Exploring Plymouth & Stay at Moorland Garden Hotel - Devon, UK

01:35 Blogs by FA 9 Comments

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Located on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park, and not so far from Plymouth, the Moorland Garden Hotel nestled in the 9 acres of moorland gardens is a deluxe place for a short stay, or a fantastic venue to plan a wedding or a conference. This family, and dog friendly four star countryside hotel has 42 rooms along with AA Rosette-awarded Wildflower Restaurant as well as the Dartmoor Bar. It's also quite popular among the guests for their award winning Devon cream and afternoon teas that include their freshly baked scones. The Wildflower restaurant at the Moorland Garden Hotel has a deluxe decor and is ideal for informal dining, both dinner and Sunday lunch. Moreover, the sun-trap terrace at the hotel is also perfect on a nice sunny day. Summing up, the Moorland Garden hotel is optimal for all kinds of needs, be it business or leisure. 

Wedding Venue in Devon

Wedding Venue in Devon

Wedding Venue in Devon

After a little more than an hour's drive to the hotel, we checked-in and were a little tired after exploring the Eden Project in Cornwall that afternoon so decided to rest for some time before going downstairs for dinner. Our room was spacious, with all the necessary amenities the guests would need. It was a pleasant surprise to see a fruit bowl and some home baked chocolate cookies and short bread on a table, ready to welcome us! 

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Our room at the Moorland Garden Hotel had lots of storage, and enough furniture for us to sit and relax while staying at the hotel. The bed was really comfortable and I'm glad the duvet wasn't of a very high tog, as generally the duvets I've come across at hotels are quite heavy. 

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

The washroom was also equipped with all the necessary amenities such as the toiletries, earbuds, cotton balls, extra roll of tissue and shower cap. It was clean and had lots of fresh clean towels for us to use. 

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon
After settling in a bit, we headed to the Dartmoor Bar for dinner. Generally, the hotel serves dinner at the Wildflower Restaurant, but that night it was closed but the same menu was served at the Dartmoor bar as well. For the 3 course meal, we started off with the potato and leak soup for all of us, which was served with a platter of slices of bread and butter. Next was the main, and for me it was wild mushroom and goat's cheese gnocchi dressed with rocket salad while husband opted for a Falafel burger which was prepared with garlic mayonnaise and cucumber and was served with fries and salad. For BabyN', the main we ordered was pasta with green basil pesto and grated cheeseThe serving of each dish was very generous and the presentation was also appealing to the eye, and I was quite happy with everything I tried. However, BabyN' and I did not manage to finish our mains, so we decided to take the leftovers to relish them later and finished them the next afternoon. 

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

For the last course of the meal, we ordered chocolate fudge cake with clotted cream and a selection of West country ice cream. We managed to finish all of it, and ended the night's meal with a happy note. 

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

The next morning, we headed to the Wildflower Restaurant at the Moorland Garden Hotel for breakfast and started off with some juice, tea, cereal and baked items that were already laid on a table. We then ordered the hot food, which was made to order and is cooked according to the preference of the guests. We choose full English vegetarian breakfast, which was freshly prepared and was very filling. The morning view of the moors while having breakfast was spectacular as we could see the gardens outside the glass window in front of us. Although the weather was slightly misty that day, but even that seemed quite nice. 

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

Moorland Garden Hotel Devon

We all enjoyed our stay at the Moorland Garden Hotel, and although it was a little chilly in the morning, we decided to explore the green lush grounds after breakfast. Soon after checking-out, we reached the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth which was just 23 mins (9.9 miles) by drive from the hotel. The aquarium does not have it's own car park, but there's privately owned pay and display Harbour Car Park, covered car park available nearby. Opposite that car park is also a hotel's car park which seemed cheaper than the covered car park, so we decided to park there. Since it was a weekday morning, I thought my family and I would be the only ones at the aquarium. However, we could see many other visitors and families as well as some children who were there on a school trip. At the National Marine Aquarium, we saw different types of fish and marine animals, which made it both an enjoyable and educational trip. National Marine Aquarium is the largest public aquarium in the United Kingdom, and attracts around 300,000 visitors each year. There are around 4000 marine and sea animals at the aquarium, and 2018 is also their 20th birthday year. There were many fascinating animals we saw inside the exhibits, and they've also got a cinema room for visitors to learn more about the sea animals, and have also got a gift shop that sells souvenirs. At the end of the visit, one can enjoy a cup of tea or snack at the Waves Cafe located inside the aquarium's building. 

National Marine Aquarium Plymouth

National Marine Aquarium Plymouth

After exploring the aquarium, and the surrounding area a bit, we drove to the Buckland Abbey in Devon, a 700 year old house now owned by the National Trust but has previously been known to be connected to Sir Richard Grenville and Sir Francis Drake. Originally, it was a Cistercian abbey that was founded in 1278 and it remained an abbey until the monasteries were dissolved by  King Henry VIII. Later, the abbey was sold to Sir Richard Grenville, and he again sold it after which Drake is known to be living there for 15 years. The property was again sold, and finally in 1948, it came under the ownership of the National Trust and ever since 1951, the property has been open to public.  We explored the building and the surrounding areas and the volunteers inside were happy to share their knowledge about the property with the visitors. During our visit, we also got a chance to witness the Cosmic Egg, an amazing sculpture by Andrew Logan. There's lots more to talk about the Buckland Abbey, and you can find more facts and details about it on it's website.  

Buckland Abbey

Buckland Abbey cosmic egg

Important Information - Moorland Garden Hotel
Check-in: 2:00 pm
Check-out: 11:00 am
Parking: Complimentary for hotel guests 
Breakfast: Buffet styled, English breakfast made to order
In-room amenities: Hair dryer, iron, kettle, coffee machine, complimentary toiletries & tea/coffee facility provided
Location: Yeoland Down, Yelverton PL20
Telephone: 01822 852245
Website: www.moorlandgardenhotel.co.uk

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9 comments:

  1. This is such a lovely part of the country, sounds like a great place to stay and explore.

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  2. I love Devon & Dartmoor! Looks like a really lovely place to stay, and that egg looks beautiful!

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  3. This place sounds like the ideal place to stay when discovering Devon. The food looks great too as does the decor xxx

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  4. Woo it's gorgeous, I definitely would love to stay here sometime. I've never been to Devon.

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  5. I grew up in Cornwall, so I always find it lovely to read blogs about visits to that end of the country. It makes me a little home sick, but I love that so many people have so much to say about it. The national marine aquarium is incredible - I remember lots of school trips to both the aquarium and the Eden Project!

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  6. Oh, my word! That Falafel burger looks incredible! I've not been to Cornwall in years, but it's back on my list of places I want to go back to before the kids grow up. I definitely need to remember to check this place out!

    Louise x

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  7. My parents are from Plymouth and practically all our childhood holidays were spent there. We love it and yes, mist over the moors is a very regular thing all year round. The hotel looks great.

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  8. I've been thinking more and more about visiting England because I've never really been anywhere apart from London and the Cadbury's Factory in Birmingham - this place looks well worth checking out!

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  9. Wow, It really looks a nice hotel and I'd love to stay there looks so comfy and I love the place.

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Thanks for stopping by. :-)