It was during a camping holiday in East Devon chosen during one of the many wettest Augusts on record. Streets soaked in a sea fog that had transformed a summer afternoon into the gloomiest of winters. Folk festival followers splashing around in their flooded camping sites… those are the memories of my first visit to Sidmouth. But as we hurried along the Esplanade back to our damp caravan we caught through the gloom a brief sunburst of the Hotel Riviera. And did I imagine it or was that the silhouette of a maître d'hôtel in tails resplendent amidst the radiance of its grand entrance?
Above: Sidmouth's Hotel Riviera
I suppose it could well have been, judging by a recent comment on the TripAdvisor website. “A lovely, if quirky, time warped hotel.”
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Ten years on, since moving to Budleigh and on visits to Sidmouth we’ve often drooled over the multi-course menus posted at the entrance but wondered whether the Riviera wasn’t just a little too grand. Were we really up for a starter of Ham Hock and Flageolet Bean Terrine With Ciabatta Crisps, Pineapple and Chilli Compote, followed by Roast Yellow Pepper Soup with Sautéed Garlic before a main course of Seared Scallops With a Sharp Apple Compote, Confit Celeriac Discs, Diced Vegetables and a Vanilla and Mustard Dressing? And I haven’t yet got to A Various Selection of Sweets from the Kitchen followed by A Selection of West Country Cheeses Served with Biscuits, Grapes, Celery and Chutney, and to end, Coffee and Petit Fours. That was dinner. Lunch was just as grand, though marginally lighter with A Selection of West Country Cheeses being offered as an alternative to dessert.
Yesterday the hotel’s white façade was radiant in the spring sunshine and its four stars were gleaming hautily. “Hotel Riviera, with its echoes of the South of France and prime position on the seafront, is the choice for the discerning in search of relaxation and quieter pleasures,” claims the website, but does that include slightly sweaty people who’ve been tramping over the Devon countryside? I certainly felt just a bit intimidated wearing my rucksack, jeans and walking-boots when we decided to try out the bar snacks. Would that imposing Head Waiter insist on my dumping the rucksack at reception and borrowing a hotel tie?
We needn’t have worried. TripAdvisor’s comments about the Riviera are by no means unanimous in their praise of the hotel and I suppose the absence of a sauna and gym might mean that it’s not to everyone’s taste. But just about all the Riviera’s visitors who had posted their comments were effusive in their appreciation of the friendly staff. Above: Jonathan and his colleague Hilary look after Anthea in the bar of the Hotel Riviera
And so were we. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. I was even tempted for a moment by the thought of a long lunch in the splendid dining-room. But time was short and we’d gone there with the idea of exploring Sidmouth in the afternoon sunshine. So the bar it was, with its excellent selection of snacks. Jonathan, the friendly and chatty barman produced a glass of decent French red wine for Anthea. I was going to join her, but since arriving in Devon I’ve begun to appreciate its great real ales. No Otter bitter unfortunately, and the draught cider pump was not working, so I settled for a half of Tetley’s bitter. Jonathan’s colleague Hilary, just as chatty and welcoming, brought us our choice of snacks: a Ciabatta speciality sandwich, with chicken, watercress salad, slices of avocado and cheese for me, and fresh crab sandwiches with a salad for Anthea, plus a bowl of chips as we were feeling greedy. With another round of drinks, coffee to follow and an exchange of traveller’s tales with Hilary and Jonathan on the good and bad points of Bath, Florida, Ankara and Brighton we were in danger of spending the rest of the afternoon in our too comfortable surroundings.
The meal was fairly priced, and for freshness and presentation it could not be faulted. And one evening I want to try that amazing multi-course dinner, even if it means having to wear a shirt and tie: at £38.50 per head it struck me as pretty good value.
Police in Devon are warning members of the public to be wary of a long-term scam, which has been operating for a number of years and now appears to be targeting small businesses in Devon.
