The New Inn Clovelly

Everyone was so friendly , breakfast and dinner were both delicious. Room was nice with a very comfortable bed, bathroom with a bath . A lovely location midway from the car park to the harbour, quite a difficult walk up , but you can take a Land Rover up from the harbour 10am to 4pm , I did this midway up the hill to the start of the cobbles then it was a 5 min walk to the hotel all downhill

Beautiful setting, great helpful attentive staff, good breakfast, comfortable room all at a very reasonable price. Will definitely stay again. A special thankyou to the the breakfast ladies who on learning we needed to be away fairly early made sure we weee served promptly and the barman who looked after us do well the night before

Checked in at reception by a an unsmiling girl who gave us our key. During our stay she continued to show indifference. A small room but views from balcony to the sea. Clean crisp bedding. Tea making facilities good. However, no chair, musty wardrobe and smell of drains in shower room. (This did disappear later once used) All rather tired. We didn't eat in restaurant, very basic and off putting and food pricey. Used the bar in the evenings which was cold and small but nice to see locals there. Breakfast first morning, no service left to find out what was available. Had to go to kitchen to ask for a cooked breakfast. Surly girl again. Second morning older waitress who couldn't have been more attentive whom we thanked for her service. In conclusion would not recommend a stay here. Such a shame with such a wonderful history and obviously in the past has been run very successfully.

The hotel is a little dated but we found that to be part of its charm. Our room was clean, the bed linen was crisp and white, and the bed very comfortable. We had a lovely meal in the restaurant, and the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful.

Cute hotel but with awful staff....namely the bar maid/waitress. Rude, insulting and thoroughly miserable. I would go as far to say she tried her best to make people leave...and we did! Heard so many guests saying the same. Such a shame that the amazing Clovelly estate feels the need to employ this kind of person.

We had a lovely couple of days, using a deal booked through Travelzoo. We stayed in Room 1, which is in the main building. It was spacious, en-suite, with a double and a single bed. We could just about see the sea! There was plenty of wardrobe space, plus tea/coffee making stuff, tv, good Wi-Fi, hairdryer, shampoo and conditioner. The building dates back to the 18th century, so it has lots of character, oak beams, etc. but it does look a little worn in places. We particularly liked the room where we had breakfast, with its paintings and antique furniture. Breakfast itself was great. Full English, with veggie/vegan options, fruit juices, cereals, yogurt, unlimited toast, jam etc. and they had soya milk, dairy free “butter”, gluten free bread. We ate both nights in the downstairs bar/restaurant. There were standard pub meals (great fish and chips), baguettes, nachos, plus interesting specials e.g. mussels, schnitzel, mackerel quiche, jambalaya. I’m dairy intolerant, and they were very helpful with adapting meals for me. I couldn’t have the afternoon tea though. The staff were all very friendly and helpful, and some had lived all their lives in the village. I’ve loved Clovelly since childhood, and it didn’t disappoint. On the day we arrived we walked down to the harbour, and saw porpoises from the wall! March is off peak, so there wasn’t a lot going on. Just the amazing views, historic buildings that you can go inside, a small shop selling sweets, pasties and ice creams, a lovely tea shop, and another pub/restaurant. There are various walks, gardens to view, plus the donkey stables. The visitor centre has some shops, a cafe and a brewery. We loved our stay, and will hopefully go back again. A few tips….even though we’d visited the village before, we underestimated how steep it was. You have to carry your luggage quite a long way down, and then back up when you leave - we took way too much, and didn’t need half of it. Wheelie bags are a waste of time because you can’t wheel them on the cobbles! So if you’re staying there, take the minimum possible, eg. just one pair of non-slip shoes. Everyone seems to dress quite casually. You need a reasonable level of fitness to cope with the steepness. It would be impossible for anyone with mobility issues. There is a Landrover service that goes from the visitor centre to the harbour and back, but it only operates in peak season (e.g from Easter to autumn). I’d recommend having a room in the main building rather than those on the other side of the path, as we spoke to fellow guests whose bathroom was across the hall. The lower number rooms are in the main building.