Image: Dex Jones 

Review: Val Jones

 

The Cary Arms and Spa is situated in Babbacombe Bay, a quaint town with a theatre and plenty of bar and restaurant choices. You can access the town via the Georgian Cliffe Railway from Oddicombe Beach which is a short walk from the hotel, and the south west coastal path is also a few strides away. The Cary Arms and Spa is a short drive from Torquay, Paignton and Brixham.

The Cary Arms accommodation is nestled in rocks overlooking the beautiful bay. The Inn itself features a traditional bar with stone clad walls, an open log fire, (one of my personal favourite aspects), a restaurant and conservatory area, which by day has traditional wooden tables in a tavern style and by night a more intimate setting with crisp white table clothes and candles.  Outside there is a terrace with the seating area works its’ way down to the seashore where the ‘Captains Table’ sits in a prime spot and is known as the best table in the house with an unrivalled, panoramic sea-view.

Accommodation wise there are ten bedrooms, six residential beach huts and three restored cottages, all with their own gardens and decking area.  This is a dog-friendly resort with the Inn allowing dogs in most areas and some of the accommodation. We stayed in Bay Cottage, which is partially up the hill from the main Inn. We had our own parking spot and were informed that should we request transport up and down the hill to the Inn this would be available straight away and was offered on several occasions, it’s not necessarily a location for those with mobility needs.

Bay Cottage has two bedrooms set over four floors with fabulous views over the bay from each of the floors, the attention to detail that has gone into the renovation is fantastic and we were greatly impressed. There are outside terrace areas from three of the floors with comfy loungers and furniture, there is also a safe garden area, great for little ones to run off steam and plenty of space inside. There are three bathrooms with either baths or showers, with The White Company toiletries sit alongside luxurious fluffy soft robes and towels.

 

The kitchen and dining room floor has an open log burning fire, set in a huge stone fireplace with plenty of logs provided, this was a huge hit with both myself and my husband. The upstairs Snug lounge had a coal effect gas fire again which is great for an easier fix. There is a flat screen TV in each living area, central heating throughout and complimentary wi-fi. The kitchen is decked out in a country style, with a complimentary essential hamper including a welcome carafe of sloe gin!

 

The Carey Arms restaurant has a strong focus on local, seasonal ingredients and features a varied menu. I picked the scallops, along with a medley of three fish (from the specials board), and finished with a mixed fruit crumble with honeycomb ice cream, all of which was fantastic. After dinner, we took our drinks through to the resident lounge where myself and my husband played a spot of snooker and chess; overall a thoroughly enjoyable evening with great food, staff service and lots of laughs.

Next day we both headed to the Spa which has been open two years now and is in pristine condition.  There is a hydrotherapy pool decked out in pearlescent tiles, a sauna, steam room, experience showers and comfy relaxation beds. I was booked in for the Thalgo Polynesia Signature Ritual treatment which featured a ‘Stopover In Taha’a Exotic Island’ body scrub which is made with white sand from Bora Bora, natural sea salt and coconut shell. The scrub was followed by a full body massage using ‘Polynesia Mahana Massage Oil’. All-in-all this was an exotic and indulgent spa treatment to end a fantastic stay at the Cary Arms.

You can read the full treatment review here 

 

Cary Arms & Spa is part of the de Savary international collection of unique and special inns and hotels.

Cary Arms & Spa – rooms from £265 B&B www.caryarms.co.uk 01803 327110 enquiries@caryarms.co.uk