When is a bed and breakfast more than a bed and breakfast? When it’s the 17th Century Cherub’s Nest in Dartmouth, Devon, England. It just feels like home.
In Dartmouth, all things are connected to the sea, from the present day oystermen, who ply their ancient trade along the banks of the brackish river, to the history that glides us back to the days of Drake and the pilgrims, and forward to the Britannia Royal Naval College and the D-Day invasion. The Cherub’s Nest is no exception.
Peculiar name. Somehow also connected to the sea? Yes. Perhaps called a ‘nest’ because it’s a residence that sits beside an even older building, dating to the 14th Century, a pub called The Cherub. And how did The Cherub pub get its name? Local lore has it that the pub was built from the timbers of a ship of the same name.
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| Next Door is The Cherub Pub |
The Cherub’s Nest may be old, but the accommodations and service most assuredly are not. Well, let’s amend that, but not in a bad way.
I’m particular. Here’s a tidy list of my bed and breakfast requirements: friendly innkeepers, soft bed, clean room, clean en suite bathroom, and a tasty breakfast, with good coffee. A little atmosphere doesn’t hurt either.
The Cherub’s Nest met all those conditions, then added a long list of the delightful and unexpected. The first things you notice as you step inside this compact, but comfortably elegant home are the cheery smiles and booming, barrel-chested “Welcome!” Instant rapport.
In a 17th Century building don’t expect huge rooms and an elevator. You have to deal with steep and narrow stairs, but, I ask you, when you’ve traveled far to experience life in an historic fishing village, home to the likes of famous English sea-captains, pirates, kings, and other nobility, do you really want to get a room with the modernity of a standard hotel? So, yes, it is old, but that’s part of the delight.
Thank your lucky stars, you’re not going to ever truly live like they did in the 17th Century, with rats and dogs in the streets, garbage tossed from the upstairs windows, open sewers, guests packed into shared beds, and personal hygiene …Oh, please let’s not discuss it.
The Cherub’s Nest offers quaintly furnished and comfortable rooms. All the modern day conveniences overflow in abundance: Cleanliness, including a small, but spotless bathroom. Sleep-in-comfort beds. Ample closet space.
The service and breakfasts are what a member of the royalty might expect. Everything from a full English, to any combination your wealthy imagination can devise. I opt for salmon and fried eggs, which came perfectly done, served with spotless silverware and on Royal Dalton plates. The coffee and tea were equally fine, in cups that would outshine even the finest hotels. Jams and jellies galore, many of them local. In fact, most of the food is local, including farm fresh eggs that come from the innkeeper’s sister-in-law. I was told the sister-in-law has eight hens, which each lay one egg each day.
I find only one fault and that is we did not have the time to stay longer at the Cherub’s Nest. It’s a gift from the past with all the opulence of today. And the breakfast…oh, goodness…
