The Ansteys Lea Hotel Torquay
Torquay, Devon

The hotel derives its name from the enchanting Ansteys Cove, Torquay, once a smuggler's haven. Torquay is the heart of the English Riviera with the sunniest weather in England (most of the time). Ansteys Lea was originally a victorian gentleman's residence and became a small hotel in 1946, and is today a 24 bedroom hotel of great warmth and character. The hotel is situated between Torquay's town centre and marina on one side, and on the other side Babbacombe Downs with their magnificent sea views. The hotel is on the main bus route into the Torquay city centre. It takes a matter of minutes. Our Wedgwood Blue Dining Room is both gracious and welcoming. Its main feature being a superb bay window which overlooks our landscaped garden with its famous Torbay Palms. The high traditional Victorian ceiling with cornices and roses are a wonderful architectural feature. The atmosphere in the dining room is enhanced by several original signed pictures, and lighting designed to create the right mood. We have even kept the original brass 'butler's bell' should you need attention.

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Torquay is a town on the south coast of England in the county of Devon which has extended along the coast of Torbay to the extent that it is now inextricably intermingled with the neighbouring town of Paignton. In the 19th century it became a fashionable seaside resort, renowned for its healthy climate it gained a nickname as the English Riviera. Although it has been suggested that Torquay roughly signifies 'Thor's Harbor' (cognate to Tórshavn, Faroe Islands and Þórshöfn, Iceland), a more likely root is the Old English word torr (itself of Celtic origins), which now occurs as tor or torre in place names in Devon and Cornwall.