Luxury family holidays in Devon
Children do find wonder in the little things, but luxury family holidays in Devon have a lot more to offer than muddy puddles and rock pools. Think cinema snugs, games rooms, garden parties, and fire pit stargazing.
Little ones see everything through rainbow-tinted spectacles, making travelling with children and babies an eye-opening experience. What was once mundane becomes a shiny sparkle, the smallest puddles can become a tumultuous ocean voyage. On Dartmoor, grass moguls become stepping stones formed by giants. And near Totnes, salmon become sharks in the River Dart. While there's nothing like the magic of exploring a new place through the little ones' eyes, luxury family holidays in Devon happen when there's just as much enchantment to be found inside as out.
Outside, there are secret beaches and topiary mazes. Inside, there are fairytale four poster beds and movie projectors. Head out with sunhats on, pointing in awe at clouds shaped like giraffes, then return to pizza and play rooms. All the better enjoyed with grandparents in tow, multi-generational group gatherings allow parents to sneak off for moonlit dips in heated swimming pools, or pop open a bottle of bubbles in the wood-fired hot tub under Exmoor’s starry skies. Time spent together is time well spent, after all, and memories are made of this.
Ivy Cove
Holbeton, Noss Mayo, Devon, UK
Perfectly placed for both sun baking and storm watching, Ivy Cove is a luxury cottage near Noss Mayo where colourful modern design and spectacular coastal views go hand in hand.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £2,195 per week, £1,695 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three small dogs on prior request
Features: Wood-fired hot tub and tennis court
The Creamery
Abbotsham, Appledore, Devon, UK
Far from the crowds, the Hartland Heritage Coast is a halcyon world of pebble beaches and Beatrix Potter wildlife backed by a deep blue sea. Set between Appledore and Clovelly, The Creamery was made for those hidden-away self-catering holidays in Devon.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £1,750 per week, £1,350 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome with a third small dog on request
Features: Fire pit, hot tub
Castle on the Well
South Molton, Exmoor, Devon, UK
Fusing luxurious shooting lodge appeal with a modern country twist, Castle on the Well hides within a patchwork of rolling Devonshire countryside, on the edge of Exmoor National Park. A unique luxury castle in miniature for a family holiday to remember.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,495 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome on prior request
Features: Fire pit
The Brandy Thief
Lee, Ilfracombe, Devon, UK
Awash with history and swathed in character, this luxury coastal cottage is a dreamy retreat for explorers looking to hunker down in North Devon.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,495 per short break
Pets: One small to medium well-behaved dog is welcome and two on prior request
The Lost Music Hall
Created by a London dandy to serve as his secret retreat from society, this former music hall has been restored in all its Arts and Crafts glory to offer unique escapes in a hidden valley of Devon's South Hams AONB.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 & Up to 12 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,595 per short break
Pets: Two pets are welcome
Features: Heated outdoor swimming pool (May-September) and games room with table tennis and darts
Novella
This cob cottage deep in Devon woodland is a storybook of a home, tucked down a lane and decked out in botanical prints, vintage embroidery, and antique furniture, inviting imaginations to unfurl (and bodies to soak in the hot tub).
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,450 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub, trampoline, table tennis, outdoor kitchen (year-round)
The Riddle
North Bovey, Dartmoor, Devon, UK
Plot your country escape to this luxury holiday cottage with a hot tub in North Bovey; one of Devon's most idyllic villages set within the rugged beauty of Dartmoor National Park. The Riddle is the type of cottage you might find on the pages of a storybook.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,495 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request.
Features: Hot tub
Kohtalo
Combe Martin, Ilfracombe, Devon, UK
Kohtalo is a grand design conceived by childhood sweethearts. Just 15 minutes from the Ilfracombe coast and with a hot tub settled under the stars, this luxury holiday home is a modern, welcoming family escape.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 guests
From: £2,395 per week, £1,850 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub
Ellesmera Mill
This enchanting 400 year old millhouse is chock-full of old-world charm. Set in the South Hams near Dartmouth, the dreamy south Devon coast is almost within touching distance and a short stroll through the valley leads to the sheltered cove of Blackpool Sands.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £3,595 per week, £3,150 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Wood-fired hot tub, sauna, cinema room with table football
Verte
A spectacularly grown-up treehouse, Verte seamlessly merges inside-outside living within the lush Devon estate of Chevithorne Barton. This RIBA-award winning modern home was designed to reset the soul.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests (6 adults and 4 children)
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
From: £3,595 per week, £2,750 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Wood-fired hot tub, large flat lawn for croquet, football and badminton
Leopoldina
Stoke Gabriel, Totnes, Devon, UK
Once the stables to Sandridge Park and now a harmonious family home with a heated pool in Devon's Stoke Gabriel, this grand Italianate manor was the creation of John Nash, architect to the Prince Regent.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
From: £5,150 per week, £3,895 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Outdoor heated pool (available May-September), private beach on the River Dart, yoga space with roof terrace, and games annex with table tennis and a football table
Botania
Ashburton, Dartmoor, Devon, UK
All at once wrapped in Dartmoor’s mossy-hued clutches and minutes from the good-living village of Ashburton, this Arts and Crafts manor is a portrait of minimal maximalism that keeps Devon's River Dart in its backyard.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 & Up to 4 guests
From: £2,950 per week, £2,250 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome