Lodging in Sidmouth, Devon

“Having stayed at Brend Hotels over many years pre Covid Lockdowns, we were delighted to find that the excellent standards of service were maintained. The dining (breakfast and dinner) was suprb, with live music to enhance the ambience. We shall be returning.”

“If you are of a certain age and like to be well looked after and have good quality food don’t hesitate to book. I was with my mum - a spritely 93 who loved every minute but she was more mobile than most there and I’m in my early sixties and felt very out of place!”

“The room was good; the bed very comfortable. The window was a bit draughty when it was closed, and although it was generally chilly weather, the quilt was far too warm. Admittedly, a difficult balance with this unpredictable weather, though. Although the proprietors are a bit unfriendly and rather impatient, we didn't have to deal with them much. Weirdly, they were so uninterested in their customers that they didn't even man the bar, preferring instead for guests to serve themselves and write down what they'd had. Every public space has a loud radio pumping out awful music (Smooth FM I think) and endless bloody advertising. This destroyed any sense of atmosphere, generating a strong urge to get out of the public spaces as soon as possible. Other than the proprietors, the rest of the staff were really very nice indeed. They were welcoming and happy. The hotel was wonderfully clean, the cleanest I can recall. And the location is very handy for town, beach and walks, as well as very quiet at night.Some slight irritations, other than the owners' unfriendly approach: Cupboard catches are not a good substitute for proper door latches and handles in bathroom doors. These made an extremely loud click, which was disruptive at night. The lights in the bathroom were extremely bright; again, very disruptive in the night. There is no shaving socket in the bathroom, either. The room TV is a tiny screen, with tinny, useless sound and not worth switching on; a false economy because it is actually useless. Finally, the strange regimented system of only being allowed to turn up to breakfast at one of three times seemed not to be designed for the convenience of the guests. And, sorry, but the coffee was truly awful. So, a few little niggles, but an interesting, well-located and historical place with wonderful hard-working staff!”

“Lovely place to stay nice and friendly staff . Food is excellent. Beds comfy. Bedroom has tea and coffee facilities. Plus biscuits.Enjoyed my stay very much .Thanks.”

“The most fabulous food, really welcoming and the most amazing building. Scouring TripAdvisor and noticing the Salty Monk as we drove by, my wife and I were impressed by the reviews, plus they’re dog friendly, and we chose to book dinner. Booking online was easy, and it shows care and passion being asked to provide a deposit to secure the booking. As we were in a short holiday break we can’t leave our dogs elsewhere, since they are two big Bernese Mountain dogs, and too be honest they’re family. As we say if they don’t allow, well behaved, dogs we aren’t coming either! We arrived and had received a warm welcome from the proprietor and immediately you notice the stringing building and decor. Part of the property is very old and full of character and has been considerately extended. The dining area was clean and welcoming. We didn’t go with small plates, instead opting to “save ourselves” for what was the most amazing and inviting choice of main courses and deserts. We did however spy that they had a selection of bruschetta in the nibbles selection on the drinks menu and had these to start, which were so good we had another round. I had the fillet steak and Tortellini with a side of broccoli whilst my wife had the plaice. Both dishes looked and tasted amazing and packed with flavour. By desert we were starting to get full so we shared the house speciality being a baked Alaska, which once again was fabulous. We had the most amazing experience, it’s a foodies dream restaurant and we’ll definitely be going back again. We hadn’t realised at first but its also possible to stay at the Salty Monk, where they have 7x differently themed rooms. These rooms all look fabulous, plus they’re a dog friendly establishment, so maybe next time when we’re on our next short break holiday.”

“An immaculate self-contained annex hosted by Ellen and Chris who ensure everything is on hand for a perfect break in lovely Sidmouth. Will definitely be back there soon.”

“I cannot recommend Alternative Aquitaine highly enough. We booked our holiday through them and they have been so helpful and customer focussed throughout the process. I will 100% be using them again.”

“We have only eaten here once before. But again the food and service was excellent.Very affordable 2 course Sunday lunch £21:95. Sorry about the pictures to eager to dig in.Empty plates”

“Extremely friendly team, met with smiles and nothing was too much to ask. We emailed ahead as our daughter finds eating out tricky so requested simple pasta and cheese. I had a response straight away and it was no problem. They even made a note of this request ahead of when we arrived. It made our daughter feel much more comfortable. The food was delicious and the choices on the carvery were great. My husband was very pleased with the portion size of meat he was given. Lovely pub and we will definitely keep coming back. Thank you.”

“The lasagne and the ? crumble and custard were so delicious and the people served it were so friendly.l would recommend this place for the great atmosphere and good tasty home made food.”

“Having stayed at the Harbour Hotel on several occasions I have found the accommodation leaves only one complaint, the fitting of the shower over the bath, getting into the bath being an obstacle to work on, The bathrooms require being redesigned. On this occasion I was disappointed to find that discount on the evening meal was longer offered, but on the other hand the quality of the food served had improved since my last stay. Regarding the staff I found them all very friendly and helpful.”