May 2025 by Horace Malcolm
This establishment is no longer open for business and I have been told it is up for sale as a private residence.
January 2024 by Paul Thompson
THIS IS THE PLACE!!!My son and I have visited Devon every year for the last 6 years and we always stay at The Elephants Nest. The place is wonderful, charming, cozy, welcoming and such a great place to stay.Hugh and his wife Denise are so very kind and accommodating, you could not ask for better hosts. The food is to die for, Denise could be head chef in any Michelin starred kitchen. What she serves is amazing. We eat breakfast and dinner at the Elephants Nest every day, there is no point in going anywhere else.I even asked Denise to dump Hugh and come live with me in America, she told me no, I was too old for her!We'll be back again next year, God willing!Paul Thompson
October 2023 by Samphire Kirby
No longer a pub - booked because we wanted to stay in a pub specifically to be able to relax in the bar, have a pint of Jail Ale etc... website I booked on was not clear that this is no longer open as a pub. Menu is now very limited and no good for vegetarians (who still fries their cheaps in beef for goodness sake!) and now trying to charge me to cancel the booking. Not a good experience.
July 2023 by juliepaine2018
This was a visit best forgotten. We arrived at what we had assumed to be a pub (described as B&B in a pub setting) at around 6pm and to our surprise the car park was empty. Following signs to the main entrance revealed a notice telling us that it was not open till 6.30 but as we made our way back to the car we were intercepted by a lady who asked if we were staying there. She took us back to the car park and in through the back door to the accommodation area. The door mat being very worn made it difficult to wipe the mud and gravel from the car park off our shoes which probably explained why the stair carpet looked so tired. And there was an unusual smell in the entrance hall that I could not quite identify. The bedroom was spacious with reasonable hanging and drawer space plus a small fridge. However the bathroom lacked any shelving for personal items so it was sponge bags on the floor. We went down for dinner at around 7.30 - usually peak eating time but there was just one table laid up and we were the only diners all evening which does not make for a pub atmosphere. It turned out that the pub was closed a few years ago hence the phrase ?in a pub setting?. It was a warm evening which made it somewhat frustrating when we discovered on going to bed that the window in our room would not open so there was no means of cooling it down. All in all it was far from the experience we?d been looking forward to and I could not recommend this place
June 2023 by Jane T.
Visited the gardens on the St Lukes Hospice open gardens day. The gardens are fabulous and if it wasn't for living in the area I would definitely be booking to stay.
April 2023 by Sally0z
Amazing place with lots of character. A warm welcome and great bar. We?ll worth ordering food to eat in - had the 16th century inn all to ourselves. Really comfortable room and nice and clean. Enjoyed our night away.
September 2022 by lesleyu670
We enjoyed 5 nights here which gave us easy access to the Moor. The rooms were very spacious and with lovely views. We tried the restaurant for dinner the first night and decided to eat there every night afterwards, and the breakfasts were amazing - such choice and good portions. Thank you Denise and Hugh (as well as for spoiling the dogs!)
September 2022 by Lynn Dwyer
Excellent rooms, dinner and breakfast. Very friendly. Made us and our dog very welcome. Would definitely recommend.
August 2022 by william cronin
We have just returned from a long weekend away at The Elephant Inn. Unfortunately it is not operating as a pub at the moment but that only enhanced the experience as we had the use of the wonderful gardens and the magnificent views from it.The breakfasts that we had were absolutely magnificent and I could not remember ever having such fine food. We did not eat there in the evening which was unfortunate as another guest, who was staying in one of the other rooms, mentioned to us just how good it was.The room we had was the ground floor one which had the patio. It was big, clean and tidy as well as having everything else you require.Having read earlier reviews some of which mentioned a ? Grump Landlord ? I was apprehensive. I needn?t have been as I found both of the owners very approachable and very helpful.I would certainly recommend a stay and we are already trying to organise another visit
June 2022 by nigel pitman
Wonderful room, lovely facilities. The food was sensational, very relaxing with beautifully tended gardens. Will definitely return.
June 2022 by Stambridge
Such a shame as we love this pub. It is now only open as B&B plus dinner for residents. Felt this entry needs updating.
June 2022 by chisri
Extremely disappointing and would advise you to avoid at all costs! We arrived to find the place deserted, rang and rang the number and knocked on multiple doors (multiple times!). Then eventually the landlady appeared asking "are you staying with us?". Ummm, no just thought I'd hang around in your car park looking lost for 20mins for the shear fun of it?! We were showed to our room and on first appearances seemed ok, but the more you looked the more you didn't really want to! So much muck and dust. Every surface I had to wipe with antibac wipes, which I luckily had packed. I even made the mistake of catching sight of behind the sink in the bathroom, as I was washing my hands. The thickest, biggest cobweb covered in thick layers of dust, so obviously hadn't been cleaned in an absolute age. The fridge was in the wardrobe, one of the most bizarre places, when there was plenty of other floor space it could have been placed. Only 1 tiny bin in the bathroom, so for saying we had our dog (and all her food packaging etc) with us as well as snacks for ourselves, just having one small bin was completely inadequate. The enclosed patio was ok, but stagnant water in an old bowl wasn't a great first impression, especially with a dog. Beds were SO soft! I guess if you're used to/like a soft mattress then that wouldn't be a problem, but it made for a very uncomfortable and sleepless night. The next morning the breakfast room followed the same theme as the bedroom regarding standards of cleanliness. Every surface was pretty much covered in layers of dust, there were a couple of blue bottles flying around, so we didn't even want to touch the dried up looking fruit salad or the butter that was out in the open. As with a similar previous review the landlord and landlady didn't ask at all how our night's sleep was, how we found the room, what our plans were for the rest of our stay. All pretty standard things you chat about at a b&b. It was a very strange atmosphere and vibe. Not at all homely or friendly unfortunately. We were meant to stay for 3 nights, but made a quick exit after breakfast, so only stayed the 1 night. As I was unable to find any other availability in dog friendly accommodation within budget, we decided to head home. Got home and enjoyed all the Jubilee celebrations from the comfort and cleanliness of our own home! Such a shame, as we were so looking forward to a break on Dartmoor over the extended BH weekend. I have given just 1 star....for the nice poached eggs for breakfast (felt that was the safest option!), good effective shower with plenty of hot water and (thank goodness) clean bed linen. I wish I had taken heed of previous reviews before booking and wasting so much money! Unfortunately, the whole stay had to be paid for but I knew that from the T+C's before deciding to leave early, so just had to deal with that. We couldn't have stayed there any longer. Think twice before you book!
February 2022 by benbS6576OL
Really fantastic food, it perfectly hit the "homecooked" and "restaurant grade" mark. Hugh and Denise spoilt us (and the dog!) all weekend. The room was very clean and well equipped. The bed was very comfy! A provided fridge was a bonus as well. The location was idyllic and felt like it was outside a Jayne Austin novel. 10/10 would definitely stay here again. Ben, Izzy + Ezra
February 2022 by Nick Davies
First visited the Elephants Nest in 1981. Fantastic then probably even better now. Beautiful....if you can find it !.
November 2021 by Ted Rees
Excellent B&B with dinner. Can't recommend highly enough.
