Marine View
Sleeps 20
Ilfracombe, Devon
Gardens and grounds
The perfect outdoor space here might be just minutes down the road, where the unbroken breakers pound the golden sands of Woolacombe, and Ilfracombe harbour offers a continental-café feel among the bobbing boats.
Nevertheless, you’ll want to take breakfast on the sunny, south-facing terrace, where two good-sized tables sit opposite The Thatched Inn. Pop back out later when the kids are in bed for cheeky sundowners.
Living spaces
Kick off the indoor fun in the games room, potting balls on the pool table, chucking some electronic darts and going back in time with the retro arcade games. When you’re done, reward yourself with a Prosecco or a pint from the fridge, perched on the high stools in the bar area.
For movie nights, grab your popcorn and your passwords and get down to the living room, with its 65” smart TV and Blu-Ray player. Log in to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Sky or Now TV, or buy one-off Now TV passes for big fights or must-see matches. With free 60Mbps Toople Wi-Fi on your side, you won’t miss a kick.
Stream your music on the smart TV Bluetooth, grab a book from the shelf and escape the madding crowd awhile, and win the family bragging rights over board and card games. Dig around to help yourself to other goodies, such as local maps, bodyboards, beach and outdoor games, and DVDs.
Cooking and dining
Did we mention the bar area and drinks fridge? You’ll love it. Just make sure you bring enough liquid to last the night. To reach the kitchen, tear yourself away from the bar, don’t be distracted by the games room, and enter a world of commercial cheffery centred on the Smeg cooker with fan ovens, auxiliary oven and Salamander grill.
If you’re up for a celebration, splash out and book Cooking with Gazz for the evening. Gary’s always on hand to serve up private fine dining with the freshest of local ingredients. Book a one-off meal or fully catered break. Shop for goodies at Tesco or Lidl, get your meat from Mile Turton and your croissants and rolls from The Pantry.
Not much fresher or more fun on a Devon coastal holiday than fish and chips in the fresh air. Get yours from S and P Fish Shop in The Cove or Lynbay on the quay. Tackle other takeaways such as Slice of Devon for gourmet pizza and local seafood, or make Sunday lunch special with Let’s Get Roasted.
Pubs? Cross the road to the child-friendly Thatched Inn, serving honest food and real ales using local ingredients and seasonal produce. Or try The Depot Eatery for pizzas, burgers, fries and wings. Eat out in style at Giovanni and Luca’s for authentic Italian, or The Antidote, a Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurant set in the harbour area.
Bedrooms
All eight bedrooms at Marine View come with an en-suite, TV and the near-distant lulling sound of the Atlantic waves washing the shore. There’s a family-friendly suite on each floor.
On the first floor, bedroom one, at the front, is a small double with en-suite shower, while bedroom two is a family room with kingsize bed and connecting room containing a single bed and guest trundle. Travel cots and bed-guards available on request.
Bedroom three is a twin room with sea views and en-suite shower, and bedroom four is a double with en-suite shower and sea views. On the second floor, bedroom five provides a kingsize with en-suite shower room, while bedroom six is a family room with kingsize bed and connecting room containing bunk beds for those aged six and over.
Bedroom seven offers a kingsize bed and sea view, with en-suite shower room, while bedroom eight is a double with en-suite shower room and views of the waves.
Children welcome
West Country holidays are always an adventure for youngsters, a rite of passage to be passed on to their own kids. Breaking the journey in a Somerset pub, riding the seemingly perilous Exmoor coast road along England’s highest sea cliffs, and bagging the bedroom with the best sea views.
Marine View is especially child-friendly, with its two family suites offering interconnection into rooms containing bunk beds, a single and a trundle. If you need cots or bed-guards, just ask. And if kids want a grand time holidaying with grannies and grandads, accommodation for 20 should do the trick.
Inside, the toys and tricks keep on coming. Let them loose in the games room on the pool table, retro arcade games and electronic darts, or loosely supervise them from the bar and lounge next door.
Stream Netflix or Amazon Prime super-fast with the Toople Wi-Fi on the 65” smart TV with Blu-Ray player, or buy one-off Now TV passes for unmissable sports events. Borrow bodyboards, and beach and outdoor games as you wish, bag a book from the shelf or make midnight memories over board games and cards.
What people say
Beaches, sheep and The Beast
Swing your clubs at great golf courses such as Ilfracombe and Saunton. Fish for your supper on a Bluefin charter. Or chuck an axe with Rock and Rapid Adventures. Kids can meet the Exmoor Beast at Exmoor Zoo, pack their trunks for the beach at wonderful Woolacombe or ride the ponies and pedalos at The Big Sheep.
