Gardens and grounds
The unspoilt woodlands roll for over 200 acres. There’s another 200 of rolling farmland. But numbers don’t do justice to the serenity, the wide-open spaces and the sense that you’ve wandered into a rural wonderworld.
This ring-fenced land with no rights of way is all yours to explore, pressed hard against the Cornish boundary, beneath the trill and the shriek of the skylarks. Take your tea on the terrace, picnic by the pond, and walk the grounds to find the gush of the Tamar and the Lyd.
As darkness falls, hang out in the hot tub and watch ancient shooting stars create the night sky’s own natural fireworks display. Explore, walk, fish, unwind, get together around the firepit, swap stories and sizzle steaks.
Living spaces
For friends, family, stags, hens and celebrations, Tamaris House has the space and the spaces you need to get together or be apart, party, play – and plan your return. Share the silence, enjoy each other’s company, slip away to a quiet corner with a book and some music.
The living room’s vast. It’s a dance floor, a theatre, a games room, and a cinema. Catch a family flick on the big-screen TV complete with DVD player and Freeview. Crack open the wine, load the fire with logs, get the wifi whirring and the conversation flowing.
Is there a games room? No, there are two. Glide through the double doors off the lounge to play a little pool or billiards, or head upstairs to the Playstation for a Crash Bandicoot session or alternative smart-TV viewing. Settle back. Tamaris House is large, lavish, luxurious and loveable, and yet as homely as a hug.
Cooking and dining
You’ll get 14 of your nearest and dearest around the solid slab of dining table that sits beneath the beams and in front of the roaring woodburner. Cook for them all on the Rangemaster six-ring gas hob with electric double oven and grill, and induction four-ring hob with electric oven.
Alternatively, dial up your dinner and we’ll deliver to your door or put your feet up and be spoiled by the chefs from our very own Lifton Farm Shop. Buy your goodies here and enjoy just-laid eggs, fresh-baked bread, and newly picked fruit that creates our delicious ice cream, jams and chutneys.
Eating out? Try child-friendly pubs such as the two-AA-rosette Arundell Arms, for Cornish crab with kiwi, cucumber and hazelnuts, or the Lifton Hall Hotel for katsu curry, mixed-bean chilli or venison burger. Find further warm welcomes at the Dartmoor Inn in Lydford, Bearslake Farm and the Cornish Arms in Tavistock.
Head to the Horn of Plenty for a six-course tasting menu, Dartmoor lamb or Brixham pollock, or to Hotel Endsleigh, where quality meets conviviality and finds its expression in local rabbit, venison, beef and bream. Or just tuck into a takeaway from Pizza Time washed down with English wines from Alder Vineyard.
Bedrooms
Tamaris House sleeps 14 in seven sumptuous, spacious bedrooms. There’s nothing to disturb your slumbers here apart from the squeaking of the bats and the early-morning chirp of the birds. Views from every vantage point are stupendous.
The master bedroom contains a kingsize bed and comes with en-suite bath and separate shower. The en-suite Gold Room offers a choice of singles or a super-king, thanks to the wonders of zip-and-link, while the Green Room and Yellow Room both provide a kingsize bed and en-suite shower. The Blue Room offers a comfy kingsize bed.
The Grey Room and Children’s room are located in the Guest Wing. The en-suite Grey Room offers a kingsize bed, whilst the Children’s Room is a twin. The Reading Room has a double sofa bed available.
What people say
Jail, rail and gin
Kids can meet thousands of animals at Plymouth Marine Aquarium or Paignton Zoo. Get a bad night’s sleep after a creepy trip to Bodmin Jail. Or ride the Bodmin Railway on a Steam and Cream event. Grown-ups can go back in time at Tintagel Castle or the Mayflower steps, back a nag at Newton Abbot or tour the Plymouth Gin distillery.
