The Venue
The Thurlestone Hotel is a family owned hotel, having been in the Grose family since 1896. With 65 rooms and suites (many with sea views and balconies), a fine dining restaurant, leisure facilities include the luxurious Voyage Spa complex and fitness suite, a nine-hole golf course and tennis, badminton and squash courts; it even has its own village pub!
Set in 19 acres, and on the South Devon National Trust coastline, it also enjoys a micro-climate for you, your family and even dogs (the hotel is dog friendly) to enjoy all year round.
The hotel is very clear about their family friendly offering, with a dedicated page on the website. They have various family rooms where there is room for a cot, or the room contains a sofa bed, extra bed or even their built in bunk beds. Child-friendly facilities include a play room, DVD and games selection and table tennis. There is also a ‘family kitchen’ with bottle warming facilities and more.
If that’s not enough to entice you, during the school holiday there is a Children’s Big T’s Surf Club which offers entertainment such as a Magician, movie nights, arts & crafts, Pizza making and so on.
The Family Room
The bedrooms are very comfortable, with a mix of modern and traditional interiors. What is really impressive is the built in bunk beds for children. They are built in against the wall, like shoe cupboards if you will, and the bunk can be closed or open as required. Children also get a child’s sized gown and slippers, and a little welcome pack with a few activities in which is a really nice touch.
The Facilities
The Voyage Spa: an awe-inspiring area reminiscent of an art deco cruise liner, featuring indoor pool, sauna, steam room, laconium, hydrotherapy pool and a fitness suite. One thing to note is when children are allowed in the spa; we arrived just before 5pm to find out they are only allowed in until 6pm in the evening so we had to rush to get a bit of swimming time in that evening but then squeezed in more splashing the next morning, pre breakfast. Really gorgeous, high quality and clean interior though, a real treat for any guest!
Child friendly play rooms: Impressive facilities include a games and movie room, a play room, a family kitchen with heating facilities and even a parent’s sitting room in between the play rooms for you to relax whilst keeping an eye on your little ones.
Outdoor facilities which we did not try due to the weather and timing of our visit include a heated swimming pool (open May – September), children’s play area, tennis courts, and croquet lawn. You can walk from the hotel to Thurlestone Beach within a few minutes, follow the South West Coast Path or head to Bantham Beach just a mile away.
The Food Offering
We decided to dine in their formal art deco inspired dining room – the Trevilder Restaurant. It is definitely petite a la carte food, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for hungry families and would suggest trying their very own Village Inn pub attached to the hotel. However, for a treat for the adults, this classy restaurant serves local produce and is a sophisticated treat; note dinner jackets are recommended for gents. There are wonderful views from the restaurant when the light or weather allows.
The Morning After The Night Before
Breakfast was delicious, although the hot food offering was also on the petite side (hot breakfast is normally one of the highlights of an overnight stay right?). The breakfast bar was very generous though and there was even a children’s table, at their height, with lots of yummy treats on for them to choose from.
Family Friendly?
Definitely – everything you need for a child-friendly stay and more. They make the child feel like the main customer in many areas which was great, and as we all know a happy kids means happy parents! Dogs are welcome too, so parents, kids and man’s best friend can all have a break from the norm and run wild on the nearby beaches together.
Thurlestone Hotel, Parkfield, Thurlestone, Kingsbridge TQ7 3NN
Thurlestone Hotel Socials:
The Heath's Hideaways, Hotels & Other Adventures 
One thought on “Family Hotel Stay at Thurlestone Hotel & Spa, Kingsbridge, South Devon”