This is Salcombe, the sweet spot for Devon’s sailing fraternity, so expect Dry Robes and deck shoes in all directions. It’s properly busy in peak season so stay at this 50-room boutique retreat instead, a short walk from town’s mid-summer madness and dip into it only when necessary. You’ll probably be content to stay put and soak up magical South Sands beach, which unfurls in front of the hotel, trying the hotel’s free OK-yar activities such as beachfront yoga and paddleboarding. Be back at base by dusk though to appreciate the sunset, complimentary G&T in hand.
Overall score 8/10
Main photo: Harbour Beach Club hotel in Salcombe, Devon
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Rooms and suites
Score 8/10
The larch-clad building has a gentle curve to ensure the maximum number of rooms overlook South Sands cove and Salcombe estuary. Most of these also have balconies with Adirondack chairs for lazy sunbathing. The view from the smallest inland doubles is less romantic: a caravan park, but they do come with baths in smart metro-tiled en suite bathrooms, whereas standard sea-facing rooms only have showers. All 50 rooms share a palette of mustard and marine shades from golden beach and bronze kelps to teal greens and blush-pink dawns, with mid-century modern cane and wicker furniture blended with trendy fabrics for extra texture. The complimentary decanter of Salcombe gin and supply of Fever-Tree tonics provide the necessaries for that cheeky sundowner as you dress for dinner.
Food and drink
Score 8/10
The ground floor is given over almost entirely to a chilled-out, open-plan communal space. It opens with cosy seating, terracotta tiled walls dotted with vintage seaside images and shelves of cheerful coloured bottles and stacks of board games. This area drifts into the bar and restaurant where floor-to-ceiling windows pull back at the merest hint of sunshine to bring the wraparound terrace and its tables into action. Dinner is a roster of coastal crowd-pleasers: plump mussels from Fowey, super-sized scallops, tiger prawns plus squid and crayfish, seasoned gently to allow their freshness to sing. While for turf-lovers, there are sizzling steaks and burgers. Fortunately, the sea air will give you an appetite because the portions are generous. The breakfast buffet is less impressive but tasty cooked options, ranging from pancakes with Greek yoghurt and berries to the full-throttle English, make amends for the deficiencies of the cereal spread.
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What else is there?
Score 9/10
Start your day with a cold-water dip (wimps can borrow a wetsuit) before beachfront yoga (classes are held in the movement studio if the weather isn’t on board). With the sea on the doorstep, the hotel’s stash of bodyboards and paddleboards to borrow are in hot demand. There is a small gym, a 12m indoor pool with its own sun-trap deck, steam, sauna, an indoor hot tub and a spa with indulgent Temple Spa treatments. The friendly team supplies walking maps and insider intel on the most likely spots to see dolphins, seals and basking sharks. There are complimentary e-shuttles for the ten-minute ride into Salcombe if you don’t fancy the half-hour walk.
Where is it?
Score 10/10
The hotel sits on one of the prettiest stretches of the South West Coast Path. It’s a short walk to the National Trust’s sub-tropical Overbeck’s Garden. If you still have plenty of puff, walk the six miles to Hope Cove, ticking off cliffs, cattle and even sightings of Cornwall en route. Totnes, about 40 minutes by car, has plenty of quirky shops and a railway station.
Susan d’Arcy was a guest of Harbour Beach Club hotel
Price B&B doubles from £259
Restaurant mains from £18
Family-friendly Y
Dog-friendly Y
Accessible Y
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