Name: The Abbey Inn
Address: 30 Buckfast Road, Buckfastleigh, Buckfastleigh, Buckfastleigh, TQ11 0EA, United Kingdom
Rating: 8

Smoke-free property

Heating

Garden

Terrace

Outdoor furniture

No elevators

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Family room

Hairdryer

Flat-screen TV

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Wardrobe/Closet

Linens

Toiletries

Rooms

Iron and board

Luggage storage

Iron

Services and amenities

Breakfast

Restaurant

Kettle

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

English

Languages Spoken

Fishing

Sun Deck

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Beach/pool towels

Pool and beach

Event facilities

Business

Cycling

Sports

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the guest house

Room amenities

Buckfast Butterfly Farm and Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary

Plymouth Airport

Exeter International Airport

The Abbey Inn

Buckfastleigh

Arrived after travelling 71/2 hours on motorway in horrendous conditions. My son rang to try and check in for us and get the key and was told he couldn’t do that because she didn’t know if we had paid. Was paid in full via booking.com.
We arrived with 15 minutes to spare and were greeted very frostily. Given a key and was told that the bar was closing at  10.00 and we were not allowed downstairs as it would all be alarmed. Was told room was on top floor and had to find our own way. Asked if there was anywhere that could deliver food but was told no and that was it. We were  told if we went out of the front door not to take the snip off as it was broken so door was not locked for 2 of the nights we stayed there. 
Had asked for disabled parking but no one got back to us. Our room, up 4 flights of stairs.. no lift was ‘snug’. Overlooked the river which we requested. The en-suite shower room had an ice bucket on the floor collecting water dripping from the extractor fan. Breakfast was an experience. Last night of 4 night stay .. we got back from saying goodbye to the family to find there was no heating in any of the residential part of the inn. It was a stormy night Could go on but think I want to put the whole debacle behind me. Could be renamed ‘fawlty towers’

Worst experience ever

The new chef spoilt our boxing day drink with friends listening to his football no consideration overtakes the bar few folk not happy but did not want to say anything bar staff lovely good mulled wine

Bar staff lovely

We stayed for a night at The Abbey Inn in October 2023.

Plenty of parking was available, and just a short walk from the car park to the inn itself.

We received a warm greeting from the lady at the bar and check-in was quick and efficient. We were handed the key to our room and asked if we would like to book a table for dinner which we did.

The room we booked was lovely, with a 4 poster bed and river view. Just the right size too, with an en-suite shower room. Basic tea and coffee facilites (standard hotel slow-boiling kettle) and a decent size smart TV.

Dinner was delicious, we both had the Scampi, though a little confusion with the order as we changed a couple of sides. This was rectified in due course and we had no complaints. Drinks were also reasonably priced and we ended up with a bill of just under £40 for dinner for 2 with drinks. Hosts were very friendly and helpful at all times.

A good night's sleep was had - bed was very comfy with a choice of firm and soft pillows, the calming babbling of the river was nice to hear and despite having the window open a crack the room stayed warm due to excellent central heating.

Breakfast was included in our stay (£85 for the night) - there was a very wide range of choices to cover all tastes including vegetarian, vegan and us carnivores! Unfotunately my partner's eggs benedict was delayed due to a 'bad egg' which had to be re-done - all in all about a 30 minute wait, but it was worth it. I had a sausage sandwich which was very high quality.

We then packed up and checked out seamlessly, with a cheerful farewell from our hosts.

We'll certainly return to The Abbey Inn again, great value for money and would have gladly paid more for a room of this standard. 

5 stars well deserved :-)

Lovely country inn - great food and accomodation


To be fair we had quite a limited choice for venues in Buckfastleigh however we struck pub gold with the Abbey Inn! Picture this: a balcony, a river, and a sunset so stunning they could have charged for that alone.

Mrs B went for fish and chips, so fresh it could have.leapt into the river and crispier than a bag of Seabrooks. She's given it a 4.5 which is high praise indeed given I've never achieved anything above a 3.5.

Me? I'm on the steak and kidney pudding. Solid, bit like my old Moggy Minor – reliable but not fancy. But then, in comes the gravy, I mean I'm from Lancashire where gravy is practically a beverage.

Suddenly it's like the pudding’s had a makeover, from old banger to Ferrari, we're up to a 4.5!

The staff were as friendly as a nana with a tray of biscuits, really topping off the experience. But with a view like that? They could've served our dinner on a dustbin lid, and I'd have been over the moon!

So there you go, folks. If this place was a pub, it would be the Rover’s Return. Check it out, it’s champion.



No 1 of 3 but worth it.

Didn’t feel very welcomed when we arrived not very welcoming told restaurant was closed but later discovered it was open so didn’t get to see what the restaurant was like.6 of us ended up finding a chippy on the way back. beds small and way too soft felt like sleeping on a water bed..didn’t sleep well at all..shower could do with some bleach..shower head black with mold..bathroom mirror broken in our room and in my mums room you needed to be 7 ft to see in it..extension lead in use in the room.. this is a no no from us so dangerous.Rooms were clean but very very tired .. we had a mixture at breakfast all very nice..would we stay here again? That’s a no from us sadly

Polar express

Booked as a stopover prior to a meeting in Plymouth the next day. Very warm welcome, nice beer, nice room and spotlessly clean bathroom.
Earliest breakfast was at 8:00 am. Ordered food at 8:01, but by 8:300 nothing had arrived. When it did arrive (Eggs benedict) was awful. I literally could not cut into the "English muffin" it was so rock solid. Cooked egg & and icy cold ham.
Departed for Plymouth;  late, hungry and stressed-out.

Very mixed experience

Absolutely moritified that we made booking here for our hairdresser for my daughter’s wedding plus recommended to guests. Hairdresser arrived late after long day at salon in London and was not allowed in. When another guest came down to let her in and got accidentally locked out with her, they were told that they were on CCTV so had better clear off. Eventually got in but hairdresser was not allowed key to booked and paid for room. She had to sleep on floor of other guest’s room.  Wasn’t allowed access to her room to shower etc in the morning.  Both she and the guest who helped her are Black.  “Don’t use the race card” was used in the morning when this was raise as an issue. So ashamed. Our hairdresser and guest were too concerned for bride’s happiness to mention this until after wedding weekend. I hope they sue.  I’d be happy to hear if I have misunderstood and there was another reason for telling guests that they were not welcome. Otherwise, if you are anti-racist, you may want to go elsewhere.

Wouldn’t allow guests in

My wife and I stopped at the Abbey Inn for a celebration meal with two friends and had a wonderful evening.  We had booked and were met by Kelly, the landlady who was so friendly and helpful. We had a three course meal which was truly delicious and the chef took time out to come and see us. The pub is right by the river, has a great car park and is very clean and full of ambience. It turned out that the chef that night was the landlord, Phil who, like his wife, was very friendly; in fact all the staff were friendly and helpful. 
Anyone who is visiting Devon and is travelling between Exeter and Plymouth would be hard placed to find a better venue for a relaxing meal and a clean, pleasant room. Great all round, thank you to Kelly Phil and staff.   
Chris and Helen

Pub Meal and Drinks

Stayed one night out of 4 that we'd booked. Arrived to find no heating on in the room (it was Dec), the bathroom was less of an en-suite and more of an en-cupboard. Climbing around the toilet to get into the shower wasn't fun. There was no source of heat at all in the bathroom but lots of grubby exposed pipes. The room simply did not justify the price. Very basic facilities, tired looking and very poor Internet connection. 
That said, the room itself was spacious and the bed comfortable. The evening meal and breakfast were also very good. The staff were helpful when needed, however a few more of them could be wearing masks whilst working behind the bar and serving food.

Disappointing

The room was at the top of four flights of stairs and a shrine to wood chip! The heat in the room was intense, as was the smell of chip fryers from the pub kitchen below. We opened a window to cool it down, but the window was missing any locking mechanism to keep them open, and we were a bit concerned being on a main road atop a flat roof. The bathroom needed a damn good clean, the shower cubicle door was broken and the shower made a very loud noise (we heard the one in a neighbouring room).

The staff and the breakfast were both brilliant. Check in was easy and polite. The beers on tap were nice and the seating next to the river was a lovely location.

For £75 a night in the current staycation market, you get what you pay for; basic room in need of decoration, small bed with soft mattress, thin pillows and a duvet.

The Abbey Inn

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