We have had a brochure for the Old Rectory for many years and kept promising ourselves that we would visit as it really appealed to us. We've just returned from a 6 night break and I can tell you that it certainly lived up to our expectations.
The present owners Chris and Stewart took over the Old Rectory 18 months ago and have already made a number of improvements.
The bedrooms are very nice ( we did get to see a number of them when the hotel was quiet following the bank holiday) all furnished differently and named after the views from their windows. We liked the bathrooms - ours had both a bath and separate shower - some bathrooms are quite spacious and one has a new huge shower enclosure.
Guests on half board are served complimentary tea and cake each afternoon which can be taken in the gardens ( 3 acres complete with stream and pond - all very tranquil) or in the vinery which has a 200 year old vine.
And now to the food - you will not be disappointed. The dining room is a beautiful elegant room with lovely views from its 6 windows. A four course menu plus coffee and petit fours is offered each night with choice except for the soup course. The bread is homemade and everything is beautifully cooked. We felt that they use nothing but the best ingredients much of it locally sourced.
Take a look at their web site [--] to find out more. If you want a really relaxing break in super surroundings with excellent food then the Old Rectory is for you.

Having enjoyed a winter break we returned to sample the delights in August. It was full - but that really means about 20 guests. The quite but warm welcome was again present. We had a different room, small, pleasantly quaint with a quieter extractor in the bathroom.
The restaurant was now in use and it was delight to dine there. The food was excellent, though the range of menu had become a little more limited. If you stayed a week(we had three nights) one might find the menu repetitive. I sensed, though I may be incorrect, that the prices of the wine had increased.
In August we could enjoy the large garden, particularly with the included afternoon tea.
My wife and I have a habit of finding a good, quiet, small hotel and then seeing it become very popular (e.g. hotel in Portloe) and then very pricey. I hope this doesn't happen here because it's a gem.

This B&B is tucked away next to the old church in the very quiet hamlet of Martinhoe. I call it a B&B, despite the fact that one can stay full-board, because the rooms are very B&B-sized & styled if you know what I mean. Nice enough though. We had a perfectly adequate en-suite bathroom. The private gardens came complete with a small stream and were very quiet and appealing. The owners were helpful too and clearly like to cook as the menu was fairly adventurous for such a smallish place. If you visit the Old Rectory Hotel don't expect inexpensive pub grub - it was a proper five-course meal that we had and was priced accordingly. The room had a small TV tuned to some analogue terrestrial channels, but due to the sheltered location very few channels could be viewed without interference (S4C was received very clearly due to the close proximity of Swansea across the Bristol Channel - a boon for Welsh-speakers). Some TV noise from our neighbours penetrated our room unfortunately. Most residents went to bed at a 'sensible' time however, so this did not trouble us when we wanted to sleep. There are some great places to visit within a short drive of the Old Rectory: the dramatic Heddon's Mouth, the goat-festooned Valley of Rocks, Lynmouth and the beautiful East Lyn valley.