Combe House Devon- Country House Hotel

Combe House Devon, a romantic country hotel and restaurant near Exeter, has been run privately by the Hunt family for the past twelve years. During this time, Ruth and Ken have transformed this stunning Grade I Elizabethan country manor and its gardens into a truly memorable place to stay. Their love of hospitality and genuine desire to offer guests something special has helped the house to grow organically through a series of sustainable projects.

Although the Hunts have only recently started using the terms ‘eco’ and ‘sustainable’ to describe their work, their first ‘green’ project was back in 1999 when they discovered other residents at Combe – a colony of rare Lesser Horseshoe bats which are only found in South West England and Wales. The house was adapted to ensure the bats habitat remained intact and they have since been joined by even rarer Greater Horseshoe bats. It’s now the ninth largest colony in the UK.

Other highlights have included the faithful restoration of the derelict Georgian kitchen in 2003. This was followed by the gardener’s outdoor washing facility; now a bath house for guests’ use. It’s filled with rainwater collected from the roof and heated by a wood-fired boiler using logs from the estate – Combe’s alternative to a spa.

2005 saw the restoration of the derelict Victorian laundry at the rear of Combe House Devon into the signature Linen Suite. The vast, original drying rack was retained and suspended from the ceiling in the sitting room and a large, round 6ft diameter copper washtub – reminiscent of bygone wash days – was commissioned for the bathroom.

The restoration of Combe Thatch Cottage was completed the following year, a romantic hideaway for two with a secluded walled garden at the end of the mile-long drive. Next came the Thatched Garden Folly and open Thatched Bath House, both hidden in the woodland garden and built by the Combe team and local artisan tradesmen.

More recent and ongoing projects include planting new orchards; re-introducing the ‘Putt’ apple and bringing back cider-making; creating soft fruit gardens; converting two large lawns into a kitchen garden and restoring an overgrown Victorian garden to supply around 70% of the fruit and vegetables in season needed by Combe’s chefs to help turn their food miles into food metres. The derelict Victorian potting sheds and glass houses have also now been restored to full working use.

Future plans include the restoration of the Georgian orangery for special events, and stables and outbuildings into a bakery, butchery and Devon cookery school, plus the introduction of free range chickens and rare breed pigs into Combe’s apple orchards.

Local Seasonal Food

Ruth and Kent Hunt have always been strong supporters of the use of rural industries purchasing quality local produce whenever possible. Combe’s two resident Master Chefs of Great Britain, Hadleigh Barrett and Stuart Brown, now take ‘local’ a step further and seek out nearby farmers who believe in the closed cycle system where animals are born and bred on the same farm and never leave until ready for the local abattoir, which is two miles from the farm. This is real farm-to-plate practice.

Combe’s sustainable projects have gained them several awards including the ‘Most Excellent Innovation in Sustainable Hospitality’ from Condé Nast Johansen 2010 and a Gold Award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Accommodation in the main house at Combe is in fifteen luxurious en-suite bedrooms and suites, including a four-poster and the Linen Suite, while tucked away at the entrance to the drive is Combe Thatch Cottage; prices for 2011 start from £199 B&B per double/twin room per night. Dogs are welcome in some rooms and the cottage.

Both staying guests and non-residents are most welcome to enjoy Combe’s full dining experience, which starts with drinks and canapés on the croquet lawn on warmer days, or by the crackling log fire in the Great Hall when it is chilly outdoors. A three-course dinner is £49 per person while lunch, also three courses, is £33pp, both with canapés.

For details call Combe House Devon on 01404 540 400 or visit www.combehousedevon.com.

Combe House has a Green Tourism Gold Award and is a member of the Sustainable Restaurants Association.

Co. Down, N. Ireland, (Jan 11, 2009) – ActivityBreaks, a leading independently operated provider of action packed short breaks across Europe, have launched some of the best value Andorra Ski breaks available online thanks to their strategic partnership with Andorran giants, Grandvalira.

Clients of the ActivityBreaks website will now be able to get great deals for some of the most sought after skiing spots in Andorra, including areas such as the Soldeu, El Tarter and El Canillo, and Pas de la Casa. Customers will be able to book package deals in apartments, hotels and more, with some packages offering ski passes and access to fitness and spa facilities.

ActivityBreaks are also launching a competition for customers to enter in conjunction with the deal. Entrants will be in with a chance of winning a ski week in Grandvalira, Andorra, staying in AHotels Piolets Park. The prize includes seven nights accommodation in 4* Ahotel Piolets Park, Soldeu, on a half board basis, with a six days ski pass for the entire Grandvalira ski area, which includes Soldeu, Pas de  la Casa, El Tarter and Gran Roig.

Ester Serviu of Grandvalira says of the launch: “We’ve been working with ActivityBreaks to offer our high-quality ski and snowboard breaks and ski holidays to a new type of mass market, available only through ActivityBreaks.”

“The success of ActivityBreaks in ski regions across Europe has been phenomenal, more successful than we were prepared for if we’re honest. This success has brought learning curves and, more importantly, it has contributed a lot to the bottom line,” comments Dearbhaile Mulholland, Commercial Manager of ActivityBreaks. “We have learned a lot from this experience, who our customers are and what they want. If we can replicate this success for the resorts now offered with the Grandvalira relationship  then it’ll be an excellent ski season for everyone involved, not just ourselves but for customers and service providers on the ground there.”

To find out more about ActivityBreaks’ Andorra ski breaks and their complete range of holidays, go to
www.activitybreaks.com or telephone 028 9039 5705.

Co. Down, N. Ireland, (Nov 18, 2009) – ActivityBreaks, a leading independently operated provider of activity holidays across Europe, have added a fabulous new range of multi-activity winter breaks to their portfolio, designed to cater to the needs of couples and families that want more than just a few days on the piste during a ski break.

Traditionally skiing holidays have been just that… skiing, but often couples, families and groups want more than just a few days on the snow and in recent years there has been a growing trend towards heading off for weekend breaks that combine a skiing trip with another activity such as a spa or city break, so that both skiers and non-skiers can really enjoy a winter getaway.

But, while it’s possible to book activities separately, this can lead to a great deal of expense when holidaymakers are charged supplements for using facilities such as a spa, or disappointment if the accommodation or facilities don’t live up to their expectations.

But, this can be avoided by asking a few key questions before booking the holiday or short break, such as is spa access included? Is there a pool and other facilities or is the spa simply a sauna? Are ski passes and lift passes included in the price? How far away is the accommodation from the nearest sightseeing town/ski slope? What star rating does the hotel have? And, are meals included? These questions are simple, but as many people often wrongly assume that certain things are included in their ski breaks, when in fact they are not, it is worth taking the time to check.

As a leading independent provider of combined holidays, ActivityBreaks makes it easy to spice up skiing holidays with a spa or city break as they have already asked the pertinent questions and know what’s included and what’s not, so that they can offer winter ski breaks that meet, or even exceed, expectations.

“The concept of short mixed-activity ski breaks is fantastic as it offers the best of both worlds, so that holidaymakers can spend time both skiing and relaxing in the spa or soaking up the atmosphere of glorious historic towns such as Salzburg or Bergamo,” comments Dearbhaile Mulholland of ActivityBreaks. “But there are pitfalls for the uninitiated as often supplements are incurred or the facilities are not as good as they appeared to be. That’s why we’re committed to providing end-to-end holidays, to ensure our customers can spice up their multi-activity ski breaks without the fear of hidden charges or inadequate facilities.”

To find out more about ActivityBreaks’ multi-activity ski breaks and their complete range of holidays, go to www.activitybreaks.com or ring 028 9039 5705.