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Orestone Manor 01803 897511
orestonemanor.com
Rock House Lane, Maidencombe, South Devon
Devon
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S TAY C AT I O N Rock House Lane Maidencombe Devon
Orestone Manor HOTEL & RESTAUR ANT 01803 897511 orestonemanor.com
Orestone Manor's a magnificent Georgian country house hotel providing elegant stays for those requiring the best food, accommodation, service and scenery Orestone Manor’s a fine old Georgian house, tastefully and elegantly decorated, which thankfully, has escaped radical modernisation, so the building retains its charm and it’s a fairly intact and fine example of a Georgian villa.
Set in its own grounds, Orestone Manor has a continental feel to it, looking out from the beautiful windows, through mature pines, out onto the sea. It’s a relaxing and peaceful place, helped in no small measure by the verdant surroundings and interesting
sea coves such as Maidencombe and Watcombe beaches, reached by meandering down delightful lanes to the sea (see accompanying photographic feature overleaf ). The room we stayed in was the Horsley Suite, Horsley was in fact the designer of the first commercial Christmas card, having studied painting at the Royal Academy, where he later exhibited in 1836. Incidentally, he was also brother-in -law to the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who was a visitor
to the house and whom Horsley also painted at the Manor. The suite was superb, with every luxury, fluffy robes, sandals, high quality bathing products, a beautiful bathroom suite with 'His & Hers' sinks. The lounge area within the suite was extremely comfortable, with all mod cons and conveniences - the suite would be great for special occasions such as wedding anniversaries, birthdays, etc. Orestone Manor is situated about 2 miles to the north east of Torquay and it's surprising just how
The little coves around Maidencombe are beautiful and worth exploring
Pan-fried fillets of plaice with capers and beurre noisette
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Countryside, History, Walks, the Arts, Events & all things Devon at: DEVONSHIRE magazine.co.uk
Delicious Orestone Manor cream tea
The grounds are spectacular
Elegant charm abounds!
rural it the setting is, with Maidencombe being a delightful old village with an old orchard (now a community orchard which you are able to walk into). Immediately opposite is the lovely old Court House which has a fantastic Judas tree that was in flower when we visited (see photographic feature further on). If you take a look on the map (overleaf ), the orchard and walks are shown.
Eggs Benedict with smoked Salmon
Back to the hotel, service and ambience was relaxed and friendly, the lounge was a great place to 'chill', with large sofas and old fireplace - part of what you'd expect with a country house stay. Of course, what's great is the dynamic in relation to the coast, walking out onto the veranda you're surrounded by greenery, birdsong and views of the sea. In terms of the dining experience, we were highly expectant, Orestone Manor being owned and run by chefs Neil and Catherine D'Allen (and their son and daughter-inlaw). Canapes were served in the lounge, where we examined their wine list, which was particularly well compiled. Happily their wine list included decent representation in terms of the French reds - we opted for the Nuits Saint George which was first rate. Their dining room is particularly lovely, the heavily mullioned windows looking out onto the garden with beautiful stained glass panes at the top depicting wild birds. It's a great setting for a relaxed fine-dining experience and the table service was again first rate. It was reassuring to see a well composed and devised menu, it's so often the case that overly complicated, overly ambitious menus can be off putting and
Noisette of lamb in a herb crust with navet puree, wild garlic, pomme fondant & rosemary jus
Fine dining territory here - the food's top notch
ultimately disappointing. The food at Orestone is excellent, all courses were of a very high standard. The food was all delicately presented and beautifully cooked - and thank heaven, not a dark plate or piece of slate in sight! Top marks to Orestone Manor and the team, for what was a thoroughly enjoyable stay, beautiful surroundings, excellent food, friendly and relaxed service - I'll definitely be visiting again.
Reader Offers Offer 1: Free bottle of Champagne on arrival when booking an overnight stay. Offer 2: Receive a complementary glass of house wine with lunch Mon-Fri. Quote Devonshire16 when making your reservation with Orestone Manor on 01803 897 511
A selection of delicious sorbets
The Garden Room hot tub What's On in Devon? mydevonevents..co.uk
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