Places to Stay With a Bar in Paignton

Ten places to stay with a bar are published on BritStays across the Paignton area, and they're a more varied bunch than you might expect: six hotels, two campsites, one cottage and one caravanning option. That mix matters, because "has a bar" means something different in each case — a hotel lounge with a resident singer on a Saturday, or a site bar where you wander over from the tent with a torch.

What a bar tends to come with here

Looking across the ten, certain facilities travel together. Six list a restaurant, six list WiFi and four list evening entertainment, so if you want the full half-board-and-a-turn-at-the-microphone sort of break, it's well covered. Four are pet friendly and five list parking — worth noting that's only half, so don't assume a space comes with the room. Three list sea views.

The standout figure is train access: seven of the ten are near a train station. If you'd rather not drive, that's unusually good odds and it changes how you plan the week.

Paignton, Totnes or Brixham?

Six of the ten sit in Paignton itself, which makes it the obvious base if you want everything within walking distance and a choice of hotels rather than just one option. Two are in Totnes, and two more are in and around Brixham.

• Paignton — best for couples and families who want a traditional seaside hotel with a bar and a dining room on site, plus the shortest walk back after dinner.
• Totnes — the choice if you want a quieter, more inland-feeling base with a town around you; this is where the pet-friendly inn and the lively campsite in this set are.
• Brixham — suits groups and anyone after a holiday-park set-up with a pool, or a large self-catering house.

What the example stays tell you

The Paignton hotels show the pattern clearly. Torbay Court Hotel and Three Palms Hotel both pair a bar with a restaurant, the latter adding a gift shop; Esplanade Hotel and Lyndhurst Hotel both list evening entertainment alongside bar and restaurant, so they're the ones to look at if you want something going on in the evenings rather than a quiet lounge. Paignton Court Hotel lists takeaway food and disabled access, which is worth flagging if step-free matters to your party — it's the one in this set that spells it out.

In Totnes, Royal Seven Stars Hotel combines a bar, a restaurant and a pet-friendly policy, which is a useful trio if you're travelling with a dog and don't fancy driving out for every meal. Camp Dartington is the opposite end of the scale: camping, but with a gym, evening entertainment and a bar on site.

Halfway House Inn Campsite in Paignton keeps things simple — bar, toilets, pet friendly — so check what else you'll need to bring or drive to. Riviera Bay Holiday Park near Brixham adds a swimming pool and gym to the entertainment, which tends to be the answer on a wet afternoon with children. And Ranscombe House is the only stay in this set with a headline sleeps figure: 20, with indoor areas and a pet-friendly policy, which makes it the natural pick for a big family gathering or a group weekend.

What to do once you're there

Paignton Zoo is the easy family default, and Woodlands Family Theme Park is the other big day out with children. For slower days, there's a strong National Trust cluster: Coleton Fishacre, Greenway House and Bradley Manor. Castle fans have Dartmouth Castle and Compton Castle.

Smaller, odder options are good filler on a half-day: St. Lawrence Chapel and Church House in Devon, the Site of Old Torbay Aircraft Museum in Paignton, or Shaldon Zoo (Shaldon Wildlife Trust) over at Dawlish. Further afield, Plym Valley Railway at Salcombe, The Tamar Valley Donkey Park at Looe and Sidmouth Toy and Model Museum are day-trip distance rather than a quick hop, so save those for a day you're happy to drive.

When to book

With only ten bar stays published in this region — and only four of them pet friendly — the narrow searches go first. Book school holidays and bank holidays as early as you can if you need a dog place, a sea view (just three list one) or the large house.

Practical checks before you pay: confirm whether the bar and restaurant run every night or only in high season; ask whether parking is reserved or first-come; and if you're arriving by train, ask the stay what "near a train station" means for luggage on foot.