From dolphin-spotting to table tennis, there is plenty to enjoy at Keith Makepeace’s family-friendly hotel, which stands in expansive countryside, with views towards the sea. Fortify yourself with a clotted cream scone on the terrace (or ‘divine’ Pavlova, once made for Audrey Hepburn), then take a turn about the ‘immaculate lawns and flowerbeds’. Adventurers, set off on the South West Coastal Path (maps are provided), or head straight for the craggy rocks on the beach in the valley below – it’s ‘a nice walk, under the gaze of cows in nearby fields’. For exercise on cold days, there is an indoor saltwater swimming pool. At dinner, chef Ian MacDonald’s market-style menus highlight seaside-fresh produce, perhaps ‘delicious fish cakes; genuine chowder with mussels and shrimps in their shells’. No need to shut it all away when night falls: every bedroom, whether cosy for couples or grand for a group, has French windows that open on to a private garden-facing patio. In the morning, there’s much choice at breakfast: freshly squeezed orange juice, home-made conserves, local sausages, Salcombe smokies. (CE)