This statement is designed to help you understand the services we are able to provide to assist you in making an informed decision when choosing to stay at The Downs. It has been made as informative as possible however it is unlikely that it will answer every question you may have so please contact us if you cannot find the information you require. We are a small family run establishment thus enabling us to be very flexible towards the requirements of our guests so if a service or facility is not included within the brochure or this statement then please do not hesitate to ask and we will take all possible steps to accommodate you.

Pre arrival
The Downs Babbacombe is situated on Babbacombe Downs Road adjacent to the Downs themselves. This is a flat grassed area approximately 50 metres wide and 400 metres in length bordered by road and pavement one side and tarmac promenade the other. It is approximately 100 metres level ground from the nearest bus stop which has direct links to the centre of Torquay. The train station is 3 miles away or 8 minutes by car (AA Route Planner). For non drivers the most convenient way to get here is by taxi and a range of conventional and specialist vehicles are available within the Torbay area. We would be able to arrange this at the time of booking.

Arrival
The building is fronted by a large block paved forecourt which is used as a forecourt café. If the café is open then guests and bags can still be dropped at the door. There is a public pay and display car park directly to the rear of the building where guests can either pay daily or pre-purchase a virtual parking permit from Torbay Council. There is always someone available to assist with luggage and this is offered to all guests on arrival.

Entrance
The entrance door is over a 1cm lip through a 116cm door when fully open. This opens out into a large Bar.

Public Areas
The spacious Bar area (approximately 4m x 10m) has banquet seating along the wall to the left and free standing tables and chairs in front of these. There is a 'full size' bar and table service is offered if required. A remote control television is provided for use by guests which can also display subtitles.

The toilets are to the rear of the bar and accessed through a set of double doors 80cm wide and up a 6cm step. There are no adapted disabled toilets however both gents and ladies are well equipped and reasonably spacious.

The restaurant is accessed through the bar through a 79 cm door way and is approx. 9m x 4m. There is ample space and all furniture is moveable. The restaurant does not allow pets however working dogs are permitted.

All public areas are on the ground floor. In the event of the bar not being manned, or the front door open only to residents, assistance can be obtained through three call bells. One is located beside the front door to gain access, this is approximately 1.5m high and activates an intercom to the telephone system. The 2 further bells are located in the bar area. One is approximately 1m high and one is approximately 1.5m high. These are direct call bells to the staff and utilities areas of the establishment.

Accommodation
All accommodation is located on the 1st and 2nd floor. There is no accommodation on the ground floor. We do not have a lift but for the comfort of our guests we do have a 2 section stair lift to aid access to the 1st floor accommodation.  It should be noted however that guests must retain some level of mobility in order to use the stair lift or in the event of evacuation or emergency.

The 1st floor is accessed by a return staircase comprising 11 steps to a half landing and then a further 6 steps to the main 1st floor landing then 10 steps to the next half landing and a further 10 steps to the 2nd floor landing. The stairwell is accessed through a 75cm opening and all staircases have handrails and are wider than 100cm at all points. All landings are spacious, free from clutter and well lit.

As the building is over 150 years old and has been continually refurbished and renovated throughout its history, all rooms differ from each other so if you require more information regarding specific rooms, please contact us directly so that we can understand your particular requirements in order that we can offer you our most suitable rooms. However all rooms do have free standing furniture which can be situated to suit. There is a mixture of bathroom facilities which are all en-suite ranging from separate toilet and shower cubicles to family bathrooms with bath and shower over. Beds range from 3ft singles to 6ft zip-LINKs so again we can tailor these to your requirements. All rooms have remote control colour televisions.

Meals
Meals can be served either in the bar or restaurant, or room service is offered by prior arrangement (notice does not have to given but be prepared for the possibility of a short wait during busy periods). We will endeavour to meet your dietary needs wherever possible however allergy sufferers need to be aware that all food is prepared in one kitchen so whilst we take every precaution, we cannot be 100% sure that the environment is nut, gluten, dairy etc. free

General
We do accept pets and whilst we do have rooms allocated as 'pet free' we are unable to guarantee there will be no transfer from the public areas.

We can store medicines and specialist foodstuffs if required but they must be in a sealed container.

Storage can be provided for any bulky items if required.

As previously mentioned, we are a small family run establishment and have no hard and fast rules about what we do and don't do, so please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any queries or requirements not covered in this access statement, and we will do all we can to meet your needs.