Combe House

A luxurious country house with stunning food, set in acres of park and woodland near the south coast of Devon

Come up the long drive at Combe House and you get an idea of what to expect; elegant Arabian horses dance in the fields, and the splendid honey-coloured house is every bit as good as its picture suggests. There’s the 3,500 acres that wrap around it, the Bronze-age burial site on top of the hill and the huge oak door that leads into the enormous Great Hall where an open fire roars. But best of all at Combe House is the way things are done. Not for Ruth and Ken the stuffy formality that you might expect of an Elizabethan manor house. Instead, you can kick off your shoes and curl up on a sofa, or throw a log on the fire, then fall asleep in front of it.

It’s informal, relaxing and hugely romantic, and wherever you wander (and there’s quite a bit of it) something magnificent catches the eye. Expect all the aristocratic trimmings: plaster moulded ceilings, mullioned windows, cavernous sofas and massive old oils hanging on the walls. Best of all, though, is the food. The restaurant has been awarded 2 AA Rosettes (the benchmark of exceptional food in England) for several years running, and service is faultless.

Highs

• The tranquil location - but only 15 minutes from the M5 so it makes a perfect stopover between London and Cornwall
• The 15 beautiful bedrooms; splash out on a Signature Suite for country-house furnishings and magnificent views. There's also a gorgeous Thatched Cottage for 2, with a private walled garden
• The very friendly hands-on owners Ruth and Ken, who head up an excellent team of staff
• The exceptionally good food: when we revisited in 2012 our venison with smoked mashed potato was divine, as was the crab tortellini with confit fennel and a lemongrass ginger veloute
• The wonderful estate for long walks - there are wellies to borrow by the back door

Lows

• It’s not a designer place. If you want trendy minimalism, this isn't for you, but if you want a luxe country house stay, this is heaven
• Fairly expensive, but their DBB packages are good value
• Our cooked breakfast was bland and a disappointment considering the stunning dinner we'd had the night before
• Dining options are a 3-course gourmet gamut, or sandwiches; it would be nice to have a bistro 1-course option for longer stays
• A 2-night minimum stay for DBB packages on the weekends