Blue Ball Inn

Blue Ball Inn is a thatched-roof inn in Sidford, two miles inland from Sidmouth, and the building has stood on this site since 1385. Eight en-suite rooms sit behind low doorways and beamed corridors: a working pub layout, not a corporate hotel block, with doubles, twins and a king-size room.

Each room includes a private bathroom, work desk, TV and a tea and coffee tray, and wifi is included throughout the building. The restaurant and bar serve British and seafood dishes with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, open from midday to 10pm on weekdays and to 9pm on Sundays, with a sticky toffee pudding in Guinness and chocolate ice cream as a house specialty.

Sidmouth's seafront, Regency terraces and shops are a two-mile drive from the inn; staying in Sidford rather than Sidmouth itself trades a seafront address for a village inn with its own restaurant and rear garden. Sidford is a small village in its own right, with the inn doubling as its social hub, and East Devon's countryside surrounds it on all sides.

**Best for:** Groups wanting a historic pub-hotel a short drive from Sidmouth's seafront, with a full restaurant on site.

**Less good for:** Guests wanting a seafront base, and anyone after a quiet, modern hotel rather than a busy village pub with low doorways and beamed corridors. The inn lists one ground-floor double with a wet room as its universal access room; guests with mobility needs should confirm the route in with the inn before booking.