Kaywana Hall

Rooms

One of the big advantages of purpose-building a B&B was the opportunity to plan every detail. There are 4 lovely rooms, all self-contained with their own front doors and decked terraces, and all offering simple, unfussy modernist design: wood floors, contemporary art, floor-to-ceiling windows and lots of natural light.

We stayed in Beech, a large and airy, elevated glass cube, with a terrace overlooking the garden, and steps down to the pool. A free-standing storage unit cleverly divides the room into 2 - a kingsize bed on one side, and a comfortable sitting area on the other. The bathroom has both a tub and a lofty semi-circular walk-in shower of white mosaic tiles. The view of the pool was slightly marred by a blue plastic cover - which helps keeps the heated water hot - but everything else was perfect.

Ash and Oak are set into the hillside above the house and are accessed via steps and walkways. They slightly smaller, but Oak's bed is a super-kingsize and Ash has a super-kingsize which can be converted into twins. Both have smart bathrooms with slate floors and a separate shower and tub. We're yet to see The Roundhouse, but it promises to be a decadent space perfect for a special occasion.

Key features in all rooms include luxurious beds and linens, stylish chromed Nick Munro beverage sets (kettle, cups, cafetière), robes and slippers, fresh fruit, homemade cookies and fudge; for the terrace, citronella candles, deckchairs and sun shades; and, in the bathrooms, Korres natural toiletries. There are towels for the pool, umbrellas in case it rains, and roller blinds at the windows to cut out the light.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Candles
• Central heating
• Coffee / tea making
• Coffee maker
• Deckchairs
• Hairdryer
• Ipod dock
• Iron
• Minibar/fridge
• Phone
• Pool towels
• Radio
• Satellite TV
• Terrace
• Toiletries
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfast is served - more or less on demand - in Tony and Gordon’s dining area, providing an opportunity to admire Kaywana’s decked open-plan living spaces, the dreamy views and the drama of that sloping roof. First, you will be presented with pretty white dishes of homemade granola, fresh seasonal fruit (berries or a compote) and yoghurt. Next there will be breads and pastries (chocolate croissants, local champagne bread), fresh juices and a cooked breakfast to order: choose from a Full English or the daily special (mushrooms on toast, for example, or crumpets dipped in beaten egg served with crispy bacon and maple syrup, or homemade smoked haddock and salmon fishcakes served with a poached egg). Most of the ingredients are sourced within a 5-mile radius.

For lunch and dinner, there’s a wealth of good places nearby, particularly in Dartmouth. Tony and Gordon recommend, among others, waterfront seafood restaurant The Seahorse run by Mitch Tonks (Dartmouth’s answer to Rick Stein), Angelique (Dartmouth’s Michelin-starred restaurant), and the lively Jan and Freddies Brasserie. For more casual dining, or a takeaway, head for Mitch Tonks' Rockfish Seafood and Chips (basically a high-class chippy). And closer to home, the Ship Inn in Kingswear does decent pub food.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Coffee / tea making
• Coffee maker
• Communal dining
• Minibar/fridge
• Organic produce
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Just hang out on the deck or in the garden and, in the summer, dip in and out of the heated pool. There are sunloungers and parasols for warm weather
  
  
• Take a stroll down to pretty Kingswear - it takes around 10 minutes and there’s a scenic route along the river. Its main attraction, other than the harbour slipway, is the view across the water to Dartmouth, but worth a visit is the salty old Ship Inn
  
  
• Bike hire can be arranged, or take the train - the delightful Dartmouth Railway runs steam-train excursions between Kingswear and Paignton during the summer (from April to October). From Paignton, the half-hour journey takes you along the English Riviera’s “Geopark” coastline before plunging through woodland bordering the Dart Estuary
  
  
• There are water taxi services plying the river between Kingswear and Dartmouth, but more fun, perhaps, is the curious Lower Ferry - a tray-like float, with room for just 8 cars, pulled across the water by a tug. There is room up-front for a few pedestrian passengers
  
  
• Explore the town: salubrious Dartmouth is a maze of narrow back streets lined with Tudor buildings (including the Grade I-listed Butter Walk), arcades, boaty quays, lots of galleries, delis and posh little shops, and an open-air market
  
  
• Board a Harbour Cruise boat from the quay, taking in Kingswear and Dartmouth castles, Dittisham village and Britannia Royal Naval College, among other Dart Estaury attractions
  
  
• Lace up the walking books - there are lots of lovely walks (Tony and Gordon will point you in the right direction), a good example being the Dart Valley Trail to the National Trust’s Greeancre house - former home of Agatha Christie
  
  
• Go on a cookery course at Manna from Devon, next door to Kaywana Hall. Choices include bread making, fish dishes, wood-fired cooking or Asian specialities
  
  
• Hit the beach: the busy town beaches on the English Riviera resorts (Torquay and Paignton) are within a 20-minute drive, but for a quieter alternative closer to home, head for Blackpool Sands. Said to be one of the cleanest, loveliest beaches in Britain, it’s 3.5 miles south of Dartmouth
  
  
• For a change of scene drive north to Totnes, which, aside from a reputation for alternative culture, offers the 15th-century St Mary's Church, the 11th-century Guildhall and the healing waters of Leech Wells

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Beaches
• Boat trips
• Cooking classes
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Museums / galleries
• Sailing
• Shopping / markets
• Steam train excursions
• Swimming

Kids

This is an adults-only place.

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Kaywana Hall is set in its own woodland in the Dart Valley, near the small village of Kingswear, which lies over the estuary from Dartmouth in Devon, southwest England. It is a 4-hour drive from London, 2 hours from Bristol and 45 minutes from Exeter.

By Air
Fly into Exeter (55km away) or Bristol (154km away); click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.

From the Airport
Kaywana Hall can arrange a taxi transfer - see Rates - or you can hire a car.

By Car
A car is handy but not essential. If you want to hire a car, see our car rental recommendations. There's free parking at the B&B.

By Train
The nearest railway station is at Totnes (18km away), which is on the mainline route from Paddington to Penzance via Exeter. See National Rail for links throughout the UK. Rail passengers can take a taxi from Totnes (around £25 when we visited in 2011) and the immediate area is easily explored on foot.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to the UK and getting around