Lympstone Manor

About Lympstone Manor

Lympstone Manor is a Georgian country house on the eastern side of the Exe Estuary, a few minutes outside Exmouth, that the chef Michael Caines bought in 2015 and reopened as a five-star hotel two years later. The house sits at the top of 28 acres of grounds that run down towards the water, and almost every window on the front of the building looks across the estuary towards the Haldon Hills. It is a member of Relais & Chateaux and holds both a Michelin star and two Michelin Keys.

There are 21 rooms and suites in the main house, each named after a bird found on the estuary, plus six shepherd's huts set among the vines for guests who want something more private. Rooms are large and traditionally furnished without being fussy, with roll-top or freestanding baths, and several of the estuary-facing suites have their own terrace or balcony. The huts have wood-burning stoves and outdoor bathtubs.

Dining is the reason most people come. The main restaurant serves a tasting menu and a shorter a la carte built around Devon produce, much of it from within a few miles, and the wine cellar is unusually deep. A separate Pool House restaurant and bar, opened alongside a heated outdoor pool, offers lighter food in a much more relaxed setting, which makes a stay of two or three nights easier to plan. The 10.8-acre vineyard produces the estate's own sparkling wine, and tours run for guests.

It suits couples marking an anniversary or birthday, keen cooks and wine drinkers, and anyone wanting a quiet base for the Jurassic Coast and east Devon. Exeter is 20 minutes away by car and Exmouth beach about ten. It is expensive and deliberately grown-up, so it is not the obvious choice for a family holiday, though children are accommodated.