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Reviews of The Downs Babbacombe

4 out of 5
The Downs Babbacombe
Seafront, 41 - 43 Babbacombe Downs Road, Torquay, England

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 17 out of 32 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 10 out of 32 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 4 out of 32 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 32 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 32 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

9.8/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Barbara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A perfect place to stay.
Perfect place to stay in our first visit to Babbacome. It’s a friendly lovely place we can’t recommend it enough. Friendly helpful staff and owners. Breakfast fabulous. We would definitely stay there again.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023
Response from Nic on 9 Nov 2023
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review.We are so pleased you had an enjoyable stay with us and that you would visit us again.We hope to see you again very soon.Kind RegardsKate, Ed & The Team

8/10 Good

Michelle

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Hotel review
Great location near to the beach, shops bars and restaurants. Regular buses into local areas. Extremely helpful staff who were happy to help with anything. We didn’t eat at the hotel but breakfast and evening meals were available with a well stocked bar. The steps to the room were steep but we were informed about them before we arrived and were happy with our choice. Room dated and very small but had a beautiful view and all the usual commodities. Clean and tidy. Unfortunately, the mattress was uncomfortable which meant we didn’t sleep well.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2023
Response from Nic on 13 Sept 2023
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.The booking was made through Expedia where the room description does contain the wording Compact Double room, 2nd floor. This is so any potential guest knows that this is one of our smaller seaview rooms. Room floor plans are also visible on Expedia so people can gauge the size of the room. In our follow up call made after the booking, you were offered an upgrade to a larger seaview room however declined. We have a rolling refurbishment in place and all comments are given due consideration, however it is our experience that comments on décor can generally be very subjective with the rooms being pained in neutral colours so as to not offend anyone.It is unfortunate that despite being here for 4 nights, you did not mention at the beginning of your stay that you had an issue with the mattress, otherwise we would have been more than happy to try and rectify the situation for you. We have checked with the guests who now occupy the room and they are more than comfortable. We can only assume therefore that the firmness of the mattress is a matter of taste. We are pleased that you were able to discover the great location we are in and appreciate the comments regarding the staff.Kind RegardsKate, Ed & The Team

10/10 Excellent

Jackalyn

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023
Response from Nic on 8 Aug 2023
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave such a great score. We do hope you will visit us again.Kind RegardsKate, Ed & The Team

8/10 Good

R

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2023
Response from Nic on 14 Apr 2023
Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating. We hope you enjoyed your stay at The Downs, Babbacombe and we look forward to welcoming you back again in the future. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

10/10 Excellent

Phillip

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Nic on 1 Oct 2019
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a rating. We are so pleased that by the rating given, you thoroughly enjoyed your stay with us. We hope to welcome you to The Downs, Babbacombe again in the future. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

8/10 Good

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Nic on 27 Sept 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating. We hope you enjoyed your stay at The Downs, Babbacombe and we look forward to welcoming you back again in the future. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

8/10 Good

david

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Nic on 26 Sept 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating. We hope to welcome you back to The Downs again in the future. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very warm welcome, super breakfast, comfy bed and beautiful view
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Nic on 24 Sept 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Although the review has been left as anonymous, we are thrilled you had an enjoyable stay with us and we hope to welcome you back to The Downs, Babbacombe in the future. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Only here for one night but everything was perfect, stunning views of the English Riviera
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Nic on 19 Sept 2019
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. We are so pleased to hear that you thoroughly enjoyed your stay. We really hope to see you again in the future. Kind Regards Kate, Ed and The Team

8/10 Good

Barry

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
I think the word is consistency. Somethings are really good others not so good. If they were to spend money on the not so good the Downs would be Excellent. It was very cluttered. My husband is blind and for a person with no sight it was an assault cause. Stair lift on the stairs. Running machine in the back entrance tables and chairs in every corridor. The bed was 2 3ft beds pushed together which isn’t exactly what was promised we were told a large bed. The sink in our bathroom wasn’t fit for purpose. Too small to wash in more water on the floor than the sink. My husband really enjoyed his Omelette he had for breakfast, but the bacon was smoked and my boiled egg was watery and undercooked. Neither to my taste the bread used for toast was thin tasteless and clearly cheap bread. Personally it needs to be de cluttered, the bacon should be unsmoked as used in every single other hotel I have ever stayed in and offer a good selection of toast for breakfast white bloomer, seeded, granary. All of which aren’t expensive and would leave a much better customer experience in my opinion.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Nic on 24 Sept 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Having spoken to you at various times during your stay and being assured everything was ok, we have no further response to this review. Should any prospective guests have any questions or require any further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us where we would be more than happy to help. Kind regards Kate, Ed & The Team

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Nic on 31 Jul 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, albeit anonymous. We hope to see you again in the future. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

10/10 Excellent

Paul, Old Harlow Essex

Travelled with pets, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful room with balcony overlooking Babbacombe Bay. Breakfast to die for and varied selection and very friendly staff. Very dog friendly and amenable. Ed the owner (also) Chef very pleasant. We will have a return visit. Paul & Pat Bidgood.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Nic on 31 Jul 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are thrilled that you thoroughly enjoyed your stay, so much so that you extended it. It would be a pleasure to welcome you back in the future. King regards Kate, Ed & The Team

10/10 Excellent

Elliott

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great
Very Clean and friendly. Lovely views.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Nic on 26 Jul 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and also for posting the photographs. We are thrilled you enjoyed your stay and the beautiful area we are in. It would be a pleasure to welcome you back again in the future. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

4/10 Poor

Gordon

Disliked: Room comfort
Guest house very tired really needs updating
Good points, view, comfortable bed, berries at breakfast, refurbished bathroom with nice toiletry products, easy free parking in local roads. The bad, was told it was a 6' bed it was 5', the room described as compact (we had a phone call before to tell us) it was tiny and no where to sit inside. Breakfast served only between 8.30 and 9.15, we got down at about 8.40 first day and got served at about 9, the second day we were down at 8.35 and got served at 9.10, the lady serving was run off her feet and did apologise for the wait due to a full house. We could hear every sound from adjoining room, which meant they could probably also hear us.The place is very tired, our room (11) really does need a good decoration and was overpriced for what we paid. We were disappointed with the general condition of the hotel I know the hotel has numerous accolades but the above views are honestly held.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Nic on 24 Jul 2019
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are sorry to hear that you were disappointed with your stay with us. We will certainly look at our processes and procedures to address the issues your raised. Although we are glad you felt there were some good aspects of your stay.

8/10 Good

Dave

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Happy
Nice little place. Good breakfast comfy bed and great views
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Nic on 19 Jul 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are pleased you enjoyed your stay with us and we hope to see you again in the future. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

8/10 Good

Wendy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great weekend break. Excellent position on the sea front. Very welcoming and friendly staff. Made our dog very welcome.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Nic on 30 Jun 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are pleased you enjoyed your stay and we hope to see you at The Downs, Babbacombe again very soon. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

10/10 Excellent

Blake

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019
Response from Nic on 25 Jun 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a great score. We hope to see you back at The Downs, Babbacombe again very soon. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

10/10 Excellent

John

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Home away from home
Really homely feel to the place and extremely welcoming. The shower didn’t have much power but that would just need a new head or setting change. Overall it was a very pleasant stay
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019
Response from Nic on 26 Jun 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are pleased that you enjoyed your stay and it would be a pleasure to welcome you back again in the future. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

10/10 Excellent

Dennis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Only stayed one night - But had no problems from checking into checking out - Meals were well priced - Used the Council Car park at rear of hotel would recommend £8 for twenty four hours - Very Good location to get to Torquay Paignton and Brixham
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019
Response from Nic on 7 Jun 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are pleased you enjoyed your stay with us and found the car park at the rear of the hotel convenient for you. It would be a pleasure to welcome you again in the future, hopefully for a little longer! Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
We stayed at this property for two nights and I have to say that the view from our bedroom window was beautiful. The staff were very helpful and the breakfast was excellent. However I would be doing a disservice to both the owners of the property and the guests of the future if I did not state a very important fact. We were in room 4 and this was located on the first floor sandwiched between the ground floor and the second floor. As we had a long drive tiredness had taken over and we were into bed at around 1030 pm. which was when the creaking from the ceiling started. I believe the people upstairs had just begun the night and there was non stop squeaking and creaking as they walked in and about their bedroom. This was not necessarily their fault but this went on and on as I tried to sleep in vain. It got so annoying that I wished I could run downstairs and ask to be given a different room but it was too late for that as most b&bs do not have a 24 hour reception, but there was I tossing in my bed till 230am in the morning. At 3am Out of desperation I turned on the extractor fan in the bathroom to drown the noise and finally got a little sleep. I would not be running back to the hotel although it has a lot of good things as sleep is probably the most important of them and if a hotel can deny you that, then I would reconsider where I would be staying.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019
Response from Nic on 6 Jun 2019
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are sorry that you were not completely satisfied with your stay with us. We are also sorry that you felt you had to write this review despite discussing it with us the following day. The occupants of the room above you hadn't 'just begun the night' as it was a mother and her 9 year old son in this room. We did investigate further with the occupants adjacent to your room and the rooms above either side of the offending room, but no other occupants experienced the same disturbance as yourself. Subsequently as your wife informed us that you are a very light sleeper and easily disturbed, this may explain your own discomfort. Unfortunately in an establishment such as ours, situated where we are, there is always the possibility of a small element of residual noise either externally or internally. Had you made us aware of your requirements for silence to sleep then we would have certainly recommended you find more suitable accommodation at the time of booking. For anybody reading this with a view to booking I would just like to clarify a couple of points. Firstly, whilst most B&B's do not have a 24hr reception, we do actually live on the premises and are available in case of emergencies or in fact in just this sort of scenario, this is clearly detailed in our welcome folder located for guests in each room. Secondly, to describe Room 4 as 'sandwiched' between the ground and second floor is more than a little disingenuous. Room 4 has traditional Victorian 10ft high ceiling as opposed to the standard 8ft and is located on the first floor of a three storey building. All our rooms have accurate and honest descriptions on our website and we are only too happy to discuss rooms via email, messenger or telephone.

10/10 Excellent

Alan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in May 2019
Response from Nic on 19 May 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave us such a good score. It is very much appreciated. We hope to welcome you back to The Downs, Babbacombe in the future. Kind regards Kate, Ed & The Team

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2019
Response from Nic on 30 Apr 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5 out of 5. Unfortunately as it has been left as anonymous we are unable to establish your booking, however we are pleased that your were able to leave us a top score and we hope to welcome you back again in the future. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The team

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Excellent location, great staff, wonderful breakfast , super overall
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019
Response from Nic on 25 Apr 2019
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave your kind review. We hope to welcome you back again very soon. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A comfortable stay in Babbacombe
We had a one night stay whilst visiting Babbacombe Theatre (only 100yards away) so very convenient. Like the Theatre, the hotel is right on the sea front and has fantastic views of the coast. We had a double room at the back of the hotel so no views but it was functional which was all we needed (and also good value for money). Breakfast was included with plenty of choice on the menu. Friendly and welcoming staff.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Kate on 17 Apr 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave your very kind review. We are pleased you enjoyed your stay here and would love to welcome you back again in the future, hopefully for a little longer. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

6/10 Okay

Alison

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Great location but in need of updating.
This hotel is in need of updating to keep up with today’s market. It was exceptionally clean & our room was nicely laid out with everything in it you could wish for but the public areas let it down. In the dining room at one end was a pile of cushions for the outdoor furniture and at the other end there was a shower curtain screening off an area and in front of that was a piano being used as a storage unit laden with stuff including Christmas decorations. The public loo area for the bar and restaurant was filled with junk and exercise machines and broken chairs etc. In our room we had two very strong air fresheners, one in the loo and one in the room itself and they were overpowering, in the middle of the night we hade to put them outside our room as they were giving us a headache and getting back our throats. Breakfast was very good, apart from the juice which tasted cheap and powdery. I was a bit disappointed with the service too as we were greeted nicely on check in and both mornings at breakfast but on leaving the hotel the owners didn’t bother to come and take our key or check if our stay had been ok instead I just had to hand the key to the waitress. When the owner phoned me prior to our stay I had mentioned that we were there visiting family and we didn’t require dinner etc and I almost feel as though we were less important as we wouldn’t be spending any further money there. It’s a shame as it’s in a great location and could be wonderful but it needs some tlc..
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Denis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location
Great location, dog friendly and fantastic breakfast
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019
Response from Nic on 20 Mar 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We hope to see you all again soon on what will be your 7th visit! Kind Regards Kate, Ed and The team

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I liked excellent location, friendly staff and clean room. Being the winter season the place was a bit dead. The walls were thin and I could hear the guest next door snoring! Also rather unusual arrangement with shower; as en suite not big enough, the shower cubicle was situated in the room, immediately inside the door from the corridor. Strange, but it worked!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from N on 27 Feb 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Unfortunately as the review is 'Anonymous' I am unable to comment on the room as I can't ascertain from the review which room you were in exactly. We do have detailed room descriptions and floor plans on our website so future guests are able to ensure the correct room is booked for their needs. We do like to contact guests too after booking to confirm and discuss the room booked. We are pleased that the room layout worked for you and we hope to welcome you back in the future.

10/10 Excellent

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Small hotel with good view of bay.
Very good breakfast. Room small but nice. Wanted to have dinner but unfortunately chef was on holiday.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019
Response from Nic on 30 Jan 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. All bookings received through a 3rd party are always followed up with a call to confirm details. We confirmed that you had booked a compact 2nd floor seaview balcony room. This is also confirmed in the confirmation email. There are only a few occasions when we are unable to serve evening meals. It was explained the chef was unfortunately away that evening as he had been attending a funeral in the Midlands.

10/10 Excellent

Kath

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly quiet hotel
Lovely quiet hotel with very helpful, obliging staff. Room was clean and comfortable - the only downside was the water pressure to the shower was very low (possibly because we were on the second floor), making showering a slow process. Breakfast good. WiFi worked well.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Julian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great small hotel with outstanding views.
From the moment I arrived I was made to feel very welcome, my room had superb views of the bay. Breakfast and evening meals were very good.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2018
Response from Kate on 15 Jun 2018
Thank you so much for your kind review. We hope to welcome you back to The Downs, Babbacombe again very soon. Kind Regards Kate, Ed & The Team

6/10 Okay

Torunn

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Nic on 19 Jul 2019
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.