The Mole Resort

Located in North Devon, this picturesque slice of countryside is in a league of its own. The Mole Resort is situated in 125 acres and has so much space to itself, giving the team here so much opportunity to put on large scale events, like those involving outdoor activities, or large pop-up marquees!

The Mole Resort is a totally relaunched venue, originally the Highbullen Hotel, the team have added to the gorgeous and historic Manor House with 58 luxury, eco-friendly lodges. This is a total reimagining of the venue, and we were in awe at how the team have pulled it off. There’s been a real focus placed on activities and sustainability that give the venue a modern sensibility to go with its classic charm.

The Venue is sandwiched between Exmoor and Dartmoor national parks, not a bad spot, eh? Here, you truly feel like you’ve escaped the rest of the world, less than an hour from Exeter centre, you can also reach Barnstaple in less than thirty minutes. The nearest airport is Exeter, again, just less than sixty minutes away, however, given the venue’s refocusing on premium and luxury experiences, guests travelling via helicopter can land on site at The Mole Resort! If you’re not flying though, the best way to travel is via car, and the team at The Mole Resort have ensured they’re promoting sustainable travel by implementing three EV charging points in their 100 space car park.

Now we have to talk about the rooms - wow. There’s two different ways to stay at The Mole Resort, either in the original, classic hotel rooms located in the Manor house and Estate, or in the brand new Lodges. The Manor itself has rooms ranging from cosy snug spaces to the gorgeous Manor Suite that sees natural light flood in through two skylights into the bedroom, which allow you to stargaze into the gorgeous night sky without any of the typical city light-pollution. While still up-to-date and fresh feeling, the rooms in the Manor are imbued with a little bit of that regal class you’d expect from luxury rural living.

The lodges are spacious and offer a more modern take on the countryside abode. The Mole Resort offers spacious 2,3 and 4 bedroom lodges which are self-catering and focus on being eco-conscious with gorgeous wood panelling. The sustainability of these lodges is a key feature that we could tell the team cared a great deal about - The Mole Resort has already earned Green Key accreditation for its practices and is constantly striving for new initiatives. The LED lighting, Shower Heat Recovery and insulation standards of the lodges are key features that go hand in hand with the venue's other efforts like wildlife conservation and supporting local Devon farms! The lodge units themselves designed with social living in mind, each kitted out with a private balcony, open plan living space and hot-tub! These are brilliant and all 58 lodges can be hired out for your event. You can also hire out the 35 bedroom units, or any combination of them both - including a private hire of the entire resort.

Venue Website: https://www.themoleresort.co.uk/
Sales Contact: Laura Gray - Business Development Manager
Phone Number: 07932937164
Email Address: events@themoleresort.co.uk

Okay, we promised to talk about all activities, so let's go to all the action. If you’re looking for sports related fun for your team, be prepared for some outside of the box activities, the team here offer archery, pickleball and even Disc Golf (which is a proper laugh) among many more! Say the excitement of a tense game of pickleball doesn’t get the adrenaline flowing enough for you, the team here also offer some thrilling activities, like axe throwing or Attack Sense which is an electronic shooting competition to get the blood pumping! If you fancy exploring the gorgeous natural landscapes that The Mole Resort resides on, the fire lighting, den building or foraging will see you come closer to the natural world - these are great options, we thought, for city based teams to reground and reconnect. If you want to go that step further however, you can truly replenish the battery in one of The Mole Resort’s indoor or outdoor pools, or even with a massage in a treatment room for some proper serenity.

Speaking of the treatment rooms, we have to have a quick chat about the spa here, the facilities are fantastic. The indoor pool is a real standout, a space that can sometimes feel drab in older hotels is revitalised with a gorgeous glass extension that allows so much natural light to flow into the room. The Gym is fantastic, bigger than your normal hotel gym, there were also classes put on by the team here, for those staying to be able to join in on.

One of the most fantastic and innovative things that The Mole Resort have integrated into their “re-emerging” is a revitalised food menu that combines the idea of activities and experiences, with world class culinary delights! There are so many ways that The Mole Resort makes dinner even more exciting, like chef led cooking classes, or cocktail masterclasses - the team can even put on cheese and wine tasting events which we thought was a fantastic fun option for team building.

The onsite restaurant and bar have incredible views of Devon which compliments simply fantastic food, all sourced from local producers. The restaurant can be hired out for large groups as part of your away day, or you can hire one of the smaller meeting spaces like the Exmoor Room for private dining or meeting.

We love it when a venue thinks smart, and The Mole Resort have knocked it out of the park by focussing on providing packages of exciting activities, rather than a stagnant static pricing model, which we loved. They throw together a few activities to make exciting days’ worth of fun for you and your team, like a “Danger Day” for you and your team or a “Mole Survivor” experience that will see your team turn into a group of adventurers!

There’s so many great solutions for any request you may have at the Mole when it comes to putting on a great event, the menus can be tailored for your team when dining privately in a meeting space, or a Marquee can be set up outside to accommodate up to 400 guests for those big outdoor celebrations - like a company summer party or family occasion!

The meeting spaces at The Mole Resort are no exception to this event-smart thinking that really takes the experience at The Mole Resort to the next level, all of the meeting spaces here are fantastic and each of the 10 rooms have been curated to feel individual, with their own sense of charm. So, let’s run through our three favourites shall we!

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MEETING SPACE HIGHLIGHT: The Valley Suite
This sophisticated venue, offering stunning views over the Devon countryside, is ideal for meetings and events. The spacious interior features a high vaulted ceiling, elegant chandeliers, and a stylish blend of deep green and grey tones with geometric flooring.

Equipped with its own private bar area, the room provides a versatile space for both corporate and social gatherings. Whether hosting a business meeting, conference, or special event, the venue offers a refined yet inviting atmosphere. It can also be transformed for festive occasions, complete with seasonal décor, ensuring a memorable experience year-round.

Location: In the Leisure Pavilion
Natural daylight: Yes
Theatre style layout – capacity - 220
Cabaret style layout – capacity - 120
Dinner – capacity - 200
Drinks reception – capacity - 240
AV equipment: TV screen and speakers. Can hire in additional AV equipment on request.

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MEETING SPACE HIGHLIGHT: The Exmoor
The Exmoor is a stylish space that offers seamless indoor-outdoor flow with large patio doors opening onto a scenic terrace. Complete with a built-in TV, speakers, and direct access to the onsite bar, it's perfect for dynamic meetings or private events. The room even has its own private entrance and convenient parking nearby, it provides an exclusive and flexible venue for any occasion.

Location: Next to the Mole Resort Restaurant & Bar
Natural daylight: Yes
Theatre style layout – capacity 50
Cabaret style layout – capacity 24
Dinner – capacity 30
Drinks reception – capacity - 50
AV equipment: TV screen and speakers. Can hire in additional AV equipment on request.

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MEETING SPACE HIGHLIGHT: The Dartmoor
Brief description: This versatile room at The Mole Resort is perfectly suited for events and conferences. The room is well-lit, with a dome-shaped ceiling, and a large built in interactive projector and screen. Its spacious layout and adaptable seating arrangement make it ideal for a variety of functions, from corporate meetings to larger-scale events and gatherings.

Location: The back of The Hub
Natural daylight: yes
Theatre style layout – capacity 120
Cabaret style layout – capacity 64
Dinner – capacity 100
Drinks reception – capacity 200
AV equipment: Large interactive projector and screen

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Summary

As you can tell, we’ve come away from our time at The Mole Resort seriously impressed. This is such a fantastic venue with so much to offer, and one that feels so rejuvenated by the reimagining the team have put it through. While we’re on the subject, we have to give a shout-out to the incredible staff here who work so hard to put amazing events together day-in-day-out with no request too lofty!

This sprawling venue is a masterclass in how to absolutely extract the most out of an incredible location - this would be a brilliant option for a full venue hire, the capabilities are endless and you could keep your team thrilled day after day - we know we were!