The Pig at Combe - Devon

I don’t usually write reviews, but after our experience I felt compelled to mainly because we left feeling disappointed and, honestly, a little short changed. We had recently celebrated our wedding at The Deer Park (also local), and although we tried not to compare, it’s hard not to put venues of a similar calibre side by side. Unfortunately, The Pig at Combe just didn’t measure up. Our visit was a thoughtful and generous gift, a £120 voucher for a three course meal from the 25 mile menu. We were touched by the gesture and arrived with high hopes. The drive up is undeniably stunning and the house itself is full of rustic charm. Sadly, once seated, the experience began to unravel. We were placed side by side at a table for two. When my wife moved her chair so we could sit opposite one another, she was asked to move back in case she blocked staff walking through. It felt unnecessary and set the wrong tone. When we arrived, we were also very upfront with the staff, we explained that we didn’t intend to spend beyond the £120 voucher, which we thought was more than enough for two people. We advised them that it was a wedding gift but the response wasn’t overly exciting. The only person who seemed to fully understand this was a young blonde member of staff, who was warm and attentive. The others, not so much. For food, we ordered scallops and pork belly bites to start, followed by pork chop and chips, with one beer and a small Diet Coke. With £120 to spend, we expected to comfortably enjoy three courses but we quickly realised how steep the prices were. Sides of vegetables were £6.50–£6.75 each, which felt excessive. We were offered half a slice of bread (with oil and salt pushed across, but no butter), and it wasn’t clear if this was complimentary. The starters were fine, but nothing remarkable. The main course was disappointing, we declined the pork pink which is how they normally serve it and asked for it cooked through, but it was still bland. The chips were no better than those from a local takeaway. We were then offered a dessert which we had calculated that we were £105 into our voucher leaving £15 for a dessert even if we had to share. We asked and the waitress came back to say that’s it’s up to £118, naively I didn’t question it as couldn’t wait to leave but have since woken up feeling cheated. The waitress put it through and then asked if we would like to see it but a little too late. On reflection, I suspect we were charged for the bread and possibly even the tap water. A discretionary service charge had also been added without discussion, which I would have removed if given the choice. Staff were polite but unengaged overall. Definitely felt like a number. The service and food simply didn’t match the reputation or the prices. It left us feeling let down, especially given that this was a generous gift from dear friends who spent their hard earned money with the best of intentions. I sincerely hope they don’t read this review, as the

Super comfy bedding, powerful shower and really exceptional customer centred staff made my solo stay very comfortable and enjoyable. Breakfast is expensive if not part of an offer, but there's plenty of choice - juices, smoothies, fruit, pastries, cereals, toast, cheese, boil your own eggs .. as well as a cooked option. I got a great deal on a veg and bed basis so dinner was also included. Only a few dishes were vegetarian and the menu didn't really change much over my 2 night stay but all well cooked and mostly from their beautiful kitchen gardens. Looking forward to my fourth visit!

One of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stayed at. The room was comfortable and luxurious and the staff were so friendly and accommodating. The bar stayed open until the last guest was ready to go to their rooms, cake was served in the drawing room after breakfast. Every morning at 11am there was a garden tour where you could see where all the produce for the kitchen was sourced and the Folly had the best pizza in a beautiful setting. The Arabian horses grazing in the pasture in front of the hotel made the whole experience feel magical.

We had stayed at Combe House before it was taken over by the PIG . Were worried it would no longer have been special. We needn’t have been concerned as our stay was excellent in every way. The room (no 1) is beautiful with a spacious bathroom. The reviews of the dining here on Trip Advisor are over critical in my view. The ambience is lovely, the service friendly and efficient and the food excellent - pork chop and summer pudding Breakfast is superb. No need to order the cooked breakfast as what is on offer is excellent and generous. We will come again!

This hotel is fabulously placed in the Otter Valley amongst stunning countryside. The hotel itself appears to be very well organised, putting the customers at the heart of it all. Most of all I liked the attention to sustainability, including a really interesting kitchen garden and amazing toiletries. We had dinner in the restaurant one evening and the food was absolutely delicious, such an interesting menu. We stayed in the Hayloft which was massive and very comfortable, with a roll top bath and the largest waterfall shower head I’ve ever seen. The only quibble was when we needed to charge our Tesla and the staff member on reception couldn’t provide the right connector. Apparently they are there somewhere. But overall a wonderful place to celebrate our silver wedding.

We had a beautiful evening last night to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary. A lovely meal on the patio Terrace. Food was excellent and the staff attention was 2nd to none. We then went over to the Folly where a solo guitarist was performing to a good size crowd. Finally sat and watched the sunset over the hills. Beautiful evening.