A Wednesday Afternoon at The Old Stable Sauna, East Portlemouth

Back in April, the Finest Stays team swapped a Wednesday afternoon in the office for a few hours at The Old Stable sauna in East Portlemouth – a gifted experience that turned out to be one of the best midweek resets we’ve had in a while.

Getting there is part of the experience itself. You can catch the passenger ferry across from Salcombe, which drops you just below The Old Stable café and sauna, or drive around to East Portlemouth where there’s parking nearby. The road into the village changes completely depending on the tide. At low tide, the estuary opens up beside you with incredible views across the water and mudflats towards Salcombe, while at high tide the landscape shifts again, with the surrounding countryside roads becoming much greener and softer.

The sauna sits above the ferry landing and Fisherman’s Cove, next to The Old Stable café, looking directly across the harbour towards Salcombe and Snapes Point. It’s a simple setup, but the location does most of the work.

We arrived with enough time for a coffee beforehand and sat outside watching the boats move across the estuary. The café itself is relaxed and understated – organic coffee, homemade sausage rolls, pastries and sweet treats – the kind of place you end up staying longer than planned.

Then into the sauna.

The wood-fired heat builds steadily, and because the entire front of the sauna looks out across the water, you stay connected to the setting the whole time. You watch ferries coming and going, people paddleboarding across the harbour and the tide shifting below you whilst sitting in complete silence or chatting with whoever you’re sharing the session with.

What stood out most was how social it felt. No phones, no distractions, no one really checking the time. Just properly switching off for an hour.

Between sauna rounds, we stepped outside into the sea air before braving the cold plunge. Some headed straight for the water below, others stuck with the plunge tubs, but all of us came back into the sauna wide awake and laughing.

It quickly became less about wellness trends and more about the simplicity of it all – heat, cold water, fresh air and good company in one of the best spots on the South Devon coast.

The Setting

The Old Stable sauna is positioned directly above the Salcombe to East Portlemouth ferry landing, overlooking the harbour waters, Snapes Point and Salcombe itself. On a clear day, you can see right across the estuary whilst sitting inside the sauna.

It’s one of those locations that feels very tied to the landscape around it rather than built separately from it.

Getting There

The easiest way from Salcombe is via the passenger ferry to East Portlemouth, which runs regularly across the water and drops you just below the sauna and café.

If you’re driving, there’s parking close by in East Portlemouth. The tidal road into the village is worth the journey alone – particularly at low tide when the estuary stretches out beside you and the views open up across the water.

The Experience

The setup is straightforward: wood-fired sauna sessions with optional cold plunge access and the sea only moments away.

You can book communal sessions or private hire for groups, and the atmosphere feels welcoming whether you’ve done sauna and cold water therapy before or not.

What we liked most was how unpolished it felt in the best way possible. Nothing overly curated. Just a really good sauna, on the water, with excellent coffee nearby.

Stay Nearby

For guests staying with Finest Stays in a  luxury cottage in Salcombe, East Portlemouth or the surrounding South Hams villages, it’s an easy addition to a coastal stay, particularly outside of peak summer when the estuary feels quieter.

You could easily build an afternoon around it: ferry across from Salcombe, sauna session, coffee at The Old Stable, then a walk along the coast path before heading back across the water.A huge thank you again to The Old Stable and Village Farm Café for having us earlier this spring. It’s exactly the sort of local experience we love recommending to guests looking to experience this part of Devon a little differently.