Excitement has been mounting in the office this week as the launch of Merryhill Manor drew nigh – and here it is! This captivating house sleeps 20 in 10 bedrooms and is set in glorious landscaped grounds with a Med-style pool and sauna, a tennis court, games, room, gym and yoga studio. Come to this land of bliss and the chances are you’ll wish you could stay forever.
Hidden away behind 12ft high walls on the edge of a Devon hill town, this ravishing country house stands in rambling 5 acre grounds. It feels secluded, and so far removed from the big wide world and all the bad stuff we see in the news. It’s a land of perfect contentment, somewhere to be happy, whether you come for a family and friends holiday, a peaceful celebration, an elegant hen weekend or a relaxing wellness retreat.
It’s such a joy to be here. In the walled pool garden there’s a distinctly Tuscan vibe; soak up the sun, take a splash, sweat it out in the sauna, take five in the summer house or beneath the pagoda. Slip into your tennis shoes and head to the court for a mini-Wimbledon, have a game of hide-and-seek in and around the secret nooks, head to the Victorian Grotto with your book if you prefer to be quiet.
In the evening sip cocktails on the terrace, gazing out over the North Devon countryside, stretching far across to Dartmoor. Head inside to gather round the dining table for a special celebration feast, have a sing-song around the piano in the hall, take your seat on the sofa for a family movie night. Thrash out a round of table tennis or sweat your stuff in the gym, or for something more sedate, have a game of snooker in the games room where the feel is distinguished and private clubby.
Inside the house is such fun; original charm and country-modern interiors fuse seamlessly, it’s quirky and full of surprises. It’s where a Famous Five style adventure begins, where Agatha Christie might have been inspired to pen a murder mystery – where you could stage your own! (See Extras).
But it’s also just right for a wellness retreat to really revive and restore – not just the pool and the sauna, but the yoga studio for… well, yoga, meditation, gong baths, whatever you want it to be. Enjoy the tranquillity of Merryhill Manor, the calmness, the chance to slow down and embrace the stillness.
And while the house sleeps 20, it’s also available for holidays and short breaks as a smaller offering to sleep 12 in 6 bedrooms – as Mellow Manor. All those fabulous features, just not so many bedrooms.
Not far away there are country inns, quiet market towns, the vast open spaces of Exmoor and Dartmoor, award-winning family attractions, and the beaches on the North Devon coast. But honestly, why would you want to go anywhere else at all, when everything you need is right here? Come and find your Wonderland; fill the days with joy, go home with the most incredible memories.