DART MARINA HOTEL AND SPA (dartmarina.com)
GREAT ESCAPES
*APPLIES TO STAYS UP UNTIL 30 OCTOBER 2016
WHY IT’S GREAT The Dart Estuary in South Devon is officially an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Unofficially, it’s simply outstandingly beautiful. The recently renovated Dart Marina Hotel and Spa does the picture-perfect scenery proud and offers stunning views of the River Dart, where the relaxed traffic of passing boats soon lulls guests into a gentle holiday euphoria.
The hotel is a short walk from historic Dartmouth, with its higgledy streets and multitude of cafés, art galleries and dusty antique shops. By contrast, Dart Marina, which had a £2.5 million refurbishment last year, is every inch the sleek modern hideaway, with metropolitan aspirations. The welcome is warm, though. It’s because of this warmth that people return to the hotel time and again – one guest I spoke to had visited every year for the past 40.