Bookings are now being taken at Michael Caines’s new country house hotel ahead of its opening in the spring.

Rooms at Lympstone Manor near Exmouth are available from April 3 – and a search of the online booking system suggests many people are eager to be among the first to stay there.

The cheapest rooms cost £245 a night, based on two people staying on a bed and breakfast basis on a weeknight.

A two-night minimum stay is requested for Friday and Saturday nights.

The price of a two-night weekend stay for two adults on a bed and breakfast package in May 2017 ranges from £700 for a classic garden room to £2,100 for a superior estuary suite.

A classic garden view room
A classic garden view room

Guests could upgrade to a dinner, bed and breakfast package for an extra £460 per couple, or enjoy the Michael Caines Gourmet Experience for an extra £586.

Bed and breakfast packages include: luxury overnight accommodation; cooked and continental breakfast; a morning tray to your room; a daily newspaper of your choice; and a complimentary gin tray.

The most expensive weekend package is Escape to the Estuary – £3,076 for two adults sharing a superior estuary suite. This deal includes a champagne aperitif and a choice of dining a la carte or sampling Michael’s tasting menu accompanied by a matching wine flight.

The hotel bar
The hotel bar

The hotel was originally due to open on Valentine’s Day.

It has already earned a mention in Travel + Leisure’s 50 Best Places to Travel in 2017 , which lists Devon alongside destinations such as Bermuda, the Cambodian coast, Jerusalem, Madagascar and Queenstown in New Zealand.

Travel writer Emily Mathieson says: “Devon is best known for cream teas and surf beaches, but a raft of openings are elevating the county’s image with rarefied takes on the rural experience.

“The elegant Lympstone Manor has been reimagined by eminent chef Michael Caines, who will reopen it in 2017 as a 21-room hotel and restaurant. Design lovers can soon overnight at the Secular Retreat, a strikingly minimal property inspired by ecclesiastical architecture and designed by Peter Zumthor.

The hotel reception
The hotel reception

“And on the coast, the Art Deco Burgh Island Hotel has another groundbreaking design in the works: a suite that bridges the vertiginous gap between two rocky outcrops.”

Meanwhile, East Devon planners are being asked to approve minor amendments to the plans for the hotel.

Exmouth Town Council’s planning committee has supported the proposals, which include the removal of air conditioning units and the retention of some existing windows.

Recruitment for the hotel is ongoing.

Michael Caines at Lympstone Manor
Michael Caines at Lympstone Manor

Key appointments so far include Tom Hine, who will be the new group executive chef. He started his career at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow and has worked with Michael before, as junior sous chef at Gidleigh Park.

Meanwhile, former Exeter College lecturer Scott Andrews has been appointed general manager of the 21-bedroom country house hotel near Exmouth.

The Georgian mansion is being transformed and extended from the former wedding and events venue Courtlands House.

Bedrooms will be named after estuary birds and 53 bird-related paintings commissioned from Devon artist Rachel Toll will adorn the walls.