rooms offer marine-based facials, massages and all-over body treatments. The hotel also boasts a collection of one-bedroom beach huts – six in total – all on the seafront, offering floor-to-ceiling views of the Jurassic coastline. The best spot in the house in the restaurant during summer is the Captain’s Table, a raised section of the outdoor terrace that looks straight out to sea. Read expert review. From £100per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best luxury hotels in Devon
Thurlestone Hotel Salcombe, Devon, England
8Telegraph expert rating
A luxury family-run spa and golf hotel overlooking the rugged South Devon coastline in the South Hams, near Salcombe. Facilities in the Decléor spa include a hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room and gym. The signature Voyage Spa Ocean Escape treatment is particularly popular, and includes an Atlantic sea salt scrub and algae mask. Many of the rooms have balconies and picture windows, where Thurlestone Arch, a wave-sculpted rock formation in the sea, is the eye-catching centerpiece. Dining is formal: waiters wear white gloves, even at breakfast, and jackets are obligatory at dinner. Read expert review. From £124per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The most romantic hotels in Devon
This article was written by Suzy Bennett from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
Related Stories
The 10 Best Places to Visit in England - And Where to Stay When There
Britain's Most Affordable Sea Views: 20 Great Coastal Campsites