‘Are we staying in a castle, Daddy?’, exclaimed my three-year-old daughter as we meandered down the drive and pulled up outside St Anne’s Manor.
It sure looked like it.
We had loaded up the car and headed to South Devon for a half-term break and now found ourselves gazing up at a Victorian mansion that looked fit for a king.
We wandered inside to explore what would be our home for the next few days and dropped our bags – and our jaws.
A luxurious, chic and stylish entrance hall gave way to a five-bedroom manor house that is as beautiful inside as it is out.
Naturally the kids set off charging around the place with my wife and I in hot pursuit. We begged them not to touch the undoubtedly expensive collector’s items that adorned the rooms and were within reach of little fingers.
The beautiful St Anne’s Manor with its four grand pillars outside the entrance
The deck features sails to keep the sun at bay as well as the outdoor kitchen
The hot tub where we relaxed after long days entertaining the kids
The entrance hall is beautifully presented with a chic decor throughout
One of the five bedrooms – the house sleeps 12 and dogs are welcome
The focal point of the house is the huge kitchen with enormous worktops
St Anne’s Manor sits in three acres of immaculate gardens and is nestled in the hills of Torquay.
It is a stone’s throw from the plethora of local beaches but what we loved most was the safety of the grounds and that the house itself is the main attraction.
Formidable walls and electric gates keep the property completely safe so we let the children roam free and explore the gardens.
The immaculately maintained lawns, flowerbeds and hedgerows soon played host to countless games of hide and seek as the peace and tranquility of the beautiful grounds were only broken by excited screams and giggles.
The pièce de résistance is the incredible outdoor kitchen perched on a platform in the front lawn.
The floodlit deck is adorned by cooking appliances, outdoor fridges and ovens, dining tables and is covered by sails that provide much-needed shade to beat the heat in the summer.
It is also the perfect spot to have an outside meal and then relax into the wee hours.
St Anne’s is very much a house for all seasons.
The outdoor kitchen with BBQ, pizza oven fridges and worktops is great for entertaining
A serene view of the garden, patio and decking from inside the manor house
The decking is the piece de resistance of the idyllic garden setting
A patio area overlooks the immaculate gardens
The beautiful gardens played home to lots of games of hide and seek on our visit
The house comes with a fully equipped indoor gym
The bathrooms are spotless and elegant
The rooms come with giant beds and elegant fixtures
In winter months the luxury furnishings, baby grand piano, pool table, TV room, in-house gym, hot tub and games room provide hours of entertainment when the nights have drawn in.
The property is perfect for hosting large groups – it sleeps 12 and dogs are welcome – and guests who have visited in summer often return in winter to experience the property in a different season.
Like many great houses, the focal point is the enormous kitchen that simply screams luxury.
Adorned with bespoke hand-painted units, stunning workspaces, and a grand dining table, we gravitated towards it and spent hours relaxing and watching the children race around the room.
When we ventured out we spent our days exploring the local beaches, dropping ice creams on the sand and being chased up the shore by the waves.
The Babbacombe Cliff Railway was a particular hit with our brood.
Founded in 1926 this 720ft funicular railway connects Oddicombe Beach from the cliff top above and saves beachgoers an almighty slog up the hill.
The view was breathtaking and it felt like being transported back to a simpler time.
Of course the kids were delighted.
A baby grand piano sits in the corner of the main reception room next to a roaring log fire
The TV and games room is perfect for relaxing with the family after along day on the beach
The main kitchen has its own Aga and there is also a separate butler’s kitchen too
The hot tub is the ultimate luxury so you can sit back and relax
Guests can enjoy a game of pool
The house sits on a three-acre site near the beach
Kents Cavern prehistoric cave is also well worth a visit to keep families entertained with 400 million-year-old rocks and spectacular stalagmites and stalactites. Of course they couldn’t resist trying to touch everything…
Once the little ones were asleep we would retire to the drawing room, one of two expansive reception rooms, or enjoy a soak in the hot tub.
On our final night we watched as the steam from the piping hot water shimmered above us and rose into the darkness of the black sky.
We clinked our drinks, laughed into the night and enjoyed a few well-deserved glasses of vino.
It had been a great trip and, if only for a few days, we all felt like kings.
