Combe House near Honiton has won an Old Favourites award in the first Sawday's British Hotel awards.
Ahead of the publication of the 16th edition of Sawday's British Hotel guide on October 1, the publishers announced 15 winners of the first Sawday's British Hotel Awards across five categories: Hotels of the Year, Favourite Newcomers, Old Favourites, Nicely Priced and Fabulous Food.
Alastair Sawday, founder of Sawday's, said: "Like a good red wine, some hotels get better with age – these places have a clear instinct for great hospitality and have been delighting guests for years."
The two other winners in this category are The Inn at Whitewell near Clitheroe, Lancashire, and Jeake's House in Rye, Sussex.Combe House Devon entry in the guide reads as follows:
"Combe is immaculate, an ancient house on a huge estate. A fire roars in the magnificent hall, the muralled dining room gives huge views, the sitting room opens onto the croquet lawn. There are William Morris wallpapers and perfect flagstones but the feel is more home than hotel and bedrooms are fabulous: stately fabrics, wonderful beds, gorgeous bathrooms, outstanding views.
"The vast suite, once the laundry press, is now the stuff of fashion shoots and comes with an enormous copper bath. Outside find 3,500 acres to explore as well as smooth lawns, raised beds, a pond, seating areas with tables and benches surrounded by ancient walls.
"Ken and Ruth garden for joy and adore bringing healthy produce into the house, whether it is cut flowers for the rooms or seasonal vegetables and soft fruits for the kitchen. Guests are free to wander through an important collection of trees planted around 1730 including a rare Abies cephalonica (Greek Fir), a Populus lasiocarpa (Chinese necklace poplar) and a glorious Cedar of Lebanon among others.
"Future plans include a traditional bakery, butchery, smokehouse and brewery. Watch this space!"
