The outside is conventional – a fine-looking Georgian house in a landscaped garden at the southern tip of Dartmoor – which makes the interior all the more of a surprise. It’s kooky, quirky and huge fun, filled with curiosities as diverse as a stuffed flamingo and a bulldog sculpture wearing a bowler hat. There are parquet floors and plaid carpets, lived-in leather furniture, theatrical chandeliers, a tasting room and walls covered with silver trays, bugles and drums. The brainchild of Pieter and Fran Hamman together with Timothy Oulton Studio, Glazebrook is a breath of fresh air at a time when hotels can look like clones. The nine bedrooms have a playful Alice in Wonderland theme but are also deeply comfortable, with knock-out bathrooms. The Hammans have executed a master stroke by installing MasterChef quarter-finalist Ben Palmer in charge of the restaurant, with Josh Ackland as his head chef. The original, well-priced menus and excellent, beautifully presented food are hard to beat.
Dartmoor National Park which is one of the last great wildernesses in the UK with an inspirational landscape of heatherclad moors and rugged tors. There’s something for everyone, from thrill seekers, walkers to climbers, cyclists to photographers.
Glazebrook is constantly revered for its award winning restaurant offerings, and in particular the luxurious fillet steak and more specifically the stunning Chateaubriand for two.
Buckfast tonic, a regular fixture on the drinks menu. It was created in the 1880s by Benedictine monks who, fleeing persecution in France, came to Buckfast Abbey in Devon, just 8 miles from the hotel.
Nota Bene
The hotel has welcomed famous politicians as guests in the past including Sir John Major. In more recent times, the remodelled Glazebrook House has welcomed movie star John Nettles, while the restaurant is frequented by diver Tom Daley and family.
