Torquay and Italy might seem like they're worlds apart, but at Three Degrees West, they're brought together in perfect harmony. The Oddicombe Beach bistro is Spanish-themed with a beautiful tapas and wine selection during the summer to enjoy with uninterrupted sea views.
Ryan Bickle, who works at the bistro, did such a good job at describing the beach he loves and works at.
He said: "It's my favourite beach that I've been to in the UK. It's got the café where you can have a few beers and the scenery just looks like you're in Spain or Italy or something.
"On a nice day, it's unbelievable - the water is like glass like it is today, and when the sun's coming over as well and (when) you start to get jet skis and boats coming down it's like Lake Garda in Italy. It's so nice."
It's hard to argue with him. When sitting out under the brand-new awning sipping a cappuccino you really do feel like you're on holiday. The atmosphere which radiates from the cafe/restaurant itself is a relaxed one thanks to the happy staff and Mark's interior design with light colour wood panelling and plush white chairs graced with calm Spanish music.
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It has become a hub for the beach-going community in the area for the customers as well as the staff - who describe themselves as a family. Ryan used to work at the café six years ago but left on another venture and is now back in between studying Physiotherapy at Bournemouth.
Talking about the bistro, he said: "I thought 'Where else would I want to come back to?' The scenery and the people I work with are amazing - they're the same people as before so it just made sense to me."
One of those people is Laura Charlesworth, who has been working at Three Degrees West from the very beginning. She has a lot of personal history with Oddicombe Beach as it was the place where she met her husband when he used to do the boats off the shore.
"It's such a lovely atmosphere to work here," She said "We're like family we're so close and our boss is amazing - he's got a heart of gold."
Laura loves her work and spoke about how well the staff get along with customers too. She said: "The customers are always lovely, our regulars are great. I just walked in this morning and was saying 'Morning! how are you?' to all of them. It's just lovely, it really is nice and a beautiful location whatever the weather really."
Ryan said since he had got back to work a month ago he has met at least 30 new people and now knows them by name.
Owner Mark Buck summed up the bistro well. He said: "It's not your typical beach cafe. People don't expect to see this when they arrive down here."
He believes that they have the privilege of the best sea view in Torbay because they are so close to it. There are no roads or busy traffic in between, just the sandy beach down to the water itself.
In the eight years that Mark has owned Three Degrees West, he has changed a lot and has adapted to various challenges. The newest change is a brand new awning which opens and closes to provide shade or shelter customers from the rain, which will be particularly useful when the weather fails to hold up.
One recent challenge has been the closure of the Babbacombe Cliff Railway due to a death in September last year. The railway brought many people down to Oddicombe Beach and was an important source of passing trade.
To deal with this, Mark set up a free shuttle service up and down the steep hill to the beach running on the hour every hour from 9am - 3pm. The team all share duties of driving the bus, which Ryan says he enjoys doing to break up the day.
Ryan said: "It definitely helps and I think people appreciate the help that Mark's put in to try to accommodate the issue of getting up and down the hill, so I think people like it. And I've been told multiple times that children love the bus - it's like the highlight of their holiday because they just love going on the bus ride! It's nice."
The bus fits eight people and Mark said it had been a great success in bringing more people down to the beach to enjoy the nature there and also to come to his restaurant. The railway is on the way to being repaired and once it reopens Mark said he is planning to keep the bus running but only on a booking basis. In its latest Facebook update, the cliff railway said testing had gone well and final parts were being delivered before reopening.
The bus has also been a great help when people book Three Degrees West out for functions to ferry people up and down, Mark said. The bistro offers itself as a venue for beachside weddings, parties and barbecues.
Laura loves to work on these functions and she personally helps set up and decorate the venue. She said: "It looks beautiful here, it really does. When I decorate the functions I always do it how when I got married because I always wanted to do my own room.
"They obviously tell you what they want and how they want it but we always go that extra mile to give them the best experience.
"Like our buffets - they always say that it was a proper beautiful buffet, and it is, you can't fault it in any way. It's not like hotel finger food.
"It's the location and now with the outside awning it's nice of an evening to do something if someone wants to get married or have a party."
Despite the beauty laid on by Laura and the team, it has not always been plain sailing for Three Degrees West. In March 2018, Storm Emma hit the UK and devasted the restaurant.
Mark spoke about it. He said: "We lost everything in Storm Emma, The Beast from the East. It took everything. It took the windows, the shutters the blinds - everything you see inside was outside on the beach."
Mark's insurance company told him that it would take nine months for the restaurant to reopen after payments and procedures had been processed, though amazingly he and his team managed to do it in just seven weeks.
He said: "That's down to the staff because, although I couldn't afford to pay them, they wanted to get it open as quickly as we did."
He added: "It was hard to lose everything and have to start all over again. But that's what you have to do, you can't always rely on insurance. We had to start the work before the insurance company agreed to pay out because at the end of the day, it's my bread and butter as well and you have to get the business up and running in some way shape or form which is why we are as versatile as we are - parties and functions.
"We know what our hardcore business is and that's what we stick to."
It's hard to imagine that this is the same place that was so badly damaged all those years ago as it has bounced back hugely. Mark said he was particularly proud of the tapas offered at the restaurant which Laura says she often comes down to eat with a glass of wine on days off.
As the sun sets over Oddicombe Beach, Three Degrees West continues to rise, showcasing its resilience and culinary delights to locals and visitors alike.
