Gara Rock

‘The perfect pit stop’ on the Coast Path between Salcombe and Dartmouth, Gara Rock stands ‘high on the cliff above a beautiful beach’. Driving there is quite an adventure, down country roads where your satnav might send you on a scenic detour. It’s worth the trip, though, to find, as a Guide insider did, a ‘stylish yet relaxed hotel with sublime sea views’, built on the footprint of old coastguard cottages. Sea-facing bedrooms, in earth tones, have a balcony or terrace. Loft suites have a freestanding roll-top bath and an en suite rainfall shower. ‘Enormous garden suites open on to the lawn and are perfect for dog owners and families.’ A reader loved the setting, the beach, two pools and plush cinema, but ‘maintenance needs a bit of an overview’ with ‘lots of lights not working at night’. The open-plan public space includes an all-day bistro, with sea views ‘enhanced by the curved floor-to-ceiling windows’. Here, they serve ‘unpretentious, tasty dishes such as excellent fish and chips and Salcombe crab’, although ‘limited menu choices’ for children mean it is only ‘fine for one night’. (JK, C and ES, and others)