Yeotown Devon

Style

Well-natured nurturing

Setting

Devon sent

Generally, things that are ‘for your own good’ need a hefty spoonful of sugar to sweeten them, but nourishing and nurturing farmhouse hideaway Yeotown Devon has a more holistic and healthy way of encouraging you through its dynamic but doable five-day retreat. You’ll happily hike for hours to gorge on views of Exmoor or the Atlantic coast; for every strength-training or boxing class, there’s forest bathing or breathwork, and a massage debriefs every full day. There’s streams of orchard-fresh juices, food you’ll love (that’ll love you right back), and good habits you’ll take home – a sweet deal, with no added sugar.

Facilities

Rooms

11, including eco lodges and cottages.

Checkout

2.30pm on the Sunday, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, noon on the Wednesday.

More Details

Rates include all meals, return train-station transfers, all activities, three massages, snacks, juices, smoothies, and a laundry service. All retreats last for five days. Double occupancy rooms can be booked on request; please contact our travel team.

Also

Unfortunately Yeotown’s rural setting and active nature make it unsuitable for guests with mobility issues.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

At the Hotel

Orchards and gardens (including one filled with medicinal herbs), hot tub, treatment rooms, sauna, outdoor gym, courtyard, lounges with selections of books, yoga room, gift shop, and free WiFi. In rooms: tea-making kit (plus fresh lemon, ginger slices and chicory), umbrella, torch, blanket, the White Company bathrobes, heating, and free bottled water.

Our Favourite Rooms

Owners Simon and Mercedes have put a lot of love and attention into their 17th-century farmhouse – so much so it’s starred in several decor-magazine photo-spreads – which was their weekend home before they realised that others might benefit from its Edenic setting too. Simon was an art and antiques dealer and interior designer, so has the eye for interesting pieces – say, the hanging meditation ‘nest’ made from volcanic ash and hemp, or centuries-old Indonesian Buddha statue in the Love and Be Loved lodge, which we do adore for its added peace and privacy, all the better for playing through the guided meditations and inspirational talks loaded into your sound-system. Otherwise, you can choose from a sustainably built lodge in the grounds (with Kentucky-oak wall panels insulated with hay), dressed in rustic style, or a more classic Brit-countryside room (Patience has its own ensuite and a balcony); each is named after a tenet of ‘positive-psychology coaching’ (Wisdom, Kindness, Curiosity…), so perhaps choose according to what you’re hoping to achieve. If you're looking to book a room for two of you, please contact our travel team for more details.

Spa

The more decadent side of wellness happens at the end of each full day, when you’ll head to the treatment rooms in the former stables (with original doors) for varying styles of hour-long massage. There’s a hot tub in the grounds to wallow in too and a sauna. Additional treatments can be booked on request (these usually take place on the Thursday). These might include lymphatic drainage, various styles of massage, cupping, facials, reiki, one-on-one yoga or tai chi sessions, kinesiology, acupuncture, meditation, hypnotherapy or tests for your gut health and more.

Packing Tips

Yeotown Devon will kickstart the healthier new you before you’ve even arrived, sending you a list of things to start cutting out of your diet in preparation. And, try not to feel too intimidated by the hardy gear they ask you to arrive with (waterproof trousers, camel-paks, hiking boots).. Although you can bring your phone, you’re asked to leave them for hikes and to try to use them as little as possible, so maybe – gasp – leave it behind to avoid temptation.

Also

Rather sweetly, you’ll find a personalised inspirational message on your bathroom mirror on arrival.

Children

This is all about self care, so let someone else worry about the little ones for five days.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

The communal dining space has a table set under a chandelier made of antlers; it’s open-plan with the kitchen so you can see chefs fussing over the Aga.

Dress Code

Dress for the Yeo you want, whether that’s aesthetically engineered activewear or floaty bohemian garb.

Hotel Restaurant

Yeotown Devon will shake up your eating habits, and each of the included three meals a day and snacks are free from refined sugar, dairy, meat, gluten and caffeine; but you won’t be having feverish dreams about drowning in raclette or giant knickerbocker glories. This isn’t about missing or losing anything, but rather enrichment through vitamin-packed menus and nutritional education, thanks to the resident consultant who’ll talk you through your habits and work on your gut health (you can even take a test to acquire a 20-page report if you’re so invested). But, we realise that guts and reports aren’t the sexiest, so let’s get into the no-meat of the menu: sticky cauliflower wings in almond butter, chilli-flecked pineapple in creamy cashew sauce, sustainable fish with lemon-braised leeks, and coconutty blueberry spirulina pancakes. Ferments are a specialty too, with Yeotown making their own kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and apple-cider vinegar.

Hotel Bar

We’re usually the first ones to crack open the minibar to toast our arrival with a dinky slug of spirit. But at Yeotown you drink to your health, with fresh-pressed juices (made using fruit from the orchards), smoothies, house-made kefir, adaptogenic lattes and cleansing shots. And the dedicated, flagstone-floored tea room has house loose-leaf blends and a wide range of teas.

Last Orders

Breakfast runs from 8am to 9am, lunch from 1.45pm to 2.45pm, and dinner from 6pm to 7pm. Although times may vary depending on activities.

Planes

Exeter Airport is the closest, and has good links across Europe and over to the US. If you’re touching down in London first, Heathrow and Gatwick are both just under a four-hour drive away. The hotel can help to arrange transfers for an additional cost on request.

Trains

The closest station is Tiverton Parkway, set on the Bristol to Exeter line (but you can reach it directly from London Paddington in two hours, too). Transfers cost £25 per person or per couple each way.

Automobiles

The retreat is remote, but you won’t necessarily need a car – Yeotown staff can pick you up from the train station and ferry you back and forth between off-site activities. But, if you want the flexibility to explore Devon before and after, then the hotel has a carpark that’s a five-minute walk from the main farmhouse, with electric charging points.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

We’re in awe of the award-collecting work Simon and Mercedes have put into creating a well-rounded retreat with positive and lasting results for many, but Yeotown’s guests might not be quite so motivated if it weren’t for North Devon’s beauty – Exmoor National Park’s misty rolling landscape, the rugged Atlantic coastline and sumptuously green stretches will have you pulling on hiking boots, splashing into frigid waters and waking with a spring in your step each morning. The whole five-day itinerary (dubbed a ‘Yeotox’) is planned for you although you might not always know what’s coming – to pause any psychological blockers, guests are given their next activity around half an hour before they do it, and some surprises are thrown in along the way. But, you can expect scenic hikes and bike rides, yoga lessons for all abilities (Mercedes is a leading Vinyasa-flow teacher – with a diploma in positive-psychology coaching, too), forest bathing and grounding sessions, cold-water immersion in the River Yeo, surfing, swimming, workouts, boxing sessions, mindfulness and meditation, and breathwork. Activities have an ebb and flow feel to keep the balance between ‘working out and working in’, and each day builds on the last. Each evening you’ll wind down with a hour-long massage (three in total over your stay), plus spells in the sauna or hot tub.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .