Review: The Pig at Combe, Devon

_Location: The Pig at Combe is set just outside the Devon chocolate-box village of Grittisham. The nearest train station is three miles away in Honiton, a three-hour ride from London.

_{First impressions:} Driving up the long winding lane to The Pig, we pass auburn-hued Arabian horses, their coats glistening in the sun. At the centre of this lush 1,400-hectare site is a magnificent honey-coloured manor, shining brightly against a cloudless sky on our arrival. Inside, your first encounter is not with a traditional lobby area but with a cocktail bar – that’s when I knew I was going to be as happy as a pig in mud. A few twists and turns around the house and you reach a check-in desk for the welcomingly unstuffy formalities.

_{The facts:} The Pig at Combe is one of a growing litter of Pigs around the country. This Grade I listed Elizabethan property became part of the Pig family in 2016. The hotel has just 30 rooms and they’re all unique. Mine was The Laundry, a massive one-bed suite with a super?kingsize four-poster bed and a separate lounge area. The pièce de résistance was an enormous copper bathtub with monsoon shower – plenty big enough for two. Suites in the stableyard are rustic and fun; in one of them, The Horsebox, the original stalls separate the bed and a freestanding bath. The decor throughout the property is charming, with a diversity of antiques, hessian carpets and chandeliers that somehow perfectly complement each other. Drawings of flora and fauna decorate the walls, alongside a few items of taxidermy. All of the Pigs take food seriously. Here you’ll find a main restaurant where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served, and a bar, which is hugely popular with guests and locals alike. Elsewhere in the grounds, the Folly serves delicious flatbreads and light bites. Dishes are created with produce from the kitchen garden.

_Explore: Ask hotel staff for a map of walking routes from the property. Two in particular are suggested – a three?miler and a six-miler. Guests with a car can head south to explore the nearby Jurassic coast. And after exploring the beauty of Devon, guests seeking a twin-centre could head to the newest Pig in the litter, at Harlyn Bay in Cornwall.

_Wow: The grounds. You could easily spend your entire stay on the property, enjoying the delicious cuisine and gorgeous green landscapes.

COVID policy: thepighotel.com/faq/covid-19

_{Book it:} Agents can book The Pig at Combe through the agent portal of Mr & Mrs Smith. Rates start from £155.

thepighotel.com