7 gift experiences in Devon every couple will love

From the mossy peaks of Dartmoor to the shimmering shores of the English Riviera, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to gift experiences in Devon.

That should come as no surprise!

A recent study by Visit Britain found that Devon is the third most popular holiday destination in the UK – behind just London and Cornwall. So there’s clearly a lot here to experience.

And talking of experiences, research by GetYourGuide shows that 92% of people prefer receiving experience gifts than physical presents at Christmas. I guess there are only so many pairs of socks you can wear!

So, to help you find the perfect Devon experience gifts for the couples in your life, I’ve rounded up seven brilliant options:

1. Glass blowing experience at Fire Work Glass Studio
2. Foraging course with Ground Up Cookery School
3. Tasting menu experience at Stage
4. River and coast cruises with Stuart Line Cruises
5. Cocktails and tours at Plymouth Gin Distillery
6. Adventure experiences with Devon activity centre
7. Spa days at Boringdon Hall

Let’s dive in.

1. Glass blowing experience at Fire Work Glass Studio

Fire Work Glass Studio is our family-run glass blowing studio and shop in Diptford. We’re near Totnes and just 20-30 minutes up the road from Plymouth.

Our glass blowing experience is hugely popular with couples – especially during the winter months, when great experiences in Devon can be few and far between!

Options and costs

We offer a 90-minute glass blowing experience for 1-2 people for £198 total. Here’s a breakdown of what’s included and our facilities:

• 90-minute glass blowing experience for 1-2 people
• Take home what you create (available to collect the next day)
• Photos of the experience
• Tea, coffee and water
• Free parking on site
• Toilets

We also have a shop on site showcasing our latest creations!

And if you’re looking for other options in the area, here are some of our favourite things to do in Totnes.

How to buy a gift experience

To buy your glass blowing experience voucher, fill out the contact form here 

We’ll get in touch to discuss the experience with you and arrange delivery of your voucher. And if you have a particular date in mind, we can also pencil something in the calendar.

What people say about it

Fire Work Glass Studio is rated five stars on Google by 160 people. Here’s a recent review from one of our lovely customers.

“This was one of the best days of my life. I have waited so long to do glass work but I’ve never been able to find anywhere. My mom got me this experience day as a birthday gift. It was just perfect. Debby and Izach are the most wonderful people. So kind and accommodating. Izach is a wonderful teacher. I loved that we didn’t sit and watch we got straight in and started making the glass.

“I would recommend this to anyone. You don’t need to be artistic or anything like that Debby and Izach will talk you through everything and you will be making things you didn’t think you could. Debby will take photos and videos so you can concentrate on what you’re doing and not worry about getting photo memories.

“Thank you so much for making my dream come true.” – Samanth Keogh

Source: Google Reviews

2. Foraging course with Ground Up Cookery School

Ground Up Cookery School is another family-run business – this time in Chudleigh, Devon.

With a huge passion for food and drink, they offer a variety of courses around growing, foraging, cooking and preserving food.

Source: Ground Up Cookery School

Options and costs

Ground Up Cookery School offers a one-day Wild Food and Foraging Course for £155 per person. 

Here’s a rough guide of what the day looks like:

• 9:30 – Arrival and introductions
• 10:15 – Travel to start point (walking or car, max 15 minutes) for walking tour, identifying key species, seasonality and sustainability
• 12:30 – Return to Ground Up Cookery School for refreshments.
• 13:30 – Guests to cook dishes in pairs (2 or 3 recipes per team) using wild ingredients
• 15:30 – Finish dishes and serve and eat together, discuss dishes and ingredients. Q&A.
• 16:00 – Wrap up: handouts for guests containing field guides and recipes.
• 16:15 – Depart

Looking for other options? Check out their full range of cookery courses.

How to buy a gift experience

To buy a foraging experience, go to their Wild Food and Foraging Course page and choose your preferred date. Then follow the steps to pay and complete your booking.

If you think the couple you’re buying for would prefer a physical voucher, Ground Up Cookery School can help with this.

What people say about it

Ground Up Cookery School is rated five stars on Trustpilot by 15 people. Here’s what one of their customers had to say about the experience:

“Fantastic day with Ground Up Cookery School. I was amazed to find out how much we can eat from our hedgerows. Very impressed by Colin's knowledge and ingenuity. Also really interesting to see how locally foraged food can be preserved and the flavours concentrated (or added to gin!)

“The location is great and the facilities excellent - a really lovely environment in which to learn to cook new dishes.

“The food we cooked was delicious and highly inventive. I would definitely recommend a course with Ground Up Cookery School.” – 882kathrines

Source: Trustpilot

3. Tasting menu experience at Stage

Stage is a small farm-to-table style restaurant in Exeter. The setting is casual while the food is anything but – as Jay Rayner can testify.

It’s run by a group of friends who, just a few years ago, were cooking up a storm from their Taco Boys food truck in Polzeath, Cornwall.

Source: The Guardian

Options and costs

Stage offers tasting menu experiences that regularly change to reflect the seasons. They don’t bring a menu out in advance – it’s all one big, wonderful surprise!

Right now, they offer two options: a four-course lunch or a six-course dinner. You can check out a couple of sample menus below.

Four-course lunch, Tuesday to Friday – £30 + £25 optional drinks flight

• Bean, chicken heart & chilli noodles, pork cracker
• Taco de lenguas & beer battered broad beans
• Summer truffle tortelini, house smoked mortadella sausage
• ​Miso tarte tatin, golden raspberry ice cream

Six-course dinner, Monday to Saturday – £55 + £45 optional drinks flight

• Pickled sardines, garden cucumber and beetroot
• Teign valley mussels, kimchi parsley broth
• Pentire lamb merguez faggot, labneh, pickles 
• Pan seared hake, homecured chorizo, garden chard
• Sourdoso chocolate mousse, strawberry, campari
• Blackberry crème brûlée, lavender shortbread
• Cheesecake bon bons

The six-course menu is also available for lunch on the weekends.

How to buy a gift experience

To treat friends or family to a trip to Stage, start by choosing which menu you’d like to cover them for. Then head over to their voucher page to buy your eGift card. 

What people say about it

Stage is rated 4.9 stars on Google by 311 very happy diners. Here’s what one of their recent customers said about their visit:

“One of the best night out anywhere, ever, because this place is 100% confident in being itself, in creating a great experience with incredible food, and not copying anyone. The drinks flight was a valuable upgrade. The real stars here are the Taco boys and their team which elevate this little restaurant from excellent to ‘hall of fame’. You would be hard-pressed to have anything other than an incredible evening here.” – Sarah Reed

Source: Google Reviews

4. River and coast cruises with Stuart Line Cruises

Stuart Line Cruises is a family-run company offering boat trips out of Exmouth, Devon.

From guided bird watching experiences to cream tea river cruises, there’s something to suit every couple. And they operate all year round!

Source: Jurassic Coast Trust

Options and costs

Stuart Line Cruises offer 20+ excursions throughout the year – you can browse them all here. But to give you a bit of a flavour, I’ll drop a few different options below.

Guided Bird Watching Cruise

• Price: £14 per adult
• Duration: 3 hours
• Dates: November to March

Jurassic Coast Cruise With Cream Tea

• Price: £16 per adult
• Duration: 2-3 hours
• Dates: April to October

Day Trip To Torquay or Brixham

• Price: £16 per adult
• Duration: Departs at 10:30am, returns at 5:30pm with 2-3 hours ashore
• Dates: Every Thursday during the summer

How to buy a gift experience

You have two options when buying a gift experience from Stuart Line Cruises: a monetary voucher or a gift voucher for a specific cruise. Both are available on their gift vouchers page.

What people say about it

Stuart Line Cruises is rated 4.5 stars on Trustpilot by 958 people. Here’s one of their latest reviews:

“We have sailed with this company in every season and for a variety of cruises: bird watching, geology, Jurassic coast, private party. Even when repeating the cruises (birding and geology) something different is sighted or learned each time. Excellent, knowledgeable guides; impeccably well-organised company and lovely crew. Whenever we return from one trip we book the next one - which probably says it all!” – ABCx

Source: Trustpilot

5. Cocktails and tours at Plymouth Gin Distillery

Plymouth Gin Distillery is the oldest working gin distillery in Britain. Its red brick chimney has been a landmark of the Barbican for generations. And, since 2004, the distillery has been opening its doors to visitors from near and far.

Source: Plymouth Gin

Options and costs

Plymouth Gin Distillery offers a range of great gift experiences for couples in Devon. You can see a quick summary of each option below.

The Plymouth Gin Distillery Tour

• What’s included: Distillery tour plus a gin and tonic at the bar
• Price: £15 per person
• Tour duration: 1 hour

The Gin Connoisseur’s Tour

• What’s included: Same as above, plus seven samples of Plymouth Gin
• Price: £35 per person
• Tour duration: 1.5 hours

The Master Distiller’s Tour

• What’s included: Same as above, plus a small bottle of your own handmade gin
• Price: £55 per person
• Tour duration: 2.5 hours

How to buy a gift experience

To buy a Plymouth Gin tour as a gift, head over to their tours page and find the option you want. Then click “BUY THIS TOUR AS A GIFT” and follow the instructions on screen. 

What people say about it

Plymouth Gin Distillery is rated 4.7 stars on Google by 329 people. Here’s what one reviewer had to say:

“We went on a distillery tour for the very first time, I must have walked past this building thousands of times. The tour was excellent, just the right amount of history, information and humour and gave me a much better understanding of botanicals 😜

“Kirsty who took us around was excellent and a credit to your establishment. Finishing on a relaxing drink in your beautiful bar was a great conclusion to the tour 👍 This was definitely a highlight to our short break back in my home town.” – Marcus Williams

Source: Google Reviews

6. Adventure experiences with Devon Activity Centre

This one’s for the adrenaline junkies in your life!

Based in Ottery Saint Mary, around 30 minutes from Exeter, Devon Activity Centre is every big kid’s paradise. They offer axe throwing, off-road go karting and everything in between.

Source: Tripadvisor

Options and costs

Devon Activity Centre offers a huge range of gift experiences for couples, including:

• Off-road go karting
• Off-road quad biking
• Countryside segway experience
• Go Ape assault course
• Clay pigeon shooting
• Axe throwing
• Archery
• Air rifles
• 18-hole footgolf
• Paintball
• Laser tag

How to buy a gift experience

To buy a voucher for Devon Activity Centre, hop over to their gift experiences page. From there, you can either choose a voucher for a specific activity or buy a monetary voucher so the couple you’re shopping for can decide.

What people say about it

Devon Activity Centre is rated 4.8 stars on Google by 512 people. Here’s a recent review of their off-road quad biking experience:

“Staff really friendly and welcoming, our instructor Sean M was amazing so patient and understanding. Will highly recommend Devon country pursuits.” – Becky Clarke

Source: Google Reviews

7. Spa days at Boringdon Hall

Boringdon Hall is a five-star manor house spa hotel in Plymouth overlooking the sprawling Devon countryside. This makes it the perfect choice for those busy couples who need a little help unwinding.

Source: Boringdon Hall

Options and costs

On paper, Boringdon Hall only offers one couples spa day. This is called Zeus & Hera and costs £390 or £410 depending on whether you go for a weekday or weekend. Here’s what’s included:

• Champagne Afternoon Tea
• Full use of Gaia Spa facilities
• Use of deep relaxation room
• Choose from one of the below 90-minute treatments each
  • GAIA Hot Stones Massage (Full Body and Scalp)
  • Mother GAIA
  • Gaiyoga Lifting Facial
  • GAIA Mud Cocoon
  • GAIA Awakening Journey
  • GAIA Balancing Journey
  • GAIA Calming Journey

But they also offer other (more affordable) experiences, including:

• Twilight Spa | Evening Spa Access – from £50 per person
• Twilight & Dine | Evening Spa Access and Dinner – from £90 per person
• Selene | Afternoon Spa Package – from £140 per person (includes afternoon tea)

How to buy a gift experience

To buy a spa day experience, head to the Boringdon Hall vouchers page. From there, you can browse the different options and place your order.

Looking for more options? Explore the other categories in the top-left corner, including spa treatments and accommodation breaks!

What people say about it

Boringdon Hall Hotel and Spa is rated 4.6 stars on Google by 1,156 people. Here’s a review of their spa experience:

“I visited the Gaia Spa for the first time. The facilities and staff were impeccable, friendly and welcoming. Everything was perfect. I'm definitely planning on re-visiting. The steam and sauna rooms were as calming as they promised, the outdoor jacuzzi was relaxing in the drizzling rain and the Belgian waffle was heavenly.” – Paula Sutton

Source: Google Reviews

Final thoughts

From the city to the countryside to the coast, Devon really does have a gift experience for everyone.

I hope this roundup has given you some great inspiration for the couples in your life – or even for yourself. After all, we all deserve a treat now and then!

And if you’re looking for more ideas of places to explore in the area, check out our list of the best things to do in Devon for adults.