There are many things my mother and I found ourselves looking forward to during our stay at Lympstone Manor: the vineyard, the pool overlooking the Exe estuary, the eight-course, Michelin-star tasting menu from chef patron Michael Caines MBE.
But the on-site sculptures — created by local Devon artists and on display all around the grounds and interiors — were the biggest highlight we didn’t see coming. And in many ways, they speak to the feel of the place: striking, elegant, locally-sourced, from relaxed-looking couples looking out over the Exe to jubilant figures dancing in front of the rolling Devon hills.
The five-star, Grade II-listed manor house — a favourite among visitors to the Jurassic Coast ever since Caines completed his vision of turning it into a country house hotel in 2016 — is a member of the luxury hotel brand Relais & Chateaux and is regularly listed among the most desirable stays in the south-west, with 21 rooms and suites and six shepherds huts dotted around the 28 acres of grounds. It’s long been a food and drink haven, with award-winning fine dining and an on-site vineyard — and it only continues to expand. The pool house and restaurant were added in 2022, and there are plans for a wellbeing centre offering treatments, classes and a yoga deck in the coming years.
From rooms that come with their own fire pit to relaxed lunches down at the pool house, here’s what to expect.
Where is it?
Just north of Exmouth in Devon, on a panoramic hillside spot overlooking the Exe. The seaside village of Lympstone is just a 20-minute walk away.
The Exe Estuary Trail — a popular off-road cycling, running and walking route between Dawlish and Exmouth — runs along the bottom of the estate, next to the shepherds huts. You can borrow a bike from just outside the entrance.
Style
Gold freestanding bathtubs in grand marble bathrooms. Plus carpets and elegant chandeliers. Swing seats in the garden and magnificent lavender-lined verandas overlooking the sea.
Lympstone was a private home (once belonging to the Baring banking family) before Caines turned it into a hotel in 2016, and it still retains that intimate, homely feel, with just 21 rooms, Hunter wellies by the front door and cosy lounge areas featuring restored period features and newspapers selections for perusing at your coffee table.
The view out over the Exe — sea rolling in an out, trains puffing along the coast, rolling Devon hills in the background — has to be one of the best hotel views in Britain and staff know this, inviting you to sip a cocktail from the panoramic lounge, afternoon tea from the shining outdoor veranda, or some Lympstone fizz from the on-site vineyard down at the stylish steel and glass pool house surrounded by yellow and white striped umbrellas. It’s a sight to behold, whatever the weather or the time of year.
Which room?
There are 21 rooms and suites (the hotel was extended from 15 rooms in 2017), each named after a bird sighted in and around the Exe estuary and each with their own character, from bright suites overlooking the estuary to simpler deluxe rooms looking out over the front entrance fountain and manicured lawn. Choose a grand estuary suite or master suite if you fancy a private terrace with its own fire pit and soak tub, or a classic room if you fancy a spur-of-the-moment minibreak or interconnecting rooms for all the family.
Our room, The Nuthatch, was darker and trendier than I expected for a restored manor house, with moody blue walls and a low-lit bedroom decorated with old vintage globes, clocks, domino sets and a fireplace — plus a spacious terrace with views over the sea. The bathroom was delightfully opulent, with a giant freestanding bathtub, gold furnishings and a walk-in shower big enough for an entire family.
High-end touches include GHD straighteners, Dyson fans, Roberts radios and espresso machines in each room, and there are pantries available for guests upstairs, with free tea and coffee facilities and fresh cakes left out each afternoon.
The hotel also boasts six locally-built shepherds huts at the bottom of the grounds below the vineyard (there are worse walks to breakfast), each crafted using English oak at a steel forgery in nearby Axminster and named after a woodland animal. They’re particularly popular with families, with kitchenettes, outdoor fires and plenty of run-around space.
Food & drink
Food is the main event at Lympstone, so make sure you arrive hungry. The hotel has two restaurants: a fine dining Michelin-star restaurant, and a separate, dog-friendly restaurant down at the Pool House, with laid-back options like burgers and salads available to deliver to your lounger — perfect if you’re looking for the Lympstone experience without the Michelin star price-tag.
Breakfast is an a la carte affair, with continental items and traditional cooked options available to order and a little help-yourself table in the middle with an array of dried fruits, granolas and kombucha drinks. There’s also an afternoon tea offering available to book in the lounge or dining rooms.
But the real highlight of any stay at Lympstone is the tasting menu: an eight-course feast from warm Lyme Bay lobster salad to Powderham Estate lamb, with paired wines (some from Lympstone, of course, plus one from Uruguay) and the most detailed sommelier introduction to each one I’ve experienced.
Start with a glass of English sparkling and some pre-dinner snacks in the lounge, then take your seat in the dining room (there are three separate dining rooms, each with a distinct character and white tablecloths). Whipped duck liver mousse, Devon blue cheese bavarois and both strawberry and chocolate mousse are among the highlights of the menu, before a grand finale of coffee and petit fours — lucky bed is just a rolling distance away. The majority of the menu is sourced locally, hence the keen focus on fresh fish.
Chef patron Michael Caines MBE often pops out to greet guests over lunch or dinner, and operations director Steve Edwards — a personable and passionate character who’s worked with Caines for over 30 years — offers tours of the vineyard. The site’s own Chardonnay is named Edwards as a tribute to him.
The estate also produces its own gin, named The Essence of the Spirit of Lympstone, flavoured with botanicals including juniper, oris root and lemon verbena to make a classic style London Dry Gin. Look out for the little bottle left out in your room alongside a lemon and bottle of tonic.
Facilities
There’s a championship tennis court, a sculpture garden and chic Lympstone-branded City bikes available to borrow from outside reception for exploring the hotel’s 28 acres of land and beyond.
But the highlights of a stay at Lympstone are the heated outdoor pool, pool house and on-site vineyard. The pool was a balmy 28 degrees when we visited, with loungers and chic striped pool towels for drying off afterwards. There’s a croquet lawn next to the pool, plus a magnificent outdoor terrace for sipping a glass of English sparkling overlooking the Exe.
The 108-row vineyard was planted in 2018 in a nod to Caines’ dream of producing his own high-quality English wine, producing its first harvest in 2020 and churning out 21,000 bottles of wine last year thanks to what Edwards tells me is an ideal microclimate for viticulture, the coastal location offering handy frost protection and the tree-line protecting the vineyard from nasty offshore weather.
A Lympstone Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Classic Cuvée and Isabeau Rosé are all produced on site, in partnership with local Lyme Bay Winery, and staff run tours of the vineyard for any guests who fancy learning a little more about what they’ll be drinking with dinner. Look out for the wrought-iron vineyard gates, which form the basis of the label on Lympstone bottles.
What to Instagram
The ever-changing panoramic view over the Exe estuary.
Best for?
Couples and foodies looking for a decadent yet laid-back seaside stay.
How to get there
Fast trains to Exeter St David’s are just over two hours from Paddington, then it’s a 25-minute or 30-minute local train ride to the hotel. It’s a four-hour drive from central London.
When should I go?
It’s more of a summer spot, given that the hotel’s highlights tend to be regarded as the vineyard and the outdoor pool. But there’s a spa coming for draw extra guests for winter visits, and the eight-course tasting menu is worth a visit alone at any time of year. The upside of a non-summer visit? You’re more likely to be awake to catch that sunrise over the Exe.
