The family owned Soar Mill Cove Hotel is set in outstanding, unspoilt countryside near Salcombe in south Devon.

You need to be at Soar Mill Cove less than five minutes to see the point. The end of the drive opens into a breathtaking V-shaped panorama which was voted by National Trust members as their third most popular view in the UK.

The hotel itself is single-storey, made of local stone and slate and set low into the hillside in order to minimise its impact on the stunning location. Around it are 10 acres of private grounds with direct access to a further 2,000 acres of National Trust land and some of the most scenic walks in south Devon, including the South West Coastal Path.

The beach is certainly the hotel's pride and joy. A ten-minute walk down a peaceful country track through fields brings visitors to a truly unspoilt, Enid Blytonesque beach. There are no ice cream vans or vendors selling the usual seaside tat, just pure unadulterated, old fashioned fun - scavenging in the rock pools, building sand castles, damming the stream which runs down to the beach, or learning about the different wildlife from the hotel's owner, Keith Makepiece.

The accolades and awards that the hotel has won over the years are testament to its excellence; these include four AA stars with two red rosettes, and the RAC four-star White Ribbon for excellence, with three dining rosettes.

It's not surprising that such a family orientated business makes families feel so welcome. Keith and Jenny have three children of their own, and touches like the home-made biscuit bearing a child’s name on their pillow when they arrive, ensures that families return again and again, generation after generation.

The hotel instils the same sense of loyalty in its staff. By organising fun and imaginative team building events, morale has been kept high, and this shows in the welcome and service that guests receive and the comments they make.

The food is of an exceptionally high standard. Ian MacDonald, the head chef who won their two red AA rosettes, makes a point of offering a balance of simple and elaborate dishes, with extensive choices from either side of the surf-turf divide. As you might hope from a county as blessed as Devon with livestock and seafood, there is no shortage of high-quality produce. Children are particularly well catered for with healthy, natural homemade recipes.

There is no such thing as an ordinary room at the hotel. Even the standard rooms are outsize, and the suites are huge. All 22 look out of picture windows across the grounds either to the sea, or through French doors which open on to their own patio. All are equipped with seating in which you can comfortably read a book or watch widescreen TV.

Beyond room or suite, the level of facilities ensures there is plenty to do if the weather turns. The hotel has its own beauty salon and spa offering holistic treatments and a Swedish sauna. Active guests can tick off their calorie-counter on billiards and ping-pong tables or in the indoor heated pool with jet stream. As an alternative to the dining room, the Bolly Bar offers an escapist take on the AbFab lifestyle, boasting the full range of Bollinger champagnes to accompany a light grazing menu, and the newly refurbished lounge is the perfect spot to look out across the constantly changing seascape of the Atlantic. Once the sun returns, the outdoor pool comes into its own, together with the tennis-court and nine-hole pitch-and-putt course.

In short, Soar Mill is an antidote to the false atmosphere and poor service of so many resort hotels and the perfect base from which to explore the great attractions of the Westcountry.