Lympstone Manor Hotel Restaurant & Vineyard - Relais & Chateaux

A fantastic place to stay and the welcome,service. room and food were all excellent, I left feeling I had had a really wonderful experience

This hotel is expensive but worth it. It is world class with every need catered for. The staff are very friendly and attend to your every need. It has the atmosphere of a country house and so much thought has gone into every aspect of guest comfort. We arrived at the front door (Sat Nav required), a gentleman offered to park our car & take luggage to our room. We walked around the grounds which includes a large Vinery and a lovely walk by the River Exe down to Exmouth. Aperitives and a Michael Caines dinner followed - wow! Our room was stunning. Every item you could possibly need was provided, every thing was luxurious and the impression was of no expense spared. Breakfast next morning was also top class in one of the three small restaurants which all usually served the same food but it made you feel you were in that country house. Through out our stay the general manager Alex was present, but not intrusive and always available to advise & help as indeed were all the very friendly staff. It is a wonderful place.

An absolutely gorgeous hotel with amazing food made for a very special stay for our 30 wedding anniversary.

Lympstone manor is a wonderful hotel set in lovely grounds overlooking the Exe estuary. The staff were both professional, helpful and personable. The rooms are very nice and the whole experience first class. We met Michael Caines by chance in the lounge and had a very pleasant down to earth chat, he is an excellent chef and clearly a good businessman.

We dined in the Pool Restaurant as it was a treat for my wife’s birthday. We had dined a few times in the ‘Main’ Restaurant but had only heard that the Pool Restaurant was a less expensive but more limited menu. When we arrived we could not see any sign on where to park for the Pool Restaurant as friends had told us it was a walk away from the hotel. Someone took the car keys and then drove us in a Buggy to the Pool Restaurant- it was raining. On arrival we discovered we were the only diners and had our own Chef and Server. Not surprisingly the food and the service were great. There were 3 starters - plus salady dishes which also could be starters- and 8–9 mains. Two courses for £48. Whilst the meal was really tasty and well presented not sure it was worth £48. What was impressive was keeping our solo booking instead of asking us to dine in the main Restaurant. Whilst the weather was awful and it was dark I suspect the pool Restaurant would be a great occasion in the Summer months as it would have lovely views When we finished the buggy picked us up and took us to our car. To conclude - great location and service but probably a special occasion place rather than regular dining

The most obvious reason for visiting the Manor is to eat at Michael Caine s table . The hotel over all is clean and slightly outdated . Four of us stayed there one weekend and we were all disappointed with the lack of personality in the staff, the general feeling was that they were all just doing their jobs , the friendliest one being the doorman. We all opted for the taster menu . The first disaster being the sommelier who had absolutely no idea of the wine list if we had chosen the wines paired with the courses she would have been able to recite the recommendations off by heart when we asked for advice on bottles rather than glasses we were told there were dozens of choices which there were but she had no idea on the taste or acidity of any of them . After the first course we had to wait 45 minutes for the duck pate and it didn’t get much better after that . The following courses were brought by two waiters who stood at either side of the table and nodded at each other and discussed who was going to give the spiel on each course , it got worse with each course . Overall the food was mediocre nothing wrong but definitely nothing inspirational, sadly lacking in individuality. We were surprised they were part of the Relais & Chateau group having stayed in many we didn’t feel it was up to their standard

As you'd expect the food at Lympstone Manor was exceptional from Breakfast to Dinner. Such delicate dishes using wonderful produce in fascinating combinations. I was left with an overwhelming desire to be a better cook and try some of them although I don't think I'll ever manage to achieve the delicate presentation. Catered for food intolerances and preferences with ease. A wonderful and memorable 40th anniversary experience.

Stayed for two nights in a Luxury Garden suite. I had asked for a ground floor room because my wife has had a recent back problem. This was in an extension of the original building and necessitated going outside and using a partially paved rough gravel path - not ideal when dressed for dinner in the wind and rain! The room was bizarre comprising three sections rather like three beach huts joined up. Small entrance sitting area with a small sofa but no work area. A sleeping area and a bathroom. All open planned and visible to all. Only door was for the toilet! Large step up to the bathroom area with no hand rail-Dangerous and slippery. £1350/night -outrageous. The restaurant however was excellent. Very fine food worthy of two rosettes with excellent efficient but not intrusive service. Eat there and stay elsewhere.

Location, accommodation and quality of the food was exceptional. We could not have had a more enjoyable stay and would love to visit again.