When it comes to beach resort travel, England isn’t the first place that springs to mind, but spend 4-5 hours on a train from London, heading west, and you’ll think you’ve washed up on Cape Cod; the water’s nearly as cold, too.
I’ve only ever visited Cornwall outside the summer months, and given what I hear about the hordes of families who spend July and August there, and the narrow, slow country roads, I’d suggest a spring, autumn, or winter visit.
There are plenty of hotels, but the real joy of Cornwall travel is renting a place by the beach with a group of friends or family. A non-resort, resort, the first of its kind, has come to Newquay, on the northern coast, and has created a space so comfortable, it’s hard to leave.
Watergate Bay is exactly where the name suggests – a wide, expansive, soft, golden brown beach bookmarked by towering rock formations. It’s the kind made for long, seemingly endless walks, before returning to the hotel for a soak in the outdoor hot tub.
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The main house is a hotel, with restaurants, a spa and cosy public lounges. Up the road a short stretch, are eco-friendly beach houses sitting side by side, stacked to allow each unit views of the bay from wide, wooden decks.
We stayed in one of the places up on the hill, where guests can stock their larders in advance, through food4myholiday.com. There are ready-made bundles, or you can choose items, from basics, to Cornish specialties, like yarg and cheddar cheese, or scones and clotted cream. Deliveries are made before arrival, so there’s no coordinating involved.
The house, with it’s floor-to-ceiling, walled window looking out over the bay, was light, and well-decorated in that Ile-de-Re, Martha’s Vineyard, why-can’t-we-live-like-this-at-home look – lots of striped, linen fabrics in sandy, neutrals and blonde wood.
The amenities down the hill, in the main building are worth checking out. Dinner at newly re-opened Zacry’s was the best meal of our trip. The brasserie-style atmosphere is buzzy, and serves local meat, fish and produce sourced within a few miles. You’ll remember the venison for days after, and order the crab starter; hold the breadcrumbs, for the perfect surf and turf.
Hotel guests have access to the Swim Club, an impressive 25m indoor infinity pool, which kept me going for nearly a one-mile swim. The club is also home to a small café/bar, giving way to a chilled-out sitting area, more like a reading room, with a massive window facing the bay, making it the perfect place to watch the sun set.
The non-spa, spa is also at the Swim Club. I collapsed on the table in the darkened room ready to hear a long list of dizzying treatment options, only to hear the facialist offer a bespoke combination of massage and cleansing. No decisions to make – just as it should be in a place meant for de-stressing. The best bit came at the end, when I was ready for the sales pitch and the warnings about how to save my face from looking my age. Again, a total break from traditional spa talk. “We don’t really sell face products. We’re really focused on being a spa,” she said. Hallelujah.
Though, it was a little more than ironic that this was the first time actually WANTED to buy the stuff she’d used to make my skin feel feather-soft.
After all that lounging and downtime, I spent a morning at the Extreme Academy, a beachfront water sports school. For two and a half hours, eight of us, clad in our wetsuits, boards in hand, watched attentively as our surf instructor showed us, in increments, how to ride a wave. There were unfit folk, and personal trainers among us, and we all managed to ride a few. I even managed to stand for a total of three seconds. The class was great. We all got personal attention, and never felt bored. In fact, it was so exhilarating; I wondered why I’d never tried it before. I’ve found my new favourite sport, and now just need to relocate to Watergate Bay.
