Torquay hotels and self catering cottage accommodation in Torquay

Devon » Torquay accommodation

Home to the rich and the famous for over a century, Torquay, the Cannes of the English Riviera and its most stylish vacation spot, is still visited by countless tourists. Its white Italian-style villas hanging from the hillsides, its yacht-filled harbour, its palm tree-lined waterfront, its magnificent hotels along the boardwalk, it all speaks with the utmost elegance, continental style and the old days, in which royalty were frequent guests here.

The local beaches are outstanding, as are the views from above the cliffs, along the many pathways. Great shops, restaurants, pubs and cafés, numerous family activities along with an active night life, it all comes together in Torquay.

Dame Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890, and began writing her very first novel here. Devotees can follow the path of her novels through the town of her inspiration on the Agatha Christie Trail. A collection of her photographs, letters and memorabilia, some donated by her daughter, are displayed both at the Agatha Christie Memorial Room, at Torre Abbey, and at the Torquay Museum, which also holds a geological collection and a display of historic tools found locally.

Just out of town is Kents Cavern, a strange underground cave system holding evidence of 500,000 years of both human and animal presence, the earliest in England. The cliffs get higher east of the bay, leading up to Daddy Hole Plain, where you’ll find some exquisite views of the harbour.