Sick of Center Parcs? The new Devon playground for all-inclusive family fun

Burrowed deep in the picturesque North Devon countryside, the former Highbullen Hotel (a former manor house) has recently undergone something of a “glow up” to become the high-end, dog- and family-friendly Mole Resort.

Set within 125 acres of grounds, The Mole (as it’s affectionately known) is now home to 58 lodges, two swimming pools, a playground, tennis courts, pottery studio, bar and restaurant and an activities hub that regularly features a free bouncy castle alongside arcade and table games.

In total, there are more than 40 on-site activities to choose from – so everyone from tearaway toddlers to hard-to-please teens will be happy. And the best thing about The Mole is that most activities are included in the price of your stay.

The Mole Resort, Devon, for iweekend online only review. Image via molly.chatterton@wildcard.co.uk — Many activities are included in the price of your stay, but some are charged separately (Photo: Supplied)

The location

In the tiny North Devon village of Chittlehamholt, in Umberleigh. The resort – which is set far off the main road and deep within the estate grounds – appears Narnia-like as if from nowhere.

Chittlehamholt, although small, is quite beautiful and you can even spot the odd thatched roof – including atop the 16th-century Exeter Inn, which was recently voted North Devon Camra pub of the year.

Umberleigh – around a 10-minute drive from the resort – has a train station, with regular GWR services on the Tarka Line between Barnstaple and Exeter. The Mole is around a 45 minutes’ drive from Saunton Sands and Westward Ho! beaches.

The accommodation

The Mole is home to 58 lodges with between two and four bedrooms each, the largest of which have grass-covered living roofs. Bi-fold doors open onto big private decking areas with outdoor furniture and your own hot tub. The larger lodges also have barbecues on the deck.

Inside you’ll find spacious open-plan living with rural views and high-end appliances. The huge American-style fridge freezer with built-in ice dispenser was a highlight for us – so many holiday properties purport to be set up for self-catering only for you to be squeezing your family shop into a caravan-sized fridge.

We stayed in a two-bedroom lodge which was arranged over two floors and with two bathrooms (one en-suite) so we could all spread out a bit. The hallway is huge too with loads of room for wet coats and mud-coated encrusted boots (of which there were a few during our visit). Out front is a warm hose for any dogs who have suffered the same fate as our boots did and each lodge has parking directly outside.

The Mole has one fully accessible lodge with a lift hoist for the hot tub but there is no wheelchair access to the on-site restaurant. The grounds are naturally quite hilly but cars are allowed on site. Staff get around on golf buggies and – if you’re lucky (which I was on one rainy occasion) – might even offer you a lift.

More traditional hotel-style rooms are available in the Manor House and you can also book into the Estate Rooms and Stables Cottage, found in buildings dotted around the resort. All lodges are dog-friendly, as are The Estate Rooms and Stables Cottage, but not the Manor House rooms.

The activities

We parked up on a Friday night and didn’t get back in our car until Monday morning’s check-out, such is the extent of the activities on offer on site. While the majority – swimming, tennis, pickleball, gym access and classes, arcade games, board games, the adventure playground and croquet for example – are included as part of your stay, some activities (such as archery, Nerf gun wars and bushcraft skills) incur an additional cost.

You’ll be sent a list of what’s happening during your stay and I would recommend booking on to paid activities in advance as these can sell out. Download the Mole app on arrival for maps, info and up-to-date details of available activities and bookings.

You can also buy Hero Activity Passes which give you access to the paid for activities at a fixed price – passes are £49 per stay, which gives you unlimited games of foot golf and disc golf and a choice of three activities from Nerf wars, remote-control car racing, bushcraft skills and mini archery.

We tried pottery painting (charged per piece) and Nerf Gun Wars (pre-booking recommended) from the optional extras. Among the free activities we tried were the indoor swimming pool, the playground, tennis courts, bouncy castle, Jenga, Pétanque, indoor arcade games and table tennis.

Having stayed at a few family resorts previously – Center Parcs, Bluestone and Forest Holidays among them – it was nice to see so many activities included in the price and to be able to say “yes” so frequently to our seven-year-old daughter’s requests to join in with the fun.

There is also an on-site spa but I was unable to get an appointment at check-in so again, I would recommend booking treatments such as a massage or manicure in advance. The indoor pool has a Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room for over-16s, all of which are free for guests to use.

The food and drink

We dined in the Manor House restaurant and were impressed by the menu which showcases locally-sourced ingredients with high-end cooking techniques – and affordable prices. Dishes included a spicy Devon crab rarebit (£10) and a rich curried cauliflower soup (£7) . A main of roast Cornish cod with mussels velouté (£24) was sublime while the smoked cheddar and truffle risotto (£14) was full of bite and flavour. A two-course children’s menu is available for £12.50.

Our lodge’s giant fridge-freezer was perfect as we chose to eat all our breakfasts and lunches there. The kitchen is well set up for dining in with all the pots and utensils you could possibly need and a decent-sized table to sit around. And a nice little addition was a full set of plastic wine glasses, champagne flutes and beakers, should you get thirsty while in the hot tub.

We also took advantage of the Mole Delivery service, ordering burgers, nachos and nuggets direct to our door via WhatsApp. A super efficient service.

You’ll love…

After checking in, guests are given access to a WhatsApp number through which you can contact on-site customer services staff. This was so useful as we had a few questions around hot tub cleaning times, activity meeting points, access codes and so on at random times of the day. Response times were extremely quick and saved a journey down to the hub. The food delivery service also has a WhatsApp number and again, staff were swift to respond.

Alongside the living roofs, the indoor pool is heated by a biomass plant and rooms are quipped with plastic-free shampoo, conditioner and soap bars rather than bottles. Waste is also carefully sorted with recycling bins in all the lodges.

For those travelling with dogs, your pet is welcome throughout the resort and there is a dedicated, secure dog park where you can let them off the lead. You can even sign up for some dog painting sessions.