The girls were on half term last week and Andy had the week off too. It’s the first time Andy has been off work the whole time the girls have been and it was really lovely. We were invited to stay at the Langstone Cliff Hotel, which is in Dawlish Warren. The girls had not been to Devon before and it looked like a great place to stay and enjoy the area.
We arrived in Dawlish Warren just in time for lunch and because I didn’t know that the traffic was going to be like I had packed a picnic for us to have at any point in the journey. Thankfully the traffic was really good and we made it all the way to Dawlish Warren and could enjoy our picnic with a lovely view.
After a little wander around, we decided to head to the hotel. When we arrived, we were pleased to discover that our room was ready early and we could check in. We were in a family room with a sea view and I was really pleased to see that the girls had their own beds. So often they are given a sofa bed to share, and this can often lead to difficult bedtimes. So this was a welcome sight.
The girls were given hats when they arrived, which was a lovely gesture.
There was a dressing table and a seating area, with a television. Next to the beds were plug sockets, which also had USB plugs too. This is always a welcome sight too.
There was also tea and coffee making facilities, with biscuits. The biscuits were replaced every day, which the girls were very happy about.
The bathroom was a good size and the shower was really powerful, hot and easy to use. All things I look for when staying in a hotel. They had toiletries too, which Andy always uses when we stay away.
Whilst the rooms are a little dated, they were clean and met all of our needs and we all slept well.
One of things that really appealed to me when agreeing to come and visit the hotel, was that it had an indoor swimming pool. Firstly, my girls love swimming and I knew this would be great for them. But secondly, you never know what the weather is going to be like in the UK and it gives you an indoor option of something to do if you need it. As soon as we were unpacked, we were in the swimming pool. We also went twice again during our stay, as the girls love it so much.
There are changing facilities in the pool area, and lots of seats around it too. It was nice and warm too.
We were staying on a bed, breakfast and dinner package which the hotel offer. There are a couple of options available. You can dine in the main dining room and have the set menu of the day, however there is no children’s menu available. Which is a little disappointing. Dinner also is only served from 6.45pm to 9pm, and with us having two young children who are used to eating at 5.30pm and go to bed at 7pm. This wasn’t an option for us.
Thankfully there was a second option. They offer a kids supper to be served at 5.30pm, and Andy and I could also order dinner from the bar menu and eat with the girls. This was perfect for us, as we are all used to eating together at 5.30pm and the bar menu had plenty of choice for us and the type of food we like. You do need to pre-order your food by 5pm and you can phone this through if you’re out for the day.
Over the course of our stay, the girl enjoyed cottage pie, fish fingers, chicken fillets and pizza. They both enjoyed their meals and had a drink and ice cream included.
Andy and I enjoyed scampi, burger, BLT and pizza. We enjoyed all our meals, except my only disappointment was that it was obvious that my pizza was a chicago town pizza with a few leaves added to the top. This is not what I would expect to receive at any restaurant or hotel. Apart from that we all enjoyed dinner while we were there.
We enjoyed our dinner in the dining room looking out over the garden. Our table was always set and ready for us at 5.30pm.
What I liked about the hotel was that there was plenty of space to sit and you didn’t feel on top of other guests.
The girls were very excited when they saw the play area out in the garden and it was nice for them to have somewhere to run about before dinner.
There is plenty of seats outside and some sun loungers too. There is also an outdoor pool and whilst it was gorgeous weather while we were there, we only used the indoor pool. There were a few children in the outdoor pool on our last afternoon.
There is also a tennis court that you can use and there are rackets and balls you can borrow from reception. Alice was desperate to have a go and on our last day, we got a chance to use it. It was great to have this available to use and the girls loved it.
The garden is really big and there are lots of pretty flowers and grass areas, where you could play a game of football etc.
There is also an indoor play area at the back of the lounge area and Holly liked playing in there one evening, while Alice was outside.
Each morning we had breakfast in the Lincoln restaurant and the table that you’re given, you have for your whole stay which is a lovely idea and makes you feel at home. The breakfast is a buffet style and there was always plenty of food available and it was hot. There was a chef there to make fresh fried eggs, which was really nice. Breakfast in a hotel is always Alice’s favourite part of a hotel stay.
The staff throughout our stay were really friendly and great with the girls. Talking to them and asking what they had been doing that day. It was really nice and very welcoming.
Each evening at 6pm there was a children’s entertainer. I’m not sure if this was because it was half term and on in the school holidays only. It was on for an hour and we went one evening. What I liked, was that it was in a separate room, so if you didn’t want to watch it was away from the rest of the seating area and you weren’t disturbed. The girls loved watching the magician and came away with a couple to balloon animals.
At the bottom of the garden is a path and a short walk is Dawlish Warren Beach. This was our view from our hotel room.
We took a walk along a couple of nights and you go over the railway bridge and along the sea front. The girls loved seeing all the trains go by.
Because it is such a short walk from the hotel to the beach, on our last evening we went and had an hour on the beach, played in the amusements and had an ice cream. It was a really lovely way to end our holiday.
We had a lovely stay at the Langstone Cliff Hotel, it gave us everything that we needed and it was well situated for days out.
Disclosure: We were kindly invited to stay at the hotel in return for an honest review. All views, opinions and photos are my own.
