October, and it was wet and windy. The single lane track from Chagford to Gidleigh Park has the occasional passing places for cars. It sounds romantic but unless you have a 4x4, it can't be in the depth of winter when Dartmoor is covered by snow. But that's the pessimistic view. The heart-thumping journey was worth it.
Gidleigh Park is the home of 2-Michelin star chef Michael Caines. Here, he has carefully crafted an institution that pampers his guests with exquisite food as well as indulgent service. Nothing is any trouble and the guests preferences are carefully noted and taken care of. For someone like me who does not like butter in my food (except cakes and desserts), the restaurant has gone to great lengths to remove any traces of butter from the dishes. The result was nothing short of spectacular. Every course was a picture on a plate, a feast for the eyes, and a gluttony for the stomach. The hotel combines luxury with a relaxed atmosphere, quite an achievement. We are definitely coming back.
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| Gidleigh Park, North Devon A truly five star experience |
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| One of the lounges at Gidleigh Park |
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| The Dartmoor landscape View from Gidleigh Park |
Perhaps the only fly in the ointment was the hotel wifi. But one is not supposed to work during a luxury weekend break, especially when a storm was brewing. At the end, I gave up work and tried to relax. Still, we had to cut short the weekend to make another trip to Amsterdam, where more work beckoned.
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| Chagford, North Devon |
Chagford is a market town before one travels to Gidleigh Park. Someone or some committee has taken great pains to produce a brochure on shopping at Chagford. It took me less than 30 minutes to visit all the shops. The clothes shops in this part of the world seem to stock a lot of "new age" apparel, and since it was autumn, the colours were drab, sombre, and uninviting. I could not imagine wearing any of the clothes to the farmers' market, let alone to work. But I did come away with a waterproof hat, which was incredibly good value at less than £25.
