Holidays in Devon, Self-Catering Cottages and Apartments

For many visitors, renting holiday cottages in Devon is the most enjoyable way to experience this charming County. Here are beach apartments overlooking wide sandy bays from Woolacombe in North Devon to Slapton Sands in South Devon. Discover thatched cottages in quaint coves such as Beer, Lee Bay, Blackpool Sands and Ladram Bay, with clear waters backed by lush green Devon countryside. 

Stay in a thatched Devon holiday cottage in the heart of the countryside to explore deep flower-filled lanes or the wild moorland landscapes of Exmoor and Dartmoor. The many picturesque and historic towns and villages from Clovelly to Budleigh Salterton scattered across Devon offer a fine choice of self-catering accommodation. 

Find quaint thatched cottages in sleepy villages, stylish barn conversions on working Devon farms or waterside apartments in converted fishing lofts and harbourside warehouses on the South Devon coast. Devon's mild climate makes the County a popular choice for self-catering cottage holidays all year round, as Christmas Day surfers on the North Devon beaches at Croyde and Saunton will testify. At the same time, wild daffodils and primroses appear in the hedgerows as early as February, adding colour to winter and early spring walks in the countryside. Looking for a relaxing staycation or active holiday? Click here to explore our full North Devon Holiday Cottages Listings.

A single-storey, luxury chapel conversion in the North Devon countryside.
  • Sleeps 8
  • Bedrooms 4

The Old Chapel is a superb North Devon holiday cottage on the coast in Clovelly. The former chapel boasts 10 acres of meadows with a pond and sea views, church windows, vaulted beamed ceilings, a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and many more original features.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A double-fronted, white rendered Ilfracombe cottage with traditional sash windows
  • Sleeps 6
  • Bedrooms 3

Partridge Cottage welcomes families and their pets to this charming and beautiful coastal corner of Devon. This rural holiday cottage near Ilfracombe sleeps six on a farm where children are welcome to help feed the lambs, pigs, goats and ducks.

  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A glimpse of a cottage wall and window peeping through a gap between bushes.
  • Sleeps 4
  • Bedrooms 2

Situated on the owner’s organic farm near the historic market town of Tavistock, Devon, Rose Cocoon offers a beautiful rural holiday experience. It is a child-friendly cottage with access to a gym, spa, and swimming pool. The cottage boasts a traditional English vibe with wood panelling and antique furnishings.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages with Hot Tubs
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Holiday Cottages With a Pool
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
A Lighthouse holiday complex in a clifftop location.
  • Sleeps 5
  • Bedrooms 3

Spectacular ocean views greet guests at Sherrin, a modern North Devon holiday cottage at Bull Point Lighthouse. The pet-friendly holiday home in Mortehoe offers spacious grounds, a light and airy interior with wooden floors, contemporary design features and access to the delights of the North Devon coast.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
A lighthouse holiday cottage complex on a rugged North Devon clifftop.
  • Sleeps 5
  • Bedrooms 3

Enjoy unique self-catering holidays in North Devon with a stay at Siren, one of four refurbished former lighthouse keepers’ cottages overlooking Bull Point near the village of Mortehoe, Devon, a child-friendly cottage that sleeps up to five, featuring three bedrooms, a fully fitted kitchen, and absolutely gorgeous sea views.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
A stone-barn conversion surrounded by mature shrubs and trees.
  • Sleeps 10
  • Bedrooms 5

Discover Spring Barn, a large coastal cottage offering pet-friendly self-catering holidays in Hope Cove. It sleeps ten with five ground-floor bedrooms, including a master with an en-suite. Enjoy a bright, open-plan kitchen/dining area, a spacious lounge with a wood-burning stove, and outdoor spaces for all ages. Family-friendly amenities include a travel cot and a highchair. Conveniently located a mile from Malborough, it's an ideal retreat with ample parking for four cars/boats. Explore the full description for an in-depth look at this delightful South Devon cottage.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
A large large stone barn conversion in Devon surrounded by open fields and mature trees
  • Sleeps 10
  • Bedrooms 4

Swallows Reach is an exquisite large holiday cottage in Halwell, a dream South Devon holiday home with a swimming pool. This impressive farm cottage boasts five beautifully appointed bedrooms, four with en suite facilities, spanning three levels. Enjoy the inviting open-plan living space, including a lounge with a wood-burning stove, and relish the fully equipped kitchen. With the added allure of an indoor pool, shared play area, and the convenience of off-road parking, Swallows Reach promises a perfect pet-friendly getaway for families or groups.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Cottages With Games Rooms
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Exterior of a stone-built barn conversion in Bideford with large floor-to-ceiling windows on the ground floor overlooking a courtyard with flower pots lining the wall.
  • Sleeps 6
  • Bedrooms 3

Enjoy a rural escape in the North Devon countryside with a stay at The Corn Tallet, one of a group of child-friendly holiday cottages near Bideford on a working sheep farm. It features a heated swimming pool and upside-down accommodation for up to six guests.

  • Active Holidays
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Holiday Cottages With a Pool
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Exterior of a bushy, ivy-clad Dartmoor farmhouse.
  • Sleeps 9
  • Bedrooms 4

Explore The Farmhouse, a delightful Dartmoor holiday let in Lydford. With rustic charm and modern comforts, it offers a spacious retreat for up to 9 guests. Relax by the open fire in the traditional dining room or bask in the sunlight in the bright sunroom. Enjoy four peaceful bedrooms, an enclosed garden, and a shared outdoor pool. Perfect for family getaways and exploring Dartmoor's beauty, book now for an unforgettable Lydford experience.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages With Games Rooms
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Holiday Cottages With a Pool
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
An eco-friendly log cabin with a fenced-in verandah sits in the shade of mature trees.
  • Sleeps 4
  • Bedrooms 2

The Log Cabin epitomises rustic charm. The two-bedroom remote and dog-friendly holiday lodge in East Devon was built with weathered pine logs and lies between woodland and a lake near the village of Sheldon. Up to four guests will enjoy rare tranquillity and a chance to fish for their supper!

  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Eco Cottages
  • Fishing Holidays
  • Remote Cottages
  • Romantic Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
A n ewly thatched Devon cottage overlooking a spacious lawn.
  • Sleeps 5
  • Bedrooms 3

The Manger is an authentic rural cottage holiday cottage near Axminster, nestled among woodland and fields in East Devon. The lovely pet-friendly cottage of stone and thatch possesses a generous garden with a pond and orchard, a table tennis table, an interior with lime-washed walls, exposed beams, and gentle rustic charm.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Cottages With Games Rooms
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Quirky Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Exterior of a barn conversion with tables and chairs in a flower-filled courtyard.
  • Sleeps 5
  • Bedrooms 3

Located in the charming village of Colyton, within East Devon's picturesque National Landscape, you'll find The Old Barn - a delightful rural holiday cottage. This cosy rural retreat is perfect for cottage holidays, accommodating up to five guests and pets. The cottage comprises three ground-floor bedrooms, including a king-size bedroom with en-suite facilities. Ascend the stairs to the open-plan living area with a wood-burning stove for those chilly evenings. Outside, you'll find a private garden and a communal picnic area. The nearby village of Colyton offers a range of shops, tearooms, and conveniences, while the East Devon National Landscape invites walkers to explore its scenic network of footpaths, bridle paths, and green flower-filled lanes.

  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Farm Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays
Exterior of a converted Devon coach house with a double garage
  • Sleeps 12
  • Bedrooms 6

This large holiday cottage in Braunton, within easy reach of fabulous sandy beaches at Saunton, Croyde and Woolacombe, can sleep twelve people in six bedrooms.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
Exterior of asemi-detached restored fisherman's cottage with a paved courtyard in Appledore.
  • Sleeps 4
  • Bedrooms 2

The Retreat is a charming North Devon holiday cottage in Appledore. The pet-friendly cottage offers an enviable waterside location, a spacious garden, exposed beams and sash windows, and a fantastic base for memorable seaside holidays.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Coastal Cottages
  • Cycling Holidays
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Small Cottages
  • Walking Holidays
  • Waterside Cottages
Exterior of a large 2-storey barn conversion surrounded by lawns.
  • Sleeps 18
  • Bedrooms 8

Stay at The Roundhouse, a large holiday cottage in South Devon. Seven bedrooms and a private annexe offer flexible accommodation for gatherings. The grand central hall of this luxury holiday home boasts a well-equipped kitchen and a wood-burning stove. Enjoy countryside views from the mezzanine or relax in the shared indoor pool and play area. Perfect for pet-friendly holidays, this rural cottage provides peace and privacy. For a detailed experience, view the fuller description and book your stay at this extraordinary barn conversion near Halwell.

  • Active Holidays
  • Child-Friendly Cottages
  • Countryside Cottages
  • Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages
  • Large Holiday Cottages
  • Luxury Holiday Cottages
  • Remote Cottages
  • Short Breaks
  • Walking Holidays

Why Stay in a Holiday Cottage in Devon?

  • Devon has something for everyone. There are plenty of coastal, countryside and moorland Holiday Cottages in Devon to choose from. Enjoy bustling market towns, quiet villages and varied coastal settings.
  • Devon has something for everyone. Families will enjoy the beaches and adventure parks. Hikers will love the coast paths and moors. Surfers will be able to enjoy well known surf spots, while birdwatchers and nature lovers will have an array of places to visit.
  • For many visitors, renting holiday cottages in Devon is the most enjoyable way to experience this charming County. Here are beach apartments overlooking wide sandy bays from Woolacombe in North Devon to Slapton Sands in the South Hams. Discover thatched cottages in quaint coves such as Beer, Lee Bay, Blackpool Sands and Ladram Bay, with clear waters backed by lush green Devon countryside.
  • Stay in a thatched Devon holiday cottage in the heart of the countryside to explore deep flower-filled lanes or the wild moorland landscapes of Exmoor and Dartmoor. The many picturesque and historic towns and villages from Clovelly to Budleigh Salterton scattered across Devon offer a fine choice of self-catering accommodation.
  • Find quaint thatched cottages in sleepy villages, stylish barn conversions on working Devon farms or waterside apartments in converted fishing lofts and harbourside warehouses on the South Devon coast. Devon's mild climate makes the County a popular choice for self-catering cottage holidays all year round, as Christmas Day surfers on the North Devon beaches at Croyde and Saunton will testify. At the same time, wild daffodils and primroses appear in the hedgerows as early as February, adding colour to winter and early spring walks in the countryside.
  • Devon's centre is the wonderful Dartmoor National Park - offering picturesque wild walks and drives across the moors. Visit Widecombe and Princetown - the latter now earning a reputation as an artistic centre as well as being the location of the famous prison. Above all, find and climb a tor - there are hundreds from which visitors can choose. Dartmoor is also home to England's 'newest castle' Castle Drogo which is now wonderfully restored by the National Trust.

 

What Can You Do and Where Can You Visit From Your Devon Holiday Home?

  • To the south of the County are the bustling Victorian seaside resorts of Torquay, Paignton, Exmouth and Teignmouth, these days offering much more than a traditional bucket and spade holiday (although buckets and spades are still essential holiday must-haves). It's a haven for superb family theme parks such as Diggerland, an adventure theme park with a real emphasis on DIGGERS! An invigorating construction experience for adults & children. It is highly recommended!
  • To the southeast corner of Devon are the charming and genteel Edwardian resorts and villages of Sidmouth, Beer, Branscombe and Budleigh Salterton. Here, a perfect day can be spent chuntering around Lyme Bay in a self-hire boat, and catching mackerel to BBQ back at your holiday cottage in the evening. For delightful views of the River Ax estuary - and the chance of a Devonshire Cream Tea in Colyton, enjoy a sedate ride on restored trams at The Seaton Tramway that runs from Seaton along the estuary to Colyton.
  • North Devon is much wilder and quieter than the south but just as welcoming to visitors. Here are the extensive sandy surfing beaches of Croyde, Woolacombe, Westward Ho! and Saunton Sands (perfect for beach cricket and sandcastle building when the tide is out).
  • Tiny coast-hugging villages such as Lee Bay or Clovellyin North Devon will delight visitors at any time of the year.
  • The main North Devon coastal towns of Barnstaple and Bideford provide all the services and supplies you need to enjoy a self-catering holiday in a rural or seaside holiday cottage.
  • North Devon also has the occasional geographical claim to fame, such as the biggest village in England (Braunton) and the longest High Street in England (Combe Martin). For visiting walkers and cyclists, the superb Tarka Trail offers more than 40 miles of level cycling on old North Devon railway lines that follow the river valleys and estuaries of the Taw and Torridge. There are plenty of bike hire shops along its route if you don't have space to bring your bikes.
  • In North Devon, visit The Gnome Reserve, where over a thousand gnomes add colour and enchantment to a woodland walk. The Reserve was once nominated for a Turner Prize. If not Gnomes, they try sheep: The Big Sheep in Bideford has everything from baby lambs to feed to roller coaster rides - all year round! It is no wonder that many of Devon's self-catering holiday cottages and seaside apartments welcome the same visitors year after year!

 

Find Cottages in Dartmoor and the Heart of Devon

Inland Devon is equally inviting to visitors. Quiet thatched villages such as Broadhembury, Coleford, Sampford Courtenay or Chittlehampton can be found at the end of slow drives down deep Devon lanes (all replete with excellent pubs and idyllic holiday cottages). Exeter's city centre is well worth at least one day's visit to see the magnificent Cathedral (picnic on Cathedral Green) followed by a trip down to Exeter Quay on the River Exe, full of craft shops, bars and restaurants. Hire a bike and follow the ship canal towpath through Starcross to the coast. Make it past the enticing pubs such as the Twin Locks, and you'll find yourselves collecting sea shells and nibbling seaside candy floss on the beach at Dawlish Warren before a leisurely ride home to your holiday accommodation.

 

South Devon Coast and Countryside Cottages

Devon's maritime heritage and traditions can be discovered in the south coast ports of Dartmouth. Taking an Edwardian paddle steamer upriver to Dittisham past Greenaway, Agatha Christie's house, is now open to the public. Discover more of Devon's scenic heritage by water at Salcombe or Plymouth, where a boat trip visiting all the historic maritime naval yards along Plymouth Sound will provide an entertaining history lesson.

For steam train lovers, occasional mainline rail excursions to and from Exeter, steam a-plenty can be found within an easy drive of many holiday cottages. In the popular (and idyllic) South Hams region in Devon's southern corner, ride the South Devon Railway from Buckfastleigh to Totnes or from Paignton to Kingswear (and then by ferry to Dartmouth). In North Devon, discover the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, which operates a mile or so of scenic track from Woody Bay Station - combine this with a clifftop walk along the South West Coast Path between Woody Bay and Martinhoe and you have the perfect day out!