Gardens and grounds
On one of Torquay’s leafier enclaves, you’ll sit in the south-coast sunshine at breakfast over coffee and croissants or at sunset with Prosecco and wonder where it all went wrong. Eat out on the raised deck with room for 20 with catering from the pros at DineIndulge. Smokers get their own designated area.
Living spaces
Your lounge comes with high ceilings, and high culture in the shape of a white baby grand. Spread out on the comfy sofas with footstools, get bewitched by the bling of the fire’s changing lights, get a film or the footy up on the 65” smart TV and upload it all to Instagram over the superfast Virgin Wi-Fi.
Get down to the games room with its funky night lighting and bar with two drinks fridges for alternative viewing on the 65” smart TV, Pacman on the games consoles and board games. Spin some vinyl, discover the dartboard, shoot some pool on the seven-foot table, dial up some retro radio.
Cooking and dining
Pots, pans, double ovens, cutlery, crockery and corkscrews are just the start. This kitchen comes equipped for just about anything. Use it yourself or call up the pros from DineIndulge while you shoot pool and sip Prosecco. Stock the two American fridge-freezers with goodies delivered from the farmers’ market and all major supermarkets.
Eat in the dining room, with space for up to 24, or out on the terrace amongst the upmarket suburban leafiness. Order takeaways here and you’ll have better luck than local boy Basil Fawlty, who ordered duck and received cake. Consider Aroma Grill, Turkish Kebab and Pizza, Nepalese Gurkha or Viva Torquay.
Pick from over 20 pubs and restaurants within a short walk. Among the best are The Waddling Duck at Hamilton’s for a Eurofest, Olive for Mediterranean, and Small World Tapas for octopus and Argentinian prawns. Head to The Blue Hut for fish and chips and Trade Winds for souvlaki, kleftiko and moussaka.
Book a spot at Old Vienna for local venison steak, Chicken Ballantine filled with cheese and chorizo or classic Wiener Schnitzel. Pop into Emma’s for the best of British with a cash-saving BYOB twist. Go Thai at At Thai. Or dine al-fresco on tea and cake in the grounds of a classic thatched cottage at Weaver’s Cottage Tea Garden.
Bedrooms
Sleep deeply in one of Torquay’s leafier suburbs. Torquay Retreat sleeps up to 20 in ten luxury bedrooms, with sofa beds and zed-beds also available for an additional 4. All rooms offer an LED TV and all but bedroom two provide en-suite facilities. Pick carefully and quickly for a sea view.
Bedroom one on the ground floor comes with a en-suite shower room and two single beds, while, on the first floor, bedroom two is a double with separate bathroom. Bedrooms three and four both provide two single beds and bedroom five offers a four- poster superking.
Bedrooms six and seven are kingsize and bedroom eight is a double. Bedrooms nine and ten both give you two single beds.
What people say
Golf, dolphins and a mini-village
Fish or watch for dolphins on a Silver Halo Charters trip. Test your skills at Torquay Golf Club. Buckle up for big nights out at Soho Bar and big laughs at Torquay Comedy Club. Meet cuddly cuties at Pennywell Farm, discover family-friendly beaches at Meadfoot and Broadsands, and see Stonehenge in miniature at Babbacombe Model Village.
