Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Orange Tree Restaurant
MODERN BRITISH Set back from the seafront
near Torquay Harbour, this restaurant has character, atmosphere, and good food.
The chefs create innovative, French-influenced dishes and change the menus
seasonally. Starters can include options like pan-fried red mullet with black-olive
salsa, or Brixham crab bisque with scallops. Main courses might feature pan-
seared sea bass with toasted almonds and capers, or local lamb marinated in gar-
den herbs and served with rosemary
jus.
The atmosphere here is friendly and
relaxed, and the food can be exceptional.
14-16 Parkhill Rd., Torquay.
&
01803/213936.
www.orangetreerestaurant.co.uk. Reservations required.
Main courses £15-£22. MC, V. Mon-Sat 7-9:30pm.
Entertainment & Nightlife
Torquay's nightlife is geared rather strongly at the young and pretty, and many of the
bars and clubs are clustered around Babbacombe Road near the seafront. Among
these are
Barcode,
Palk Street, Torquay (
&
01803/200110
), a trendy place with
big, comfortable chairs and even bigger cocktails. The food on offer isn't bad either—
the music is turned up later in the evening, but early on you can just about hold a
conversation.
Bohemia,
39-41 Torwood Street, Torquay (
&
01803/292079;
www.
clairesnightclub.co.uk), packs out with 20-somethings for Thursday-to-Sunday house
music. The cover varies from £3 to £20. If you prefer a relaxing pub, try
Hole in the
Wall,
6 Park Lane, Torquay (
&
01803/200755
), an ancient inn, with beamed ceil-
ings and cobbled floors, that claims to be the oldest in town. They pour a mean pint.
Torquay is very popular with young people on holiday, so after about 10:30pm in
the summer, and on weekend nights the rest of the year, the town can seem overrun
by drunken young people. It can be genuinely unpleasant to walk down Babbacombe
Road at that time, and can even feel threatening. At that time of day, you may want
to avoid the areas where most bars are located, or take a taxi.
Where to Stay
EXPENSIVE
Barceló Torquay Imperial Hotel
A faded local grande dame, this big Victo-
rian hotel was all the rage in 1866 when it first opened. It's still one of the city's
best-known hotels, sitting amid acres of flourishing gardens and looking out over
rocky cliffs to the Channel. The lobby area is extraordinary, with soaring ceilings and
marble floors. The swimming pools and “kids club” mean it's good for families travel-
ing with children. Guest rooms are hit or miss, though. Standard rooms are plain and
a bit disappointing, with cream walls and cheap-looking furniture, while deluxe rooms
have an old-fashioned elegance, with flowered curtains and bedspreads. Some rooms
have balconies and sweeping sea
views. Many rooms have been reno-
vated, and are somewhat more con-
temporary, while others haven't been
so fortunate. The Regatta restaurant
has views of the waterfront, and makes
a great spot for lunch.
Park Hill Rd., Torquay, Devon TQ1 2DG. www.
barcelo-hotels.co.uk.
&
01803/294301.
Fax
01803/298293. 169 units. £223-£273 double.
Rates include English breakfast. AE, MC, V.
9
A Hotel by Any Other Name
Agatha Christie frequently used Tor-
quay's Imperial Hotel as a setting in her
books, but she never identified it by its
real name. She called it the Esplanade
in
The Rajah's Emerald,
the Castle in
Partners in Crime,
and the Majestic in
Peril at End House.
