‘Are we living in a castle, Daddy?’, exclaims my three-year-old daughter as we wind down the drive and pull in outside. St Anne’s Manor.
It sure seemed that way.
We loaded up the car and headed to South Devon for a half term break and were now looking at a Victorian mansion that looked fit for a king.
We wandered in to explore what would be our home for the next few days and dropped our bags – and our jaws.
A luxurious, chic and stylish entrance hall has given way to a five-bedroom mansion that is as beautiful inside as it is outside.
Of course the kids raced off to run around the place with my wife and I looking for. We begged them not to touch the undoubtedly expensive collector’s items that decorated the rooms and were within reach of little fingers.
The beautiful St Anne’s Manor with its four large pillars outside the entrance
The deck has tarps to keep the sun out as well as the outdoor kitchen
The hot tub where we relaxed after long days entertaining the kids
The entrance hall is beautifully presented throughout with chic decor
One of the five bedrooms – the house sleeps 12 and dogs are welcome
The focal point of the house is the large kitchen with enormous worktops
St Anne’s Manor set in three acres of immaculate gardens and nestled in the hills of Torquay.
It’s a stone’s throw from the abundance of local beaches, but what we liked most was the safety of the site and that the house itself is the main attraction.
Formidable walls and electric gates keep the property completely secure so we let the children roam free and explore the gardens.
The impeccably maintained lawns, flower beds and hedges soon played host to countless hiding places, as the peace and tranquility of the beautiful grounds was broken only by excited squeals and giggles.
The pièce de résistance is the incredible outdoor kitchen that sits on a platform in the front lawn.
The lighted deck is adorned by cooking utensils, outdoor fridges and ovens, dining tables and is covered with tarps that provide much needed shade to beat the summer heat.
It’s also the perfect place to eat outside and then relax until the early hours of the morning.
St Anne’s is very much a home for all seasons.
The outdoor kitchen with barbecue, pizza oven fridges and worktops is ideal for entertaining
A peaceful view of the garden, patio and porch from inside the mansion
The stoep is the pièce de résistance of the idyllic garden setting
A patio area overlooks the immaculate gardens
The beautiful gardens played at home with lots of games of hide and seek during our visit
The house has a fully equipped indoor gym
The bathrooms are spotless and elegant
The rooms have giant beds and elegant fittings
In the winter months, the luxury furniture, baby grand piano, pool table, TV room, in-house gym, hot tub and games room provide hours of entertainment when the nights have come.
The property is perfect for hosting large groups – it sleeps 12 and dogs are welcome – and guests who visited in the summer often return in the winter to experience the property in a different season.
Like many large homes, the focal point is the enormous kitchen that simply screams luxury.
Decorated with custom hand-painted units, stunning workspaces and a large dining room table, we headed there and spent hours relaxing and watching the kids race around the room.
When we ventured out, we spent our days exploring the local beaches, dropping ice cream on the sand and being chased up the shore by the waves.
The Babbacombe Cliff Railway was a particular hit with our brood.
Established in 1926, this 720ft funicular connects Oddicombe Beach from the cliff above, saving beachgoers an all-out swing up the hill.
The view was breathtaking and it felt like being transported back to a simpler time.
Of course the children were delighted.
A baby grand piano sits in the corner of the main reception room next to a roaring fireplace
The TV and games room is perfect for relaxing with the family after a long day at the beach
The main kitchen has its own Aga and there is also a separate butler’s kitchen
The hot tub is the ultimate luxury so you can sit back and relax
Guests can enjoy a game of pool
The house sits on a three-acre site near the beach
Kent’s Cavern prehistoric cave is also worth a visit to entertain families with 400 million year old rocks and spectacular stalagmites and stalactites. Of course, they couldn’t resist trying to touch everything…
Once the little ones were asleep, we retired to the front room, one of two expansive reception rooms, or enjoyed a bit in the hot tub.
On our last night, we watched the steam from the hot water shimmer above us and rise into the darkness of the black sky.
We clinked our drinks, laughed the night away and enjoyed a few well deserved glasses of vino.
It was a wonderful trip and, if only for a few days, we all felt like royalty.
