We stayed in an Airbnb accommodation in the seaside town of Teignmouth on the South Devon coast. We rented the downstairs apartment of Den House – a listed Regency house situated at the end of the promenade. The house is Grade II listed and was once an Academy for Young Ladies. Jane Austen was said to have stayed in the building in 1802 when it was called Bella Vista. She wrote “Sense and Sensibility” whilst staying in South Devon.
The apartment was obviously newly decorated and spotlessly clean because the estate agent’s “sold” board was still there. The accomodation consisted of two large bedrooms – one had a double bed plus a single while the other bedroom had three single beds. So, the three of us had bags of room! There was a large living room with glorious views out to sea. The bathroom had a shower over the bath (but no grab rail) There was a fully functional kitchen, although we only cooked an evening meal once because there were plenty of places to eat in the resort. We had an allocated parking space outside the house, where the car was for most of the time.
It was a short walk to the railway station so we travelled around the area by train to do our sightseeing. Being simply on the promenade it was ideal for stepping out of the front door and down on to the beach for a swim, so my daughter took full advantage of this. In the evening and at night-time it was very quiet – all you could hear were the seagulls and waves lapping on the shore. Around the town there was a variety of small shops, artisanal food and handmade gifts. Our favourite pub was the Blue Anchor with a lovely beer garden. One evening I placed my drink on the wall next to the flowering plants and when I came to pick it up there was a slug slithering up the glass! Eek!
We took the passenger ferry over to Shaldon. It operates a daily service across the bay. Shaldon is a pretty village of old fishermen’s cottages, where we have stayed in the past. However, one evening we took the car over to have a meal in The Ness Hotel on the outskirts of Shaldon village overlooking the Teign estuary. It is a Grade II listed Georgian property built in 1810 with a car park nearby. We pre-booked a table and the staff gave us one with a stunning view over the bay. The food was spot on – I had roasted sea bream for my main course (£14.50) and chocolate & orange torte for pudding (£6.25) The service was efficient and friendly.
So Teignmouth certainly “ticked all the boxes” as far as we were concerned. It proved to be an ideal base for exploring that part of South Devon. We would also consider staying in Den House again as it was perfectly situated and the owner was helpful.