The traditional English pub, sophisticated Côte d’Azur living and New England vibes coalesce stylishly at the Cary Arms and Spa at Babbacombe, Devon. This is an idyllic spot on the red cliffs, turquoise sea English Riviera. Palm trees, pods of dolphins and warm sunshine seduce visitors into thinking that they could be on the Mediterranean. Particularly if they’ve poured a glass of chilled rosé from the complimentary bottle in their red SMEG mini-fridge. If your taste is more traditionally English there is also a decanter of that harmonious marriage of sloes and dry gin …

Back in Victorian times, this coastline had a sophisticated allure of exotic escape, the new-fangled steam railway engines gave members of the Royal family the opportunity to be at The Cary Arms, the Inn on the beach, in just a few hours.

In many ways, the Cary Arms, provides the charms of the traditional English bucket and spade holiday. It is just a few yards to the small beach at Babbacombe Bay, even closer to the quay. Fishing roads and equipment are available for Cary Arms guests who want to join Sammy the Seal for a spot of fishing. With the South West Coastal Path winding its way along the cliff tips – it is a path that stretches 630 miles from Minehead through to Poole Harbour – this is epic walking territory, particularly for dogs, and the Cary Arms has rooms and a suite that are dog friendly. If you are looking for a book to read whilst relaxing on the decking, The Salt Path, a non-fiction account of a heroic trek versus the adversity of bankruptcy, illness and storms evokes this sun-drenched-wind-battered-salt-sprayed coastline.

Yet, on summer days, the sea looks as azure as those waters off Cannes, Nice and St Tropez. Stylish motor boats – Is that a Riva? – accelerate water-skiers across those calm waters – and a flotilla of white-spinnakered yachts bob on gentle waves.

The Cary Arms Spa is a modern pleasure, providing indulgence and pampering that those Victorian royals could never even have dreamed off. With a vast floor-to- ceiling-wall-of-glass the hydrotherapy pool has infinity style views across Babbacombe Bay, all the way to Portland Bill on the Jurassic Coast. Inspired by the sea, the spa takes maritime ingredients, foraged from the Normandy coast, as the theme of its Thalgo treatments of body wraps, facials and massages. An 80 minutes facial, beginning with a soothing back massage, epitomises the Spa’s theme of marine beauty: a mask of pure natural sea weed, renowned for its remineralising and revitalising benefits, is applied. After a treatment, sessions in the sauna or steam room, most guests either relax in the hydrotherapy pool or on the sun-loungers on the decking.

All rooms in the original house have sea views but it is the recently built Beach Huts and Beach Suites, with their New England coastline feel, which make the most of the Cary Arms’ position perched just above the waterline. Kathleen Fraser, the designer, brings a bright, light nautical simplicity. You expect The Great Gatsby, in a collage of pale pastels, to saunter in at any moment.

In the duplex Beach Huts, up in the mezzanine bedroom, there is a porthole so that guests’ first sight of the day is a glorious sea view. Hand-carved lighthouses and fish, a ship’s rope as stair bannister and a wall of light-giving glass remind you, as if you could forget, that this is the English Riviera.

Since 2009, Peter and Lana de Savary, have overseen the Cary Arms transition from the Olde World pub to a contemporary chic bolthole. Enthusiastic collectors from the Golden Age of Illustrators, the art work reveals the de Savarys’ influence: large scale canvasses of bobbed-hair Côte d’Azur 1920s sun-bathing, retro railway posters from the 1930s and prints of gentleman posing elegantly in Cary Grant style.

Unsurprisingly, come supper time, there’s a pianist tinkling the ivories, playing classics from the Great American Songbook. It may all sound quite retro but referencing different eras – and coastlines from New England through to Cannes – creates a new style, contemporary coastal chic. Guests, having escaped from the city, enjoy freedom days at a property that is listed in that bible of style: the Condé Nast Johansen directory of hotels and villas.

With chef Steve Poynter born in nearby Torbay, the Cary Arm’s upscale bistro menu casts its eyes to the sea for inspiration. Although beef and lamb sit alongside the established favourites of hake plus cod and chips, take a look at the Day’s Specials, fresh off the fishermen’s boat and often served with samphire.

For an unforgettable dining experience, that is the very essence of the Cary Arms, book the Captain’s Table to dine al fresco on a raised, white picket fenced podium. Feast on the seafood and feast on those views across Babbacombe Bay. But with the position, there come responsibilities. If Sammy the Seal or a pod of dolphin should appear, it is your job to ring the bell so that all the guests can share the sighting.

The Cary Arms Hotel and Spa provides a fabulous weekend getaway along the English Riviera that Londoners and international travelers are sure to enjoy. The sea front setting, uber comfy accommodations and exceptional dining ensures that guests return home with a suitcase full of wonderful vacation memories.