I recently read a blog on the site of a hotel software supplier. They were writing about 15 ways and ideas to improve the hotel guest experience. I had a quick look down the list and I’m pleased to say that we already do all of them at The 25 Boutique B&B so no wonder our guests love us and we get such great TripAdvisor reviews. 1. Touch base with guests’ pre-arrival We send out a pre-arrival email with all the details you’ll need to get here and links to things to do, and of course our favourite places to eat and drink so you can do all your planning ahead of time and just need to enjoy ..read more

First, we had the “stay-cation”. This came about during Covid times. For many reasons people were looking to stay more local when they went on holiday. Perhaps there were restrictions about which areas were in which tier, and foreign travel was still not allowed. Some people just wanted a change of scene, but didn’t want to have to get on a train or plane, and some people didn’t want to go so far that they needed to stop off at motorway service stations with all the other people there that they were trying to avoid contact with. The 25 fitted this market well, though initially we had a lot of ..read more

PRE-CHRISTMAS TREAT? This year (2023) we've decided to open in December for the first time in a few years. Last year we felt out guests were missing out on all the amazing things happening for Christmas in Torbay as we were shut for our usual winter break. We usually close from the start of November and re-open for Valentines. From light shows to craft fayres, pantos to carol concerts, Christmas events and reindeer, we had it all here on the English Riviera. We asked our guests if they’d be interested in coming to stay with us in December as a pre-Christmas treat. There was lots of interest ..read more

Torbay Pride is being held this year on Saturday 2nd September 2023. After a parade along the seafront, a day of live entertainment, various acts on stage, stalls and much more will be taking place for free on Torre Abbey Meadows which is just a five minute walk from The 25, so we’re an ideal place to stay for Pride weekend. The aim of the event is to be as inclusive as possible. It doesn’t matter if you’re gay or straight, have kids or are in a wheelchair. Unlike many Pride events, the organising committee are planning one of the most inclusive Prides ever. To end discrimination, you have to ..read more

245 days elapsed between my first being diagnosed with throat cancer in July of 2022 and getting the all clear in April 2023. Of course, the worry went on for some time before diagnosis, and I’d actually had a health scare already at the beginning of the year when they thought I had lymphoma cancer so 2022 was a bit of a write off. It’s not over either, I will have lingering side effects of the treatment for a long time, maybe forever. I must get used to living a “new normal” just like we did after Covid 19. The treatment is brutal. There is no other word I’ve found to describe it, and to be ..read more

We’ve had some amazing autumn sunshine down here on the English Riviera over the last few weeks. And what great timing for the first ever English Riviera Walking Festival which took place over the last two weeks. I believe it’s been incredibly successful with a whole range of walks, all bookable online, covering all types of terrain and abilities. Many walks had themes such as Agatha Christie, others took in the South West Coast Path and others explored why the area is a unique UNESCO Global Geopark. We took the opportunity to have a short walk along the South West Coast Path ourselves, and d ..read more

Joanna Lumley came to stay at The 25 Boutique B&B back in October 2020 whilst filming her latest travel show “Joanna Lumley’s Home Sweet Home – Travels in my Own Land”. It was an honour to have her stay with us and I thought you’d be interested in hearing more about it. She usually tours far flung exotic places, but in 2020 foreign travel was very restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so she decided to explore her own adopted country instead. As England is synonymous with the bed and breakfast, she decided to stay in one as part of her travels. And if you’re going to stay in a British ..read more

Getting a great night's sleep can often come down to having the right pillow, but with thousands of guests a year staying at The 25, how on earth do we offer a pillow that suits everyone? Some people like a soft and squishy one so it cradles their head, others like so soft it ends up flat as a pancake and others like it so firm it doesn’t move at all. With fifteen years’ experience in hospitality we believe we have the most ideal compromise, along with alternate pillows if needed. We use an environmentally conscious supplier called The Fine Bedding Company, who have been experts in this field ..read more

You could be forgiven for thinking that you have to spend a fortune when eating out in Torquay. We want you to have the very best experience on the English Riviera, and part of that is going out for some lovely meals. Our two leaflets detailing our favourite places to eat are therefore jam packed with the very best places – the best for locally caught fresh fish, the best for South Asian cuisine, the best for tapas, the best Italian, the best independently owned restaurants, and even a Michelin star restaurant. They have a range of prices, but quality food, fresh local ingredients and great s ..read more

Probably one of the most common phrases we hear from our guests all the time is “little touches”. They tell us how the little touches helped make their stay special or made us stand out. They say it’s amazing how we’ve thought of everything and all the little touches, or “we love all the little touches”. These “little” touches seem to make a big difference though. Many of my blog readers will know we’ve been doing this for a long time now – 15 years, yet we always say we’ll never have a finished product – we’re always changing, updating, adapting and tweaking things to make The 25 experience ..read more