Review: The 25 Boutique B&B, Torquay, Devon, UK
When a B&B wins Best B&B in the World (Tripadvisor Travellers Choice Awards) not just once, but two years running, it’s difficult not to take notice. Couple this with a Gold award for B&B of the Year in the national Visit England Awards for Excellence, Unique B&B of the Year for Great Britain at The AA B&B Awards, and a slew of other accolades, and the record gets all the more impressive.
Such are the achievements of The 25 Boutique B&B which is owned and run by Andy and Julian Banner-Price who are no strangers to the tourism industry having previously turned around the fortunes of Plas Dinas country house hotel in North Wales. Their latest venture, an Edwardian villa in Torquay, is a much smaller affair but one that is incredibly successful. We visited to see why.
The welcome
Having parked in The 25’s free car park and walked up the handful of steps to the entrance, we were warmly greeted by both Andy and Julian and given the key to our room, the Torre Suite, one floor up.
The room
The Torre Suite covers 30 square metres and was newly re-furbished in 2022 in a funky Art Deco style. An entrance lobby leads into a large bedroom with an exceptionally comfortable super king sized bed, with all bedding sourced from the UK Fine Bedding Company. Despite the renovation, the room is still famously home to Frank the Zebra whose yellow sunglasses have been replaced with golden wings and a halo. Decadent midnight green feature walls contrast with a burnt orange bedspread and headboard (which can be backlit with mood lighting).
Also in the room is an eye-catching central light fitting, smart TV with Netflix, air conditioning and free WiFi, whilst a large, sun-filled bay window is occupied by two chairs and a coffee table. There’s an iPad with the Kindle app that can be used to read a selection of books and magazines, as well as an Amazon Alexa Voice Assistant which allows you to listen to music or control the room’s smart features.
What looked at first to be the door to a small cupboard was, in fact, a separate dressing room with a dressing table (or work area if, like me, your work travels with you) with feature lighting, another TV, chest of drawers, hanging space, gowns and slippers, ironing board and iron, a safe and one of the most comprhensive and well laid-out guest information folders I’ve ever come across.
The bathroom
The bathroom has a large walk-in shower with a powerful rain head, bathroom TV, floor-to-ceiling heated towel rail and mood lighting.
A supply of luxury Elemis Spa toiletries can be found in the bathroom, as well as Elemis pillow mist and lip balm in the bedroom.
The facilities
There’s a lounge area where you can help yourself to drinks on an honesty basis.
At an award-winning B&B, you’d expect breakfast to be special and you won’t be disappointed. There are continental options such as Andy’s homemade granola and yogurts, fresh fruits and a smoothie shot of the day.
A full English is among the cooked choices, of course, but there’s also scrambled egg and smoked salmon (made from Julian’s family recipe), kippers, the Banner-Price beans on toast and smashed avocado served on toasted sourdough, topped with poached eggs, with or without crispy bacon. Pictured are the full English and Eggs Royale options.
Meats are sourced from Prentice Butchers nearby whilst free range eggs come from Eggs on Legs, a local farm in Starcross just 30 minutes along the coast.
Location
The 25 is located just a stone’s throw from Torre Abbey and within easy walking distance of Torquay seafront where numerous restaurants, bars and shops can be found. Extend your walk for 20 minutes or so and you’ll reach Torquay harbour.
Other nice touches
There are a number of thoughtful extras which you wouldn’t expect from mainstream bed and breakfasts. Guests are offered a free welcome drink on arrival which is a lovely way to commence your stay. In your room, you’ll find “Andy’s daily treat” which changes daily, but happened to be a homemade ginger biscuit on the day of our arrival. We were also given a goodie bag on our departure, containing snacks and water.
Cost
The Torre Suite costs £275 per night, including breakfast, usually with a minimum 3 night stay.
The best bit
The best thing about The 25 Boutique B&B is the truly meticulous attention to detail. It’s easy to overlook and take it for granted. Absolutely everything has been thought of, whether’s it’s how items are arranged when a tray is brought to guests, something as simple as having a receptacle for used teabags in your room, or how the labels on the jams all face forwards at breakfast. These might sound like tiny – dare I say, silly – things, but collectively they somehow make a difference and set The 25 apart from the competition.
The final verdict
In less than a decade, Julian and Andy have achieved a huge amount at The 25 Boutique B&B, and seemingly with incredible standards and consistency. To top it all, they recently passed their 1,000 Tripadvisor review, with all reviews – without exception – achieving 5 stars. To the best of our knowledge, no other B&B has ever achieved this and this is testament to their hard work and dedication.
Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by The 25 Boutique B&B.
Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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I had almost forgotten about those “Vacancies” and “No vacancies” signs. When my parents used to take us on a last minute holiday to the seaside, long before the internet and last minute.com, we would drive through road after road of B & Bs looking for a “Vacancies” sign.
It didn’t always work. I remember being driven around Brighton for around 3 hours and then returning to London very disappointed.
Oh dear, Chris!! I think more often than not, you’d find it says ‘No Vacancies’ at No. 25 – and deservedly so – so best to book online in advance, I’d say.
They really seem to be going the extra mile for breakfast with the home-made granola and smoothie shot of the day.
They go the extra mile with everything, Brad! Absolutely meticulous attention to detail throughout.
That’s a hefty prize tag though you’re getting far more than you’d get in many a 5* hotel. I’ve never had a breakfast like that. The attention to detail is phenomenal.
Compared with many luxury hotel suites, it is in fact very reasonable.
No one could accuse The 25 Boutique B & B of being bland, boring and boxlike. No neutral, safe colour palette here.
Definitely not, Graham!! It’s not every night that you sleep whilst being overlooked by Frank the Zebra, with his angel wings!
I can’t even begin to imagine how many B & Bs there are in TripAdvisor’s reckoning. That’s some award. Especially for two consecutive years.
In the UK alone, there’s said to be 20-25 thousand B&Bs. Like you say, Tom, goodness knows how many worldwide!
And Torquay is a very underrated destination. It really does deserve that tag of the English Riviera. You can get some amazing days in early spring and late autumn when further north it can be getting chilly.
Yes, those palm trees and exotic plants that you see are due to Torquay’s unique microclimate.