We stayed in the Mason's Arms as a halfway stop on our weekend walk from Budleigh to Lyme Regis. The village of Branscombe is extremely pretty and the pub is exactly what you would expect - bags of rural charm and extremely welcoming. We were initially given Cottage 1 - this is one of the rooms in the row of cottages behind the pub and has not yet been renovated. This room was extremely small and dark as well as being next to the road so we asked for an alternative - as the pub was not busy we were given a choice and selected a room in the cottages that had been renovated. This was light and spacious with a great ensuite. We ate in the pub that evening and the food was superb. The evening was rounded off by drinks in front of the inglenook fire - heaven!

Stayed for 2 nights in a cottage suite. Room was really lovely, location perfect, food very good, bar, atmospheric and cosy - beer excellent! A small problem with the drains was sorted out with commendable speed! Staff great, particuarly Helen, who was brilliant.

Small criticism is the bedding - hollofill duvet and (very uncomfortable) pillows.

Nevertheless, definitely worth staying - excellent place.

This gastro pub/hotel has very helpful staff. The food was good. The room was very small but adequate and the bathroom clean and modern.The Branscombe beach is a 5-10 minute walk away. Annexe rooms were shut but may be larger.. The Masons Arms is near the road so rooms facing the street could be noisier though it is only a minor road.

At about £1,000 for 2 for a 4-day Christmas package (1 dinner, 3 gala dinners, 1 buffet supper and 4 B&B), this was not a cheap option, but the food was excellent, the staff delightful and the setting was lovely with some good strenuous walks to help off-set the excesses of Christmas. The one disappointment was that for Christmas lunch, we were not given our usual table for two with the other residents, but were stuck in an outer room with two large family groups. We were bang in line of the kitchen door through which we could hear the loud sound of the extraction every time the door opened. We didn't kick up a fuss as the staff were so pleasant, but in retrospect we should have articulated the fact that we felt marginalised. For a £69pp meal, I think everything should be perfection, including the location of one's table. The room was a little tired, but I actually prefer this to the ubiquitous shiny kitsch decor that one sees in most places. I do hope they don't spoil the atmosphere if they update the rooms. Ours had a lovely view and we were very happy with it.