Dartmouth

I have just returned from my stay at The Dart Marina Hotel & Spa, a stunning place with its own marina, situated in the truly beautiful location of Dartmouth. Ive had such a lovely stay with them from ‘check-in to ‘check-out that I felt compelled to write a review and share my experience. When I arrived, I was delighted to be offered a complimentary drink and happier still that they had extra availability and were upgrading me to a ‘luxury room. I just love it when that happens

My room was spacious, exceptionally clean, with fresh flowers in the vase by the windows that looked out over the River Dart and the amazingly beautiful Devon landscape. I soon found the binoculars supplied in the room to take in the amazing view and a complimentary gift bag of delicious fudge, which all made for a setting that was impressive, comfortably contemporary, and welcoming. The bathroom again was spotless and the shower delivered a powerfully invigorating flow of water. The Spa facilities and treatments available were pretty comprehensive with a gym, treatment rooms, a grooming room, relaxation area, jacuzzi, steam room and a swimming pool that cleverly generated a flow of water current to swim against, allowing you to achieve a good ‘workout in a relatively moderate sized pool area. I loved the pool, but unfortunately didnt have enough time to sample the menu of treatments.

I didnt opt to eat in the main restaurant, though the menu did look tempting. Instead I met with friends in the hotels informal bistro called ‘Wildfire and again it was the little things that made all the difference to the evening. As I walked towards the bistro, dramatically lit outside by flaming torches, the busy staff inside discretely spotted my approach and before I knew it, they were opening the door and warmly welcoming me in. With a talented menu of fresh local sourced ingredients to choose from, I can recommend the local caught Sea Bass. Even the bread rolls were outstanding - absolutely delicious and all homemade by the resident chef. We all commented and agreed on how good the food had been. We couldnt resist having an expertly mixed cocktail. You know when theyre good because they have that sublime balance of being deceptively potent, but tasting a lot more innocent than the ingredients in your glass. Smiles all round our table before we left the Bistro and a memorable evening in a fabulous setting. I decided to have breakfast in my room next day. Carefully prepared, perfectly cooked and all delivered to my door piping hot and on time.

I would definitely recommend the Dart Marina Hotel & Spa. Whilst the setting was truly outstanding, and the quality levels throughout the hotel were all very high, it was most definitely the people, the service and the uncompromising attention to detail that made this place really stand out from all of the rest. Ill definitely be back.