... One such place is the Torbay area – or as they like to call it ‘the English Riviera’. Well, never having been to the French Riviera, I can’t really compare the two, but Torquay especially has plenty going for it.
We stayed in Torquay (if you add in Paignton to the ... Read review
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Advantages: plenty to do, loads of nightlife, excellent beaches, nice parks Disadvantages: hotel accomodation is expensive compared to abroad
...One such place is the Torbay area – or as they like to call it ‘the English Riviera’. Well, never having been to the French Riviera, I can’t really compare the two, but Torquay especially has plenty going for it.
We stayed in Torquay (if you add in Paignton to the equation you pretty much have the ‘Torbay’ area although Paignton is a little more for the ‘older set’) for a couple of days ... ...Devon, but thought it would be good, bearing in mind the lovely weather we’ve been having, to stay for a couple of days before it started, so checked in to a hotel in Torquay. We did the same thing three years ago and had a nice time in the evenings as there is plenty of nightlife – mainly geared towards the younger, clubbier types, but some very nice and reasonably priced restaurants.
I think that sometimes we ignore those lovely places in our own country when we go off to sunnier climes for our holidays. One such place is the Torbay area – or as they like to call it ‘the English Riviera’. Well, never having been to the French Riviera, I can’t really compare the two, but Torquay especially has plenty going for it.
We stayed in Torquay (if you add in Paignton to the equation you pretty much have the ‘Torbay’ area although Paignton is a little more for the ‘older set’) for a couple of days last week. We were there to cover an event in Devon, but thought it would be good, bearing in mind the lovely weather we’ve been having, to stay for a couple of days before it started, so checked in to a hotel in Torquay. We did the same thing three years ago and had a nice time in the evenings as there is plenty of nightlife – mainly geared towards the younger, clubbier types, but some very nice and reasonably priced restaurants.
Torquay itself has a regular Summer season at the town’s seafront Princess Theatre. From mid July through to the end of August there are regular shows each night from such as Joe Pasquale, Cannon & Ball, Abba Mania and so on. In addition to this, the Riviera Centre – in the town itself – offers a Leisure Pool (Waves) and kids indoor playcentre (Neptunes Nockout), for those less that sunny days, plus Shops, Restaurants etc. All along the Harbour front there are Bars and Restuarants from the traditional seaside type selling Sundays Roasts or Fish & Chips to more elegant Tea Rooms, through to Indian, Chinese and even a Mongolian restaurant.
One evening we ate at the Acropolis Restaurant right opposite the seafront. A three course set meal was either £8-50 or £10-50 with a choice of starters and desserts and main courses from either a Greek type dish like Lamb Kleftico or Moussaka, plus a Sirloin Steak (which Keith had and said was excellent), Pork Steaks, Chicken Chasseur, well you get the idea. Excellent value and very tasty. The restaurant itself was pleasant, homely and obviously family run. We also had a meal at another restaurant – sorry, forgot the name, a little further around which also had a choice of menus, with Chicken Breasts in Dijon mustard my choice – lovely.
Plenty of bars around with ‘Happy Hours’ giving you 2 for 1 between 8pm and 9pm. There is a Wetherspoons pub on the seafront giving the usual good value drinks prices, comfortable surroundings and cheap bar meals. Around the corner from the Harbour you find the main shopping area with plenty of the regular High Street names, plus some trendy shops and others selling typical tourist souvenir tat!
Then of course on a nice warm sunny day, there is nothing better than the beach. Torquay has a wide stetch of sand which gets very crowded in the peak months. If you are not a beach person, then the town has several pretty parks and areas to walk around, plus an excellent promenade to sit and watch the world go by.
The one major drawback for Torquay or any of the UK holiday resorts is price. Our small hotel, around 10 minutes walk from the main Harbour front cost is £20 each for a nights Bed and Breakfast. Other small hotels/guest houses are a little cheaper the further away from the seafront you go. But compare that with going abroad. We stayed in Four Star Luxury in Las Vegas for around $50 a night! That’s around £35 – the same cost as a night in a small hotel in Torquay.
Still, it’s a nice place with many things to do, depending upon what your interests are. If you are wanting accommodation or need to check out whats on, try www.english-riviera.co.uk, it is a mine of information.
Advantages: Nice climate (for UK) Good beaches Disadvantages: Gets very busy
...Torquay and the rest of Torbay is superb. Torquay has several de luxe hotels including the 5 star Imperial Hotel, numerous 2/3 star hotels and numerous spotlessly clean and homely bed and breakfast establishments. Brixham also boasts of several good hotels and guest houses and Paignton is replete with clean and freshly painted guest houses and small hotels.
You can great fish and chips in Torquay - and at nearby Paignton and Brixham- other traditional ... ...have a very wide choice of sophisticated bistros, Continental, Middle Eastern and Oriental restaurants.
The shopping centre in Torquay is also excellent and there are a number of classy,specialist shops. There is plenty to see and do in Torquay ranging from lively Summer Shows, elegant discos,friendly pubs, live bands performing in the larger hotels, the model village at Babacombe and lovely Cockington.
At the latter there are gift shops, pony ...
ashford 28.05.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Torbay (England)
Advantages: Adult and child friendly, plenty to do on and off site. Disadvantages: you're not allowed to live there and could do with a later licence for the bar.
...in the middle distance, Hoburne Torbay holiday park could almost be in the Mediterranean. It’s very easy to see why Torbay is called the English Riviera! The panoramic views from the recently refurbished holiday park clubhouse are probably some of the best in Torbay made all the more pleasant by the occasional glimpse of a steam train from the South Devon Railway as it chugs on its way.
The sense of space is everywhere, in the touring park amongst ... ...Like the English Riviera, Hoburne Torbay holiday park offers something for everyone, day and night. From a dip in the pool to meeting friends for coffee; from catching the kids at play with sammy seahorse to a game of bingo or 5 a- side football; from watching live entertainment to watching the sun set over Torbay. Taking it easy has never been easier than on a holiday at Hoburne Torbay holiday park.
The excellent indoor and outdoor facilities of ...
unichorn 05.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Torbay (England)
Advantages: Something for everyone Disadvantages: Can't think of any!
The English Riviera is the aptly named area on the south coast consisting of the three resorts of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham set around a huge sheltered bay. I say aptly named, because the climate here is so warm there are palm trees growing along the promenade.
Torquay is a typical seaside resort with ten beautiful beaches many with the Blue Flag award for cleanliness. There are theatres, cinemas, a leisure club, a pier and all the other traditional ... ...indoor beach at The Riviera Centre with a fun pool, water shutes and a wave pool. There’s also a gym, sauna and soft play area for the children.
Torquay’s oldest building is Torre Abbey, which houses a superb collection of paintings and antiques.
One place you MUST visit while you’re staying at Torquay is the model village at Babbacombe, which is a couple of miles north of Torquay itself. This place is amazing. You can visit in ...
SusanLesley 05.03.2001 (03.03.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Torbay (England)
Advantages: Decent weather Disadvantages: Ageing Population, No University, Perhaps Not enough shops
Torbay (aka the English riviera)is a bay made up of 3 towns; Torquay, Paignton and Brixham with populations of 60000, 40000 and 20000 respectively.
If you visit in the summer Torbay is a particularly sunny destination however it experiences alot of rain and wind as it is on the coast. The coastline in Torbay is particularly scenic with some great jumping cliffs in torquay, while the best beaches are probably in Paignton such as Preston,Paignton ... ...In the general area around Torbay you can also have excellent family days out at River Dart country park and Woodlands fun park.
All along Torbays seafront you can find some excellent fish and chips. There are plenty of old pubs and a wide selction of Restaurants and Hotels. For a hotel paignton seafront is a nice spot and I would reccomend the Palace hotel or the Redcliffe hotel.
Paignton has a multiplex cinema but most evenings are best spent ...
Monkeysrule 22.06.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Torbay (England)
