“You’re going to Devon for a long weekend? It’s a bit far, isn’t it?”

That was the universal reaction when I told friends I was going to the Soar Mill Cove Hotel near Salcombe for a couple of nights.

You’d have thought I’d suggested popping over to New York for an afternoon’s shopping spree.

I know Kent isn’t exactly next door, but an early start and reasonable roads meant we were strolling round the grounds of peaceful Buckfast Abbey by noon, and ensconced in the hotel enjoying a relaxing massage and a swim in the indoor saltwater pool later that afternoon.

If you were asked to design your perfect hotel setting you might start with views of the glittering sea, and frame them with cliffs to create a cove.

Maybe you’d throw in one of the country’s best coastal paths running by your doorstep. Tuck it away somewhere so secluded the only sound is the solitary cry of a passing hawk or a gull. Add flowers, downs and a trickling stream.

At this point I think the hotel gods would throw up their hands and say you were asking too much, but all this is true of the hotel created and still owned by the Makepeace family after they fell in love with the spot in 1978.

It includes heated indoor pool, spa, restaurant and bar, tennis court and games room.

As well as the extremely comfortable rooms – ours had a spectacular sea view, stylish wet room and private patio with sun loungers – there are self-catering options.

In the restaurant head chef Ian MacDonald creates a seasonal menu making the most of local produce. Leave room for the pavlova dessert, which has long been a firm favourite among guests including Audrey Hepburn when she stayed there.

Follow the South West Coast Path from the door and you can walk down to the cove, full of rock pools; if you’re feeling fit you can take the coastal path for stunning views.

There are plenty of gorgeous little towns and villages dotted all around this estuary, perfect to stroll round, full of independent shops, places to eat and things to see.

Salcombe is just a short drive and from there you can hop on a passenger ferry to cross over to some of the other villages.

One word of advice – bring a skinny car. There’s a lane I know called Squeezegut Alley because two people can barely pass on foot. Transplant it to Devon and I daresay someone in a motorhome would attempt to drive down it.

Salcombe couldn’t be prettier.

Charming streets in the centre, kids vying to catch crabs along the waterfront, yachts everywhere…and if you’ve never set foot on a boat it doesn’t matter, you can definitely dress the part thanks to numerous clothing shops bursting with striped tops and deck shoes.

Go a little further to Kingsbridge and you can find something equally charming on the water’s edge, but that also feels like a real, working town.

On the morning we left, we took the scenic route, hugging the coast past the spectacular stretches of Slapton Sands and on into Dartmouth – another beautiful town, set along the River Dart.

Of course there’s way more to Devon than this – I haven’t even mentioned the cream teas, the museums, houses and gardens and national parks. But then I was only there for a weekend!

Factfile

Rooms at Soar Mill Cove Hotel start at £159 for two people for one night bed and breakfast in low season. Call 01548 561566 or go to www.soarmillcove.co.uk.

To find out more about the Salcombe area, call Salcombe Tourist Information Centre on 01548 843927 or go to www.salcombeinformation.co.uk.

For Kingsbridge and South Devon, call 01548 853195 or go to www.welcomesouthdevon.co.uk.

For Dartmouth: www.discoverdartmouth.com or call 01803 834224.