Self-Catering Cottages in Torbay: From Brixham Harbour to Babbacombe Cliffs
Self-catering wins for families, for longer stays, for anyone travelling with a dog, and for couples who would rather wake up to coffee on their own terrace than a buffet breakfast in someone else’s dining room. Torbay is well stocked with options, but quality varies wildly. Here is an honest guide to self-catering cottages in Torbay, from Brixham harbour at the south of the bay to the Babbacombe cliffs at the north, with prices, agents to trust and the practical detail that actually matters.
Brixham: cottages within steps of the harbour
If you want to step out of the front door and be amongst the boats within two minutes, Brixham is the obvious base. The old fishing cottages climb up the hill behind the inner harbour in narrow lanes, and a fair number are let out as holiday properties.
The big agencies covering Brixham are Coast & Country Cottages (a Sykes brand), Brixhamcottages.com, and Classic Cottages. Each has dozens of properties, from one-bedroom fishermen’s cottages tucked off Fore Street to larger four-bedroom houses up on Bolton Hill with full harbour views.
Popular favourites include 3 Pebble Cottage, a three-storey, dog-friendly cottage a short walk from the harbour, and The White House, which has spectacular harbour views and accepts pets. Prices in summer run from around £700 for a small two-person cottage for a week to £2,500+ for a larger harbour-view property. Parking is the single biggest constraint; many cottages have permits for nearby car parks rather than dedicated driveways, so check carefully if you have a large vehicle.
What Brixham gets right
You can walk to the fish market, to Rockfish, to the Heritage Sailing Trust boats, and out to Berry Head, all without using the car. Mornings are loud with gulls and trawler engines; you will either love that or you won’t. Most visitors love it.
Paignton: family-friendly self-catering near the sand
Paignton is the family heart of the bay, and most of its self-catering stock leans that way. Look for properties around Goodrington and Roundham Head, where you get a flatter walk to the beach and easy access to Paignton Zoo. Hoseasons, cottages.com and Sykes all carry plenty of Paignton listings.
For pure beach access, look at apartments along Cliff Road or Manor Road. For a quieter base with a garden, head inland slightly into the Preston area. Expect around £500 to £1,500 per week in high season for a comfortable family two-bedroom. Many Paignton self-catering properties allow dogs, and several have shared pools.
Torquay: apartments, town-house lets and the Cary Court route
Central Torquay leans more towards apartments than cottages. Cary Court on the edge of the town centre is a long-established option with two self-catering homes (The Link and The White House), off-road parking for up to five cars, courtyards with barbecues and a friendly local owner-team. From there you can walk to the harbour, the Pavilion and Torre Abbey in under ten minutes.
Further out, Rose Court Holiday Apartments near Anstey’s Cove offer self-catering with a heated pool and good clifftop access. Prices range from around £450 to £1,200 per week.
Babbacombe cliffs: dramatic sea views, fewer footprints
The cliffs above Babbacombe and Oddicombe are some of the most cinematic addresses in Torbay. The Cliffs at Babbacombe is a high-end two-bedroom self-catering apartment perched right on the edge with views straight down the bay and across to Lyme Regis. Around the corner, Cobalt (through Boutique Retreats) is a clifftop three-bedroom retreat with its own alfresco hot tub; long weekends usually start at around £1,500.
If you fancy something larger for a family group, Babbacombe Hall (Sykes) sleeps a sizable party and is built for big-table dinners. The Babbacombe cliff railway runs down to the beach below from Easter to October, which is a very pleasant way to avoid the steep walk back up.
How to choose a Torbay self-catering cottage
A few honest pointers from years of helping visitors:
- Parking: non-negotiable in summer. If the listing says “permit parking nearby”, check exactly how far and whether the permit covers your stay.
- Steps: Brixham and Babbacombe are built on hills. If anyone in your party struggles with stairs, ask for a detailed photograph of the approach.
- Dogs: policies vary even within the same agency’s stock. Confirm in writing.
- Wi-fi: patchy in older cottages with thick walls. If you are working a hybrid week, ask about speeds before booking.
- Changeover days: Friday and Saturday are standard. Sunday changeovers are growing and often cheaper.
When to book
For summer half-terms and August, book by the previous October. Easter and May half-term often go by February. Late deals appear in late June and again in early September; the latter is one of the best times to visit Torbay (warmer sea, smaller crowds) and properties are often 20% cheaper.
A short word on the agents
The bigger agencies (Sykes-owned brands like Coast & Country and Cottages.com) carry the most stock and have the best customer service if something goes wrong. Smaller local owners often offer better value and more character, but you trade that for fewer guarantees. For first-time visitors, a managed agency is usually the safer bet; for repeat visitors who know the area, going direct to an owner pays off.
Whichever way you go, self-catering cottages in Torbay let you slow down and live in the bay rather than visit it. Wake up, walk to the bakery, swim, cook, eat, repeat. That is the holiday most people are actually trying to book.
If you would rather someone else cooks breakfast, take a look at our guide to family-friendly hotels in Paignton next.