There’s something rather splendiferous about standing on your ample roof terrace and watching a pod of dolphins gambol across a glinting turquoise sea — in late September in Devon.
The dolphin sighting was trumped only by the arrival, during breakfast, of my hotel’s resident seal. Half-eaten full Englishes were abandoned in the scramble from breakfast terrace to the Cary Arms’ jetty. Who needs Occombe Farm sausages when there’s ‘Sammy the seal’?
A posh pub with a handful of seaside-chic rooms overlooking pretty Babbacombe Bay, the Cary Arms seems to function in a parallel universe frequented by divers (who explore the bay from dawn till dusk), swimmers, fishermen, sailors, hungry walkers, travelling gourmets and, yes, an elderly seal.
‘Suits or wetsuits — anything goes,’ said our waiter.
The surrounding waters and rolling Devon pastures feature heavily on menus at the stonewalled inn, which draws locals in droves to its affordable, fish-laden menu. Weather permitting, you’ll be devouring your pan-seared Brixham scallops, wood-fired pizza or roasted local partridge outside, on the residents-only sun deck or one of the terraces that spills down the cliffside towards the bay.
Created by the de Savarys, rooms don’t disappoint. There are hi-spec bathrooms filled with Temple Spa goodies and beds dressed in silky Egyptian cotton. My room, Fleet Admiral, afforded 180-degree bay views via two sets of French windows — one leading to that spectacular terrace. The nautical-themed saloon is filled with books, cosy sofas and bay window seats and there’s also a spa treatment room.
Delightful though the inside is, we spent most of our early-Autumn weekend outside, drinking in a typical Devon scene of red cliffs topped by a patchwork of fields that meets the sea.
‘It’s awesome — we went swimming and saw dolphins and a seal. And there’s a pool table,’ effused an excited 10-year-old into her mum’s mobile later that day.
And with that, I toasted the sunset with an Otter Ale.
Babbacombe Beach, Devon TQ1 3LX (+44 (0)1803 327110; caryarms.co.uk). Doubles from £195 per night including full English breakfast. Two-bed suite (sleeps 4) from £350. Massages from £30. Beach Cottages also available.
