The Editor Reviews...The Mole Resort

Last weekend my partner and I were invited to stay at The Mole Resort which is a beautiful manor house near Umberleigh in North Devon. The resort offered us a three course dinner, bed and breakfast, plus an activity to take part in the following morning.

The resort isn't just a manor house; the company has expanded out into the grounds and built lodges on the complex for residents to stay in if the hotel itself or the cottages in the grounds don't appeal. Previously known as the Highbullen Hotel, the Mole Resort has been open in its current incarnation since last summer and boasts tennis courts, a swimming pool, spa and football as well as a whole list of other activities which can be booked whilst there, including archery, pottery painting, axe throwing and range shooting.

The manor house was built in 1879 by Devon-born architect William Moore and was used to house evacuees in WWII. The house was sold in the 1960s and it was converted into a hotel.

We arrived and checked in at 'The Hub', a large building that felt comfortable to sit in and is a multi-purpose space with the main reception at the front and a room at the back with table tennis tables and games. The receptionist was very friendly and gave us a map – you really do need one! Unfortunately, we didn't arrive until nearly 4 o'clock so daylight wasn't on our side to go wandering the 116 acre grounds just then. We drove round to the manor house and marvelled at its grandeur. Although not all that big, the architecture and the setting make it feel rather magical. The interior is so tastefully decorated as to make you feel like you're in a Jane Austin novel; I just wanted to light a fire and curl up on the Chesterfield with a book and a decanter of brandy!

Our room was fairly compact but again beautifully decorated, with a large bathroom. Sadly, the view of the bins out of our window wasn't the best, but this was definitely made up for by the provision of the most soft, fluffiest bathrobes I've ever worn.

We decided that since it was too dark to explore outside, we'd have a pre-dinner drink in the bar. Both bar and restaurant are in the former cellar area of the house and feel very welcoming with low light and little recesses to sit and relax. There are a few photos hung of the house in its previous life and thoughtful décor as a nod to the previous use of the area.

Since we felt very much like we were on holiday, we decided to treat ourselves to a gin and tonic each. We don't really get out much, so a locally produced Wicked Wolf gin and elderflower tonic was worth the drive to North Devon in itself. We sat for a while in the bar before heading back upstairs with our drinks to get Jane Austin-y in one of the beautiful reception rooms, lamenting the fact we didn't have a spaniel at our feet and a gramophone playing in the corner.

Making our way back downstairs for dinner, we were met by a charming young man by the name of Devlin who showed us to our table in one of the side rooms. Although usually I can barely make it through one main meal in a restaurant, this was to be a review, of course, so I felt it only right to sample a dish from each of the courses offered. To start, I chose the Croque Monsieur croquettes which were delicious, and my partner chose the Portobello and goat cheese, which was equally divine. As we watched some of the main meals being carried through to other diners, I resisted the urge to order a sourdough pizza and chose instead a Southern fried chicken burger, with my partner going for the lamb rump with aloo gobi. I made it through about half the burger which was as tall as me before admitting defeat and passing over the leftovers which were swiftly hoovered up. As a beef and sheep farmer, my partner is quite a connoisseur of lamb and declared his meal perfectly cooked and most tasty. I was already as full as a frog but in the name of science and self sacrifice, we soldiered on and ordered dessert. Devlin was most helpful in directing me to the least-filling dessert; something I'd never heard of and isn't on the online menu now so I can't give you the name of it. But it was a white chocolate mousse with blackberry sorbet and blackberries. Not usually a fan of white chocolate, when paired with the tart cold sorbet this was the perfect end to a sumptuous meal. My partner chose apple crumble – I think he must have hollow legs. It was probably the best meal we've had out for a very long time.

A glass of wine in the bar and that was us; we went back to our room, donned our ridiculously comfy dressing gowns and promptly fell asleep on top of the bed covers!

We were woken in the wee hours by an alarm going off somewhere on the estate. I couldn't work out whether the 'smoke' I could see coming from the wall below our window was smoke or just a fan and thought it better to make sure we weren't about to be roasted. I wandered about a bit in the dark and couldn't see where the alarm was coming from so went back to bed, which was incredibly comfy, by the way. The alarm stopped eventually and we slept very well.

I really wanted to go for a swim before breakfast but alas we ran out of time. Heading back to the restaurant we were once again met by Devlin, the poor lad, who was just as bright and cheery as the night before despite seemingly only having been home for a few hours before being back on breakfast duty! He dutifully showed us where all the pastries, fruit, yogurt and cereals were before returning to take our cooked breakfast orders. The breakfast was just as good as the dinner the night before, with everything cooked beautifully and obviously of very good quality. Isn't it just the best when you have a proper sausage that tastes just like it should? And I do have a thing for those tiny pots of jam; they remind me of holidays as a child.

So, we packed up and went to find the person who was to be our instructor for the morning. The resort kindly included an activity in our stay and the timings dictated that would be axe throwing. My friends and I all went axe throwing for my 40^th, so it was something we'd done before but that really didn't make a blind bit of difference; I was still rubbish at it. Liam, our instructor, was dryly humorous and gave us hints and tips to make our aim better. There were about 12 of us in the group and we split into teams and had competitions. My team came last most of the time but, you know, it's the taking part that counts and it was a lot of fun.

And then it was time to leave. We had a brilliant time; all the staff were naturally bright and friendly with one of the bar staff telling us that it was a great place to work and how well the staff were looked after. You could clearly see that they felt themselves part of a family and enjoyed their jobs. The food was delicious, the accommodation warm and comfy and the overall experience was something I would definitely recommend. Sadly, there wasn't time to be shown around the lodges but if they are anything near as well looked after as the rest of the resort, they're bound to be wonderful. My gratitude goes to The Mole Resort for inviting us to stay and to all the staff who made it such a lovely visit.