Independent on Sunday

Spa with cottage attached

Lovely things, spas, but the best ones are usually attached to posh hotels, which are often too costly for family holidays. But busy mums and dads like to be pampered, too, don’t they? Downe Cottages, a luxury cottage complex converted from Victorian farm buildings, dose to the North Devon coast, has addressed this dilemma by being one of the few rental companies to add a spa to its family friendly site. You can enjoy treatments, a spa bath with whirlpool jets, sauna and steam room, a relaxation area with large-­screen TV, and a well-equipped gym with views to the Atlantic coast.