The Devonshire Arms
A Buxton spa-town base with wide dining choice
About this hotel
The Devonshire Arms sits in Buxton, the Peak District spa town, offering comfortable rooms with private bathrooms, tea and coffee makers, free WiFi, a work desk, TV and wardrobe throughout. The family-friendly restaurant covers an unusually wide range for a village inn, serving British, American, Italian and local cuisines for both lunch and dinner, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options built in. Guests can relax on the terrace or in the lounge, use the picnic area, or take part in cycling activities directly from the property, and free toiletries, a refrigerator and streaming services add further comfort to the rooms. Buxton Opera House and Chatsworth House both sit around twenty to twenty-two kilometres away, and Alton Towers is a twenty-four-kilometre drive, positioning this inn as a genuine Peak District base rather than a waterpark-adjacent stopover.
- Buxton location
- Wide dining choice
- Cycling on site
- 24 km to Alton Towers
Our take
The Devonshire Arms suits families building a longer Peak District trip around Buxton itself, treating the Alton Towers day as one stop within a wider holiday rather than the main event. Its wide dining range makes it a strong pick for a group with varied tastes, though the twenty-four-kilometre distance to the park is among the longer drives covered in this guide.
- ✓Combine your stay with Buxton Opera House or the town's own spa-town attractions rather than treating this purely as a waterpark base.
- ✓Take advantage of the wide dining range if your group has varied tastes, since the restaurant covers four distinct cuisines.
- ✓Allow extra drive time to Alton Towers compared with closer options, since Buxton sits toward the further end of this guide's range.
Why we love it
- Four distinct cuisines on the menu
- Genuine Peak District spa-town setting
- Cycling activities on site
- Picnic area and terrace
Why guests love itFamilies using The Devonshire Arms as a base for a wider Peak District trip often mention Buxton's own spa-town character as much as the eventual drive to Alton Towers, treating the waterpark as one day within a longer holiday. The unusually wide dining range, spanning British, American, Italian and local cuisine, suits groups with different tastes who might otherwise struggle to agree on a restaurant. The twenty-four-kilometre distance to the park is the main trade-off families weigh against Buxton's own attractions.