Torquay

Torquay has some fantastic sandy beaches at Babbacombe, Oddicombe and Torquay itself. Nearby Paignton also has a wonderful beach. On a sunny day Torquay is a great place to be.

If you are tired of the beach you could walk to Cockington. It is a picture postcard village complete with thatched cottages. Although very touristy, we found it quite interesting to poke around in the holiday world of our parents' generation.

Torquay's official guide stresses the link with Agatha Christie's Poirot quite strongly. Personally I think this is a little overdone. See the Agatha Christie Trail for more details.

The character in my mind most associated with Torquay is of course Basil Fawlty. John Cleese stayed in Torquay whilst filming for the Monte Python series and was inspired to write "Fawlty Towers" by his experience at the Gleneagles Hotel. You can still stay there yourself if you want to say "I've stayed at Fawlty Towers", although it's not the same building as on the TV series.

Torquay - Best

• Gleneagles Hotel - the original "Fawlty Towers" [editor]

Torquay - Worst

• Traffic noise goes on through most of the night in central Torquay.  The A3022 runs along the front. [editor]

Accommodation

Torquay has many hotels and guest houses to suit all tastes and pockets. If you are looking for relaxation rather than all night partying I recommend that you ask whether the hotel caters for stag or hen parties. Also be aware that many of the larger hotels have wedding parties at the weekend.

Top tip: Don't book online - phone the hotel direct and negotiate a cheaper price.

Opinions

Gleneagles Hotel

Stayed in: August 2003 Rating: Good Official rating: 3 Star

We had to do it! Stay at Fawlty Towers, that is. We found the hotel pretty good. It's in a quiet part of Torquay, away from the noise. It has a fantastic outdoor pool heated to 80°F.

It's now under different management from when we stayed, it is now part of the Best Western group.

Go to: Gleneagles Hotel, Torquay

Also see our write up on it: Gleneagles Hotel, Torquay

Corbyn Head Hotel

Stayed in: August 2001 Rating: Good Official rating: 3 Star

We can also highly recommend the Corbyn Head Hotel. The food was excellent. When we stayed, if you were staying for a week, you were invited to dine (for one night out of the seven) at the award winning Orchid Restaurant. The food in the regular restaurant was also very good.

Our main moan was about the traffic noise. The Hotel is situated next to a main road (A3022) which is busy all night. Also when we stayed, the decor in the rooms was well past it's best, but this may have changed by now, of course.

Go to: Corbyn Head Hotel, Torquay

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