Lympstone Manor Hotel

“Cooking that scales the heights in a luxury setting with stunning views” - AA Inspector
EXMOUTH, DEVON

Our Inspector's View
It’s not often that new country house hotels hit the headlines with such a bang, but when a chef of Michael Caines MBE’s stature is the driving force behind the operation, the hospitality world sits up and takes notice. While Lympstone Manor is hardly ‘new’ – it’s a creamy-white, Grade II, Georgian manor built by the Baring banking dynasty – it has been transformed by Michael Caines’s vision and now stands proud, a gorgeous building with sublime views over the Exe estuary, set in 28 acres of grounds that were planted with a vineyard in 2018 to produce sparkling wine. The place delivers everything you’d hope from a country house given a stylish 21st-century twist: comfort and sheer class are delivered in equal measure throughout the public areas, the styling working a treat thanks to soft-focus hues, hand-painted wallpapers, designer chandeliers and modern artworks, and the mood is intimate and unbuttoned. Elegant and outstanding cuisine, augmented by a significant 600-bin wine list, underpin the Lympstone experience, served in three exquisite dining rooms, where the service tone is the same throughout, friendly, engaging and completely devoid of reverentially hushed tones. The cooking delivers a seamless blend of classical technique and precision with contemporary riffs on flavour and texture, opening with cannelloni of basil pasta, filled with sweet langoustine and supported by fennel purée and the sharp kiss of sauce vièrge to counter a creamy langoustine bisque. Following that, salt cod is married with paprika, crab, samphire and chorizo, an explosion of flavours reined in by the acidity of lemon, while butter-poached Brixham turbot with scallop, leek terrine, cep purée and chive and truffle butter sauce is a dish of silky panache and top-flight technical know-how. Things end with a theme on apple – feather-light mousse, jelly, sorbet, crisps, crumble and caramelised apple purée, all highlighted by vanilla foam.
Awards, Accolades & welcome Schemes
Facilities – at a glance
Vegetarian menu
Service charge
Features
- Seats: 60
- On-site parking available
- Open all year
- Lunch served from: 12
- Lunch served until: 2
- Dinner served from: 7
- Dinner served until: 9
- Cuisine style: Modern British
- Vegetarian menu
Also in the Area
About The area
Discover Devon
With magnificent coastlines, two historic cities and the world-famous Dartmoor National Park, Devon sums up all that is best about the British landscape. For centuries it has been a fashionable and much loved holiday destination – especially south Devon’s glorious English Riviera.
Close to the English Riviera lies Dartmoor, one of the south-west’s most spectacular landscapes. The National Park, which contains Dartmoor, covers 365 square miles and includes many fascinating geological features – isolated granite tors and two summits exceeding 2,000 feet among them.
Not surprisingly, in Dartmoor the walking opportunities are enormous. Cycling in the two National Parks is also extremely popular and there is a good choice of off-road routes taking you to the heart of Dartmoor and Exmoor. Devon’s towns and cities offer stimulating alternatives to the rigours of the countryside.
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