Travellers have lauded the warm Devon welcome offered at the county's hotels, which has seen it dominate a survey of the best in the country.

Five of the top 25 UK hotels compiled by TripAdvisor are in Devon. Of those, three are in Torbay – a coup tourism leaders hope will help the resort move further away from the Fawlty Towers image of poor hotel service.

Top UK hotel this year, based on customer reviews on the TripAdvisor website, was The Charterhouse Hotel in Torquay, with visitors speaking of its "warm and genuine hospitality" and "superb" breakfasts.

Torquay's Crimdon Dene Hotel won fifth place in the survey, followed by Yeoldon House Hotel Bideford at sixth, Shelley's in Lynmouth at eighth and Torquay's Carey Court Hotel at 12. No Cornish hotels featured in the top 25 this year.

It comes after Channel 4's documentary The Hotel has fuelled controversy about Torbay's holiday offering, as its staff echo levels of behaviour made famous by Torquay's best-known fictional proprietor, Basil Fawlty.

But Carolyn Custerson, chief executive of the English Riviera Tourism Company (ERTC), said: "This type of recognition really helps to boost Torquay's image as an outstanding British resort.

"The Hotel has been on television and is really popular as a docu-comedy but the vast majority of our accommodation providers are offering a really professional welcome and there's no doubt visitors to the English Riviera prefer it that way."

TripAdvisor spokesman Emma Shaw said Devon had emerged as a "star" of the awards. The Charterhouse Hotel was the UK's best hotel, and UK's best hotel for service

Les Ward, proprietor of The Charterhouse Hotel, said: "Our guests' enjoyment is our top priority, and we strive to provide the utmost in service, value and quality, which has resulted in getting such excellent feedback from our guests."