2 bed apartment near the sea in Torquay, Devon in the English Riviera
Apartment • Teignmouth United Kingdom
5 Guests
2 Bedrooms
4 Beds
1 Bathroom
Pets welcome
5 Car spaces
Secondary home
Exchange types accepted
Simultaneous
Non-Simultaneous
Non-Reciprocal & Globe
Hospitality
Statistics
Listed August 2021
Views 3339
General overview
We are interested in exchanges to most parts of Europe in 2025 especially Greece, Croatia and Italy. Also of interest is London, Bristol or southwest UK. We would also be open to Northern Ireland.
We are also happy to offer sim or non-sim exchanges to Malaga / Sol y Neive Sierra Nevada for about a week in February or Easter 2025.
Please note that we are in Torquay (not Teignmouth as per the map - which is the next town) but had to choose Teignmouth for our address as we were not showing up in Devon searches with Torquay. We are 2 minutes from the beach though!
On offer is a 2 bedroom garden flat which sleeps 5 which is at the bottom of our house. The flat is let out on Airbnb and we have plentiful experience hosting. We live above the property and if around, will be on hand to point you in the direction of local sights and sounds. The apartment has it own personal entrance, and an enclosed courtyard with outside seating. You can also access the large hilly garden at the back with a further seating area, pond and bbq.
Opposite the flat is gorgeous Anstey Cove where you can go for a quick dip, rent kayaks and SUPs and have a great coffee and breakfast whilst watching the waves (in season).
Bedroom 1 has a king size bed with wardrobe and drawers and tv (with netflix). Bedroom 2 has compact twin beds (that can be joined if needed) and wardrobe and drawers. There is also a spacious bathroom with bath and overhead shower. The kitchen has everything you need with a fridge/freezer, cooker and oven, microwave and even a slow cooker. The is also a washing machine and heated clothes airer.
The living room is bright and airy and has patio doors leading to the large front garden. This has a tv (with netflix), sofa, cuddle chair in a cosy reading nook and an armchair. The sofa is a sofa bed offering sleeping arrangements for a fifth person (well 6 if they are small children). Just off the living room is a dining nook with a small selection of games and books.
The house is surrounded by gardens galore (there are about 5 sections), there are 2 front gardens, courtyard, middle garden and the top garden which our children call the secret garden as it is hidden away. You are welcome to use all the gardens and share with us but one of the front gardens and the courtyard will be for your exclusive use.
At the end of the garden is parking for 5 cars (we usually use 2 spaces). Alternatively, there is plentiful street parking at the front of the house. There is a bus stop right outside the house if you prefer public transport.
The space
The 2 bedroom garden flat is situated below our main house. We live above the property and if around, will be on hand to point you in the direction of local sights and sounds.
Bedroom 1 has a king size bed with wardrobe and drawers. Bedroom 2 has compact twin beds (that can be joined if needed) and wardrobe and drawers. There is also a spacious bathroom with bath and overhead shower. The kitchen has everything you need with a fridge/freezer, cooker and oven, microwave and even a slow cooker. The is also a washing machine and heated clothes airer. If needed (and we are around) you are welcome to use our dryer upstairs.
The living room is bright and airy and has patio doors leading to the large front garden. This has a tv, sofa, cuddle chair in a cosy reading nook and an armchair. The sofa is a sofa bed offering sleeping arrangements for a fifth person (well 6 if they are small children). Just off the living room is a dining nook with a small selection of games and books.
The house is surrounded by gardens galore (there are about 5 sections), there are 2 front gardens, courtyard, middle garden and the top garden which our children call the secret garden as it is hidden away. You are welcome to use all the gardens and share with us but one of the front gardens and the courtyard will be for your exclusive use.
At the end of garden is parking for 5 cars. Alternatively, there is plentiful street parking at the front of the house.
Guest access
The house is situated up a hill and presents a challenge for those with mobility issues. There are stairs and steps from the parking area to the flat and also from street level up to the flat itself. This does have the upside of some good views across the horizon but comes with the downside of steps.
Children of any age are welcome. However, please note there are a few steps either down from the car park to the flat (but in the main accessible for buggies) or from street level up to the flat (about a dozen or so steps). The flat itself is on one level so once inside, access for young children is fine.
I have 3 young children myself (with the youngest being 7) and they have no problem running up and down the stairs.
Notes
We have 2 cats which if it's a simultaneous exchange, would ask that they be fed. Please note that if you have allergies to cats that this should not be an issue at the flat as the cats lives in our main house and do not enter the flat.
Happy for you to bring a well-behaved dog.
Features
Washer
Dishwasher
Clothes dryer
Oven
Microwave
Coffee machine
Fridge
Iron
Hair dryer
Heating
Air conditioning
TV
WiFi
High Speed Internet
Bathtub
First aid kit
Wheelchair accessible
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Towels
Workspace
Fireplace
Home cinema
Toys
Gym
Sauna
BBQ
Pool
Hot tub
Balcony
Garden / yard
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
Covered porch / verandah
Kosher home
Meat-free kitchen
Gated community
EV Home Charger
Bikes
Camping gear
Kayak
Tennis court
Standup paddleboard
Travel Styles
Long term
Weekend
Adventure
Budget
Family
Romantic
Sport and leisure
Foodie
Relaxing
Beach
Water
Hiking
Last minute
Good public transport
House rules
Suitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets welcome
No smoking
Dates of Availability
Click on availability periods to see exchange types and descriptions.
Available
Neighbourhood
The flat is situated in Wellswood, one of the more desirable neighbourhoods in Torquay with green leafy views from most directions. We have nice, friendly neighbours on either side of us.
The property is situated on a main road but is set back high above (we are 2 double decker buses above the road) and far back from the road (there is a large front garden and path in front) so whilst you are the thick of things, most people walking past would not even know the flat is above them.
Over the road is a path leading to Anstey Cove, which according to The Beach Guide is "a peaceful, shingle beach located on the coast path between Torquay and Babbacombe. Limestone cliffs, interesting rock formations and views across Lyme Bay to the Dorset coast.
There is a shop and cafe on the beach, which is set among wooded hills" The shop rents SUPs and kayaks if you are feeling adventurous. The south west coastal path also runs past the cove.
There are numerous other local beaches nearby with Babbacome, Oddicombe (with its famous furnicular railway leading to the beach) and Meadfoot being within 15 - 30 minute walking distance. Other beaches further afield include Maidencombe Beach and the umpteen beaches in the beautiful South Hams.
Local sights include Kents Caverns with its UNESCO geopark prehistoric caves, Torquay Harbour and the quaint thatched cottages at Cockington. Further afield, you have Paignton with its geopark, harbour and of course sandy beaches. There is also a zoo and water park. Brixham forms the third of the trio of three towns that forms Torbay wth Torquay and Paignton being the other two. Brixham offers chocolate box scenes of the seaside, Berry Head Nature Reserve and beaches too numerous to name as well as a lovely saltwater pool (and has a stupendous seafood eaterie attached)..
As a popular holiday destination, there are activities galore near and far including fishing and various boat trips, lots of walks in wooded and coastal paths, Alpine Ski Club, Woodlands Theme Park, River Dart Country Park, Pennywell and Occombe Farms, Becky and Canonteign Falls, Babbacombe Model Village with its quaint miniature models of houses, and various sceneries, Dartmoor with its 101 walks and the steam railway. You can also follow the Agatha Christie Mile retracing places associated with this famous author.
Getting to my home
The main train stations are just over a mile away at Torquay and Torre respectively and offer services to Exeter, London and beyond. They also take you down the other direction to Cornwall.
Most people travelling to Devon will use the M5 and then the A380 which has been greatly improved with the recent arrival of the bypass.
Nearest airport
The nearest airport is at Exeter which is about 40 minutes away or else there is Bristol, which depending on traffic, is about 1 1/2 hours away. You can of course come here from Heathrow and Gatwick which are about 3-4 hours away.
Getting around
There is a bus stop right outside the house which takes you into the town centre and Paignton. In the other direction, it takes you to Dawlish Warren.
Local shops in Babbacombe are a 10 minute walk away with a plethora of restaurants, a couple of convenience stores and a park with a playground. You can also walk to Wellswood in 10 minutes with another set of shops. The walk to Torquay town centre takes about 20 minutes. It may be best to take the bus back though as its an uphill walk back home.
Map of Approximate Location
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We had a great stay at Cheryl's home in Torquay and look forward to welcoming her family at our home for the other half of this non-simultaneous exchange! Cheryl and her family were extremely welcoming and friendly, going above-and-beyond to make us truly feel like friends rather than just "somebody staying in their home". The suite was perfect for our needs, with lots of space to spread out, comfortable bedrooms, a full kitchen, and a huge garden. The location was very convenient for visiting local attractions and accessing other areas of Torbay and beyond.
We loved our stay at Cheryl and Simon's flat. It was a great location for exploring the local area.
There is lots to do in Torquay (less than 10 mins drive) and with a bus stop right outside, it's perfect for those needing to use public transport. From the house, it is a short walk to Anstey's Cove or to Babbacombe Beach. From Babbacombe we walked to Oddicombe Beach and then caught the cliff railway up again.
Our dog was very happy in the flat, and made use of the small fenced area outside the door.
The area is quite hilly and there are lots of steps up or down to the house, so perfect for active people, but older folk might struggle.
The kitchen was well equipped and we were able to self cater during our stay. The flat was a good size for 4 of us and the dog, there was plenty of space for a 5th person to stay on a sofa bed.
Thanks Cheryl and Simon for having us, and we look forward to hosting you in the Autumn.
Chery was a great guest. She took very good care of the house and was very polite and easy to communicate. Wonderful to have her in the house!
Cheryl and her family looked after our home and garden and communicated well before and during the exchange. I'm glad they were able to enjoy our local area as much as we enjoyed theirs.
I had a great pleasure of hosting Cheryl, Simon and their three sweet kiddos in August and they brought me some super lovely gifts - thank you very much for them <3
From our initial contact, communication was super easy and smooth as well as fun. We did a video call and I could tell straight away, that we'd be a good match ;-)
Cheryl and family may be new to exchanging, but are experienced AirB'n'B'ers, so it was really easy to talk about expectiations and the hows and whats.
During their visit, I stayed in my self-contained basement flat, but they were so kind both to invited me up for a BBQ dinner and we had chit chats along the way - super "hyggeligt" as we'd say in Denmark.
It was a pleasure hosting this nice and charming family and I look very much forward to whenever I can come to their home in Torquay and meet them again.
Their stay here was cut short a few days as their original return flight was cancelled, but cheryl made a brilliant save by getting a return flight from Billund, so the days they cut short here with me was well spent in Legoland and Lalandia, perfect for the kids!
I'd be happy to welcome them here again anytime :-)
We had a lovely time in Sheryl's spacious and lovely house. Her helper was on hand to guide us through the workings of the house which was centrally located in the Peranakan area (with some very interesting neighbouring houses). a short distance from the airport. There are lots of eateries nearby and my family and I are very grateful for the exchange. Sheryl provided a detailed email about the house and had swift communcation (although we did not have any queries or issues whilst there).
We had a wonderful 8 day stay at Lone's who gave up her home and stayed in the basement so that my family and I could enjoy her beautiful home in Frederiksvaerk. We really enjoyed our stay and loved the surrounding beaches (we were blessed with sunny weather most of our stay). There was sufficient to keep our brood occupied such as the Experimentarium (science museum near Copenhagen), the Viking museum and the lovely swimming pool at the end of the road. My children especially loved the menagerie of animals and trampoline at Lone's.
We are usually not one for the big cities and just liked the chilled out vibe the whole area had to offer. We did not have have any expectations of Frederiksvaerk but were pleasantly surprised. Lovely town with lots of canals and very chilled out. Lone was a great host who gave us lots of space whilst being on hand to answer our queries. We enjoyed a bbq with her one night. Our only regret is the lack of photos with Lone (this will have to be rectified when she visits).
Bryan and Julie and their two children were a pleasure to have stay. They have been great guests, leaving the place as they found it and during their stay have been polite and considerate, treating the place as they would their own home. It did help that our children got on well and took every opportunity to play together. There was great communication between us which I think is key. We would welcome them again in our home without hesitation and cannot wait to visit Canada and hopefully meet up again.
Premium
Cheryl
2 adults, my husband and myself and our 3 children aged 12, 10 and 7.
"We are planning a trip in the next year or two and happy to offer non sim exchanges now and have our return stay in the future."
Dates flexible
"We are planning a trip in the next year or two and happy to offer non sim exchanges now and have our return stay in the future."
Dates flexible
"We are planning a trip in the next year or two and happy to offer non sim exchanges now and have our return stay in the future."
Dates flexible
"We would like a 4/5 day break during UK school holidays at some point."
Jul 26, 2025 - Sep 1, 2025
"A week or two during the UK school holidays. Non sim stay at our place can be at other times."
Dates flexible
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