FEELS LIKE DEVON
A group getaway can ease the pressure of those family rifts during the festive period. FIONA WEBSTER finds a peaceful retreat
AS WE lounge in our heated indoor pool, sipping cocktails and speculating about what our chef might be cooking for dinner, we realise we have found the formula for the perfect holiday.
We love going away, but hate the fuss and formality of hotels. Villas are fine but one person often ends up doing all the work – buying food, booking restaurants and organising the fun – and it’s usually me.
A new service aims to solve that, by doing the donkey work for you. Oliver’s Travels offers stays in beautiful homes, plus an optional concierge service to see to your every need – from organising taxis and shopping, to activities and chefs who come and cook for you.
We decided to try it out with a short break in Dartmoor. The luxury home, which we chose from 1,400 the company offers worldwide, did not disappoint.
Puggiestone House is a natural charmer. This beautiful, sevenbedroomed country manor near Chagford has a heated indoor pool and sauna, and is surrounded by gardens and its own wood leading down to a river.
It is within the Dartmoor National Park, deep in the Devon countryside, but Exeter, with its range of shops, restaurants and galleries, is just a 30-minute drive away.
Our bedroom features a walk-in wardrobe the size of our bedroom at home, a bathroom with a television perched on the wall and a sitting room with a sofa and swivel armchairs, so you can admire the views from every window.
There is a well-stocked library, sun room and even a tree-house bolthole you can retreat to and read a book, or just enjoy the view.
There are many walks from the house and half a mile up the road is the exclusive Gidleigh Park hotel, run by well-known hotelier Paul Shanahan.
No-one wants to cook, so a company called Dine Indulge provides a chef who has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants. After a long walk and a swim on the first day, we come down to a beautifully laid table, wine chilling and a menu that includes steamed fillet of fresh sea bass, and pistachio and rose water marshmallow. Everything is taken care of, from the wine to the washing up.
Beyond the property, there’s plenty to explore.
The next morning we decide to try a taste of Dartmoor life, so Oliver’s Travels arranges a trip to Parke, a National Trust estate near Bovey Tracey.
It offers 250 acres of woodland and wildlife for walkers, English apple orchards, working apple presses and fields of Dartmoor ponies that help bring the apples from the orchards.
The award-winning Home Farm Cafe in Parke’s grounds serves Ashburton lamb, Dartmoor pork and Devon duck, with ingredients sourced from cafe owner Nick Smith’s nearby farm. Great a value at £12 a dish.
My husband Carson wants to try foraging, so Oliver’s Travels finds us an expert forager who takes us hiking across Dartmoor, where we learn about natural remedy plants, wild herbs and how to make delicious sloe brandy. During our trek, the rain sets in and we discover the moors can be tough terrain. If you try it, take waterproof jackets, trousers and hats.
We are relieved to get back to the comfort and luxury of our villa, cast off our soggy clothes and dive into our warm pool.
Our final night’s feast is as good as our first, with the same cheerful chef offering five courses, ranging from succulent slow roasted local lamb to chocolate mousse with strawberries.
The weekend goes fast and we leave relaxed and rested. It feels like having your own country home, with staff on hand if needed. Oliver’s Travels offers everything from apartments and city pads to villas and chateaux.
Some customers prefer to do their own organising, but the company’s concierge service certainly suited us – my first holiday where I didn’t have to pick up a tea towel!