North Devon Resort

The staff were mostly lovely and helpful, especially the young woman behind the bar, a receptionist with glasses, and some of the cleaning team. One staff member was very rude, though, and management dealt poorly with complaints during our stay. The resort offered us a late checkout for £25, despite delaying our check-in by nearly 3 hours. We arrived shortly after 4pm and were repeatedly told our room wasn’t ready, with no estimate for the wait. After a 4.5-hour journey in 30°C heat, we waited more than 2 hours to get in. Other families, including ones with young children, were waiting too. Unable to use the cooking facilities, we felt pushed into buying food from the hotel restaurant. The upgraded apartment, described as “newly renovated,” was a letdown. The door jammed, walls and furniture were stained, filler repairs were patchy, the bathroom had mould, and the dishes were dirty. The outside of the building also looked neglected and filthy. We were asked to pay for extra toilet roll, even though we’d paid for serviced accommodation. That evening the door lock broke completely. My husband had to climb out through the window to open the door from outside. Meanwhile, the people in the apartment above were constantly screaming, shouting, and running around late into the night, so our children couldn’t sleep. This was a very disappointing stay. The accommodation fell far below what was advertised, and the resort needs to focus on quality over quantity.

We went to the Darts Festival run by Darts Events 4U, and everyone at the hotel was so helpful. The food was excellent, especially the Sunday carvery. Friends stayed in several different apartments and all enjoyed the weekend. Some stayed on for a few extra days to explore Ilfracombe and Devon. There were a few little niggles, but they’re renovating the resort, and it’s improved a lot since we were here last year. We’ll definitely be back.

The town itself is beautiful, clean, and well organised, and the WiFi was very fast everywhere. We didn’t use the pool. Our two-bedroom sea-view apartment was okay and clean, but there were long black hairs in the bathroom, as usual. The clothes cabinet was very small and had no hangers, and the TV remote didn’t work, so I used a phone app instead. We arrived at 13:45, before the 16:00 check-in time, went into town, then came back at 16:10. The folder with my name and key was still in exactly the same place at reception. When we opened the room, there was a strong manure-like smell, and the bedrooms hadn’t been turned over after the previous guests. I complained to reception, and two cleaners came within five minutes to clean the rooms, change the linen, and provide towels. The photos for this flat showed a sauna and hot tub, and the description said they were available. When I asked at reception, I was told, “I am afraid they are on a different price.”

The service was excellent and we still enjoyed our stay, but the rooms need decorating and repairs. In our view, they were overpriced for their condition and due for a proper refurbishment. Edit: I’m not sure how to reply, but I know we booked through Revel festivals. We checked the listing, which described the room as a superior chalet. The photos they supplied showed your newly refurbished chalets, but ours looked nothing like them. I’d expect a superior chalet to be nicer than what we got. It was misleading, to say the least. They must have been sent those pictures.