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.

Wow. From the second my husband and I drove down the driveway towards the magnificent Villa Spaldi, we were totally taken aback by it's splendour. Once we walked through the door, the magnificence continued....

First of all, Villa Spaldi is incomparable in every way. The owners, Mr and Mrs Spaldi maintain it's exceptional uniqueness with a passion which is rare and is also contagious. We fell in love with it - and this was before we even got into our room!

We were in Room 5. A stunning four-poster bed and the most amazing view were ours. We felt like royalty. I cannot, for the life of me, think of any other place which has felt so wonderful and where we have felt so at ease so quickly. The ambience is incredibly relaxed and special. We couldn't stop smling! :)

On the first night we had booked an evening meal as we had read reviews about Tito Spaldi's cordon bleu chef skills. We certainly weren't disappointed! The 5 course meal was outstanding! Beautiful, succulent and tasty food. I think that if you decide to stay here (which you absolutely should), then to miss out on such amazing culiinary delights would be a real shame. You need to book it beforehand though, seeing as it is all freshly prepared. Breakfast was amazing too! Mrs Spaldi is such an approachable and friendly lady that you can't help but want to chat to her. She turned out fantastic breakfasts, cooked to order - and there was also a wonderful array of continental breakfast-style food laid out *so* beautifully. It was picture worthy in itself!

Lynton is great. The coastal path walks are stunning both for the landscape and the views. Villa Spaldi is right there in prime coastal path territory. It is also set in 27 acres of lush gardens, the maintainance of which is a feat in itself.

I can honestly say that we will *definitely* return to Villa Spaldi. Tito and his lovely wife are a joy to spend time in the company of. They are extremely interesting people, very cultured and intelligent. Their ability to make people feel comfortable and happy are admirable.

Just in case you couldn't tell, let me insist again: This place is *perfect*! We loved every second of it and were sad to leave. Fantastic!

I checked this hotel on tripadvisor as I wanted somwhere special for our 25th anniversary and must say we weren't disappointed! The place grows on you from the moment you enter and the views from room 5 were simply spectacular. The gardens are also wonderful and Tito was kind enough to provide some cuttings for my wife (a keen gardener).Tito's wife must also take a lot of credit for the way the hotel has retained it's unique atmosphere and for taking the time to make this stay so special for us. A memorable stay and we're already planning our next visit