Bovey Castle Hotel & Spa

Turn your spa break into the start of a healthy new you with a trip to the gym at Bovey Castle. With a full range of Precor cardiovascular and strength equipment, it’s ready to work out whenever you are. There’s also the Elan Studio for virtual and face-to-face wellness sessions including yoga, pilates and meditation.

Prefer to exercise in the sunshine? Reconnect over tennis or croquet, or go on a power walk. Get lost in the grounds by yourself or join an organised walking tour, like the one-hour romp around Bovey Castle’s deer park. It costs £30 but it’s worth it to learn all about these beautiful creatures.

Hire a bike and helmet from reception and cycle around the grounds, or lace up your walking boots to discover Dartmoor. There are 275 acres of it on the hotel’s doorstep, but if that’s not enough, friendly staff can suggest plenty of scenic strolls around the local villages and beyond.

The indulgence continues after a day spent pampering. Pack your glad rags because the restaurants at the Bovey Castle Hotel reflect all the glamour of the glorious building itself.  

Built back in 1907 as a private mansion, it once belonged to the WH Smith family. Not only has Bovey Castle Hotel & Spa managed to retain all of its original sophistication, it also adds its own incredible hospitality thanks to not one but two AA-rosette-winning restaurants.

Smith’s Brasserie

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the relaxed, one AA-rosette-winning Smith’s Brasserie. Tuck in to a Mediterranean-inspired menu, served with a side order of stunning views across Dartmoor National Park. Relax on cosy seating while savouring homely classics like fish pie or a club sandwich, or share a selection of small plates after a morning lounging by the pool.

Great Western Grill

Enjoy fine dining in fabulous art deco surroundings at the Great Western Grill. With three AA rosettes, you know you’ll be in for a treat. The food is the star of the show as it showcases the very best of Devon, from Exmoor beef to seafood from local coves. There’s a full à la carte menu to enjoy so sit back, relax and pretend you’ve been transported back to a bygone, glamorous era.

It does, and it’s a beauty. The heated, indoor swimming pool is 18m long and lets you do laps in glamorous, art deco surroundings, all admiring stunning views over Dartmoor National Park. Lounge on a deckchair or enjoy the poolside whirlpool, steam room and sauna. The swimming pool is adults-only from 7am to 9am and again after 5pm until it closes at 8pm.

There are 60 individually-designed bedrooms across this historic manor, so you'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a room for your spa break. Every room oozes elegance - expect delicate taupes, greys, sage greens and pinks, along with sumptuous fabrics and high-spec fittings. When you’ve finished admiring the decor, you can pour from your own decanter of estate-made sloe gin.

The Classic rooms boast king or queen-sized beds and views over the courtyard or woodland. Valley Rooms enjoy sweeping Dartmoor views, or try Grand and Junior State rooms for your own separate living spaces and dining tables.

Check-in time at Bovey Castle is 4pm, but you’re welcome to arrive earlier and use the facilities, have lunch and make yourself at home. And you’ll check-in in style! There’s valet parking (sometimes by a member of staff wearing tweed plus-fours) and a personal concierge to carry your bags. Check-out time is 11am but the hotel is flexible here too, subject to availability.

Very. Children can splash in the indoor heated pool between 9am and 5pm, and younger spa-goers can try the Power Breakfast Facial or have a manicure and pedicure if they’re accompanied by an adult. 

There are lots of family-friendly rooms and cots, highchairs and stair gates can be provided. Let them work up an appetite on the swings, slides and trampolines in the play area, before a delicious home-cooked meal at the laid-back Smith’s Brasserie. They can even have their own afternoon tea.

Activities are laid on during the school holidays when, for an extra charge, those aged 7 to 14 can try their hand at camp fire building, archery, air rifle challenges or even off-road driving. Little ones can feed the fawns or baby goats, collect the eggs or meet some friendly ferrets. You can hire bikes, or get everyone out on a walk. They’ll love the Brass Rubbing Trail - a clue-led adventure around the grounds.

Bovey Castle is so dog-friendly it’s won awards for its hos-paw-taility. As long as your four-legged friend is at least six months old and house-trained, one medium-sized dog can stay in Single, Mews and Classic rooms while a maximum of two medium-sized dogs can stay in other room types. Dogs are charged at £25 a night, per dog, with advance notice.

Furry family members can let off steam in the 275-acre estate - pick up a booklet from reception that’s full of great ideas for walkies. Dogs are welcome to join you for afternoon tea or dinner in the Cathedral Room, and back at the room they’ll have their own bed and bowl.

Yes it does. The championship 18-hole golf course surrounds the historic manor house and it was designed in 1926 by one of the leading British golf course designers of the last century, J F Abercromby. Both challenging and beautiful, with its Dartmoor backdrop, there’s also a driving range, putting green and short game practice facility. Visitors are welcome to play throughout the year, but do book in advance.

Yes. The golf course at Bovey Castle asks that all visitors have an official CONGU handicap – a maximum of 36 for men and 54 for ladies. There’s also a dress code of soft spike golf shoes, and no jeans, tracksuits or trainers (but you can wear shorts with sports socks).