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Exeter · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels near Devon

Fiona Gallagher

Fiona Gallagher Australia and New Zealand

Updated 1 September 2026 · 5 Exeter hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Exeter, out of the 5 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.8 down to 4.1.

All five are inside 1.5 km of Devon, so you can walk it.

Inn by the Bandstand a Boutique Hotel

Highest rated of the five

Inn by the Bandstand a Boutique Hotel

★★★★★4.8 from 79 reviews

Inn by the Bandstand a Boutique Hotel comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.8 from 79 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 4 star property, found under poi and around $509 a night on the dates we checked.

Why it works for this trip

  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in

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All five, ranked

  1. Inn by the Bandstand a Boutique Hotel1

    Inn by the Bandstand a Boutique Hotel

    ★★★★★4.8 from 79 reviews

    under 200 m from Devon

    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  2. Around the Corner Bed & Breakfast2

    Around the Corner Bed & Breakfast

    ★★★★★4.8 from 40 reviews

    600 m from Devon, about a 8 minute walk

    • Parking
    • Kid friendly

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  3. Hampton Inn & Suites Exeter3

    Hampton Inn & Suites Exeter

    ★★★★★4.4 from 876 reviews

    700 m from Devon, about a 9 minute walk

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Pet friendly

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  4. The Exeter Inn4

    The Exeter Inn

    ★★★★★4.4 from 677 reviews

    800 m from Devon, about a 10 minute walk

    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  5. Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Portsmouth Exeter5

    Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Portsmouth Exeter

    ★★★★★4.1 from 321 reviews

    1.5 km from Devon, about a 19 minute walk

    • Pool
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

How this list was put together

5 Exeter hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating first and on how close they are to Devon second, then took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Fiona Gallagher

Fiona Gallagher Australia and New Zealand

Half her year is already on research boats, so holidays are deliberately dry land. Long-distance hiking routes in the off season, alone, with nothing being measured.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.