As I sat sipping tea in the sunshine on our room's balcony in the September warmth, perfectly manicured gardens stretched out in front of me, with the hills of Dartmoor framing a picture perfect foreground. What a tonic.
You've barely crossed on to Dartmoor National Park when you turn off the road into the winding drive that takes you to the main hotel building. That itself is vast, and something of a mix between Downton Abbey and a grand mansion house setting from an Agatha Christie novel.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583504377/1742608563/articles/gz9dbM01GjSQwUl279sys/1141293768.jpg]
The exterior has all the Gothic drama you'd expect from an early 20th-century building, but inside there are Art Deco touches that take you to a totally different time, showing just some of the incarnations this building has had.
In 1890, William Henry Smith - later of WH Smith of high-street stationery shop fame - purchased 5,000 acres of land, and it was his son, Frederick, who went on to build the lavish neo-Elizabethan manor house for his family.
In the First World War, it was used as a convalescent home for army officers, before being sold in 1928 to the Great Western Railway who turned it into a golfing hotel.
They bought it for £15,000, the equivalent to £772,000 in today's money. In the Second World War, it again had uniformed guests, becoming a military hospital.
The golf course opened in 1930 and remains today after being updated in 1991 when the hotel changed owners.
In 2004, Bovey Castle was given its five-star status - and lodges, a second restaurant, spa and pool were all added. A decade on, the Eden Hotel Collection purchased Bovey Castle and started a multi-million pound refurbishment.
We were greeted outside and our bags dealt with during a swift and friendly check-in. After being guided up the carved wooden stairs, my breath was honestly taken away when I saw the room- a huge four-poster bed on one side, with a large seating area of sofas and armchairs in front of the regal fireplace on the other.
The beautiful window area had a lovely seat section for admiring the view over Dartmoor. There was a separate dressing area, and bathroom too.
The groundwork for what is billed as a "unique stay" is set by the spectacular building and the grounds, but the special things that come from a stay at Bovey Castle are the small, thoughtful touches.
There was the locally-sourced sloe gin and truffle popcorn in our room and the bouquet of flowers from the kitchen garden. There is a turndown service offered, and luxurious robes to use for the pool. The interior design adds to it too. While grand and clearly impressive, there are enough modern touches to compliment the ornate features, so you're not overwhelmed or feel on edge, like you're sitting in a museum.
There is a good-sized pool and spa, as well as a shop and an 18-hole championship golf course.
That evening, we ate at one of the two restaurants, the Great Western Grill. Having popped in earlier in the afternoon for a drink but being outnumbered by golfers having a post-round pint I wondered if it would feel special enough for an evening meal - but I needn't have worried.
The beautifully presented starters of oak smoked salmon and crab and asparagus were followed by a duck main and anoth...
You've barely crossed on to Dartmoor National Park when you turn off the road into the winding drive that takes you to the main hotel building. That itself is vast, and something of a mix between Downton Abbey and a grand mansion house setting from an Agatha Christie novel.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583504377/1742608563/articles/gz9dbM01GjSQwUl279sys/1141293768.jpg]
The exterior has all the Gothic drama you'd expect from an early 20th-century building, but inside there are Art Deco touches that take you to a totally different time, showing just some of the incarnations this building has had.
In 1890, William Henry Smith - later of WH Smith of high-street stationery shop fame - purchased 5,000 acres of land, and it was his son, Frederick, who went on to build the lavish neo-Elizabethan manor house for his family.
In the First World War, it was used as a convalescent home for army officers, before being sold in 1928 to the Great Western Railway who turned it into a golfing hotel.
They bought it for £15,000, the equivalent to £772,000 in today's money. In the Second World War, it again had uniformed guests, becoming a military hospital.
The golf course opened in 1930 and remains today after being updated in 1991 when the hotel changed owners.
In 2004, Bovey Castle was given its five-star status - and lodges, a second restaurant, spa and pool were all added. A decade on, the Eden Hotel Collection purchased Bovey Castle and started a multi-million pound refurbishment.
We were greeted outside and our bags dealt with during a swift and friendly check-in. After being guided up the carved wooden stairs, my breath was honestly taken away when I saw the room- a huge four-poster bed on one side, with a large seating area of sofas and armchairs in front of the regal fireplace on the other.
The beautiful window area had a lovely seat section for admiring the view over Dartmoor. There was a separate dressing area, and bathroom too.
The groundwork for what is billed as a "unique stay" is set by the spectacular building and the grounds, but the special things that come from a stay at Bovey Castle are the small, thoughtful touches.
There was the locally-sourced sloe gin and truffle popcorn in our room and the bouquet of flowers from the kitchen garden. There is a turndown service offered, and luxurious robes to use for the pool. The interior design adds to it too. While grand and clearly impressive, there are enough modern touches to compliment the ornate features, so you're not overwhelmed or feel on edge, like you're sitting in a museum.
There is a good-sized pool and spa, as well as a shop and an 18-hole championship golf course.
That evening, we ate at one of the two restaurants, the Great Western Grill. Having popped in earlier in the afternoon for a drink but being outnumbered by golfers having a post-round pint I wondered if it would feel special enough for an evening meal - but I needn't have worried.
The beautifully presented starters of oak smoked salmon and crab and asparagus were followed by a duck main and anoth...
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Daily Express (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 22, 2025