The wife planned a surprise 2 night stay at Hewitts for my birthday and what a treat it was.
We have stayed here a couple of times before some 8 or 9 years ago but stopped going as the evening meal became compulsory and we prefered the freedom to eat where we wished.
It was great to be back and there is no longer a need to take the evening meal, although we chose to on my birthday and I am glad we did. The food was excellent, in fact it rates in my top 5 meals of all time.
We did not bother with a cooked breakfast as there was an excellent choice of cheese, meat, bread, cakes and lots more. The homemade lemoncurd (which we asked for the recipe) and the jam was very good.

Our stay was helped by the glorious weather and the only downside of the break was a meal in the local Indian restaurant which was just about the worse I have come across.

We will certainly be going back next year (too many other breaks booked this year)

My wife and daughter and I have visited HEWITT'S several times durting the past few years. The building is wonderful with superb sea views , The Spaldis (owners) are wonderful hosts, they even rember who you are and when you visited last. Nothing is too much trouble. I am a choosy eater, but if Signor Spaldi cooked even my least favourite dish I know it would be sublime. The building is Victorian so don't expect air con, jacuzzis and so on, but revel in its old world charm, comfort and antiquity. Sit by the roaring fire on a chilly autumn night and enjoy an aperitif before experiencing Signor Spaldi's excellent food. The little extras such as fluffy dressing gowns and REAL coffee in the room make you feel pampered and the rooms have amazing panoramic sea views. Reading my comments you might be suspicious of my motives, but I assure the reader that having stayed in many hotels, Hewitts (and one other on Lake Maggiore in Italy) are the best ever.

We arrived after a dreadful drive around 7:30 PM. Tito readily agreed to put something together for us to eat from what he had available in the kitchen and we had a fantastic meal in the bar. He is a fascinating educated man who took us on a tour of the garden which is set into the hillside and which he has restored with plants from all over. He and his wife have professional training in cooking; the first throw together meal was so wonderful we ordered dinner for the next night, and had another wonderful meal beginning with lobster obtained in the market that day. Breakfast was excellent.

We had room two, one of the better rooms, which faces the sea and the cliff to the right (on which the sun casts changing shadows and colors) has an alcove window, a small balcony and two windows that open for cross ventilation. The bed was great the bathroom modern, the decor rich if very "period". It's an old house-- there's no lift and you might need a space heater (provided) to warm up the room on a cold night. But you'll never forget your stay.

The house has to be seen to be believed--a real period piece and beautiful but no fawlty towers by a long shot. Grand staircase sprawling and well decorated public room, a patio facing the sea, a snug bar, many interesting collections to look at, and a glorious nineteenth century leaded glass portrait of Hewitt's wife at the top of the stairs.

The town of Lynton is charming, as is Lynmouth down below. The walks along the coastal paths are speactacular, the funicular ride is a hoot, and the surrounding countryside is gorgeous (go to Porlock Weir).Tito will advise you on everything you need to enjoy the area.

Booked one of the apartments (Penthouse Suite with sea view and balcony) for a relaxing three night break. A pleasing space but the smell of musty damp was quite overpowering, especially in the small single bedroom. The friend with whom I was travelling retired to bed in this room but 15 minutes later knocked on my door to tell me that she was finding it difficult to breathe because of the damp. She moved to a sofa in the living room which proved not damp but thoroughly uncomfortable. When we spoke to the owners the following morning we were told 'no one has ever complained about damp before' - seem to recall that the 'no one has ever complained before' was one of Basil Fawlty's favourite responses. We were also told that we were free to find other accommodation! Things went downhill from there - we were offered other rooms but were more or less thrown into them i.e. there was no attempt to make us feel comfortable, show us how the remotely controlled lighting worked, the television nor were we believed when we said the kettle wasn't working (it was faulty and had to be replaced). Checking out was a nightmare with first the husband lecturing me - he said that he had spotted my friend as a 'professional complainer'; that they didn't want people like her in what was, according to him 'not an hotel but their private home' etc. He marched up and down as he lectured me and when I tried to interject told me not to interrupt. It was totally unbelievable but became worse - a bathrobe had been moved from the room I was in to another room and we were accused of having stolen it! The maid was sent running upstairs, twice I think to check all the wardrobes in both rooms. Finally when settling the bill I asked for a discount because of the damp in the Penthouse Suite and the fact that we had had to move. At this point the wife said that she had known from the first time she saw us that we would not want to pay! Extraordinary behaviour!
The hotel has some beautiful rooms - Room 5 in particular is delightful but even the marvellous four-poster bed and the amazing view are not worth putting up with such unpleasant treatment from those who apparently have a reputation as 'gracious and welcoming' hosts.