Combe House

A mile-long driveway meanders up from the picture-postcard village of Gittisham to this historical Elizabethan manor backed by ancient woodlands. Accolades include being Devon hotel of the year in 2010. The wow factor continues as you enter the Jacobean Great Hall with its massive open fireplace, oak paneling, imposing ancestral portraits and flagstone floor. There’s a restored Georgian kitchen where private parties dine by candlelight. In a frescoed dining room you are treated to contemporary British cuisine with an emphasis on produce from the victorian kitchen gardens. Bedrooms feature a variety of shapes and sizes, from traditional principal bedrooms at the front of the house to smaller more contemporary rooms in the one-time servants’ quarters. We were particularly impressed by the Linen Suite, the former Victorian laundry, and its contemporary decor in shades of cream and white. The piece de resistance, is its 6-ft. diameter copper bathtub. Combe is just a short drive to the classic early Victorian resort of Sidmouth, a personal favorite, and Beer, a fishing village on a little bay. Nearby Honiton, a former lace-making center, is noted for its antique shops.