New Years Eve in Cornwall

Cornwall is perhaps best known as a destination for surfers and families in the summer season who come to make the most of the magnificent coastline and beaches. However, with the recent growth of the self-catering holiday accommodation industry and the subsequent abundance of cottages in Cornwall available to rent, the county has also grown as a winter destination too. So how does it fair on New Year’s Eve?


Newquay
One of Cornwall’s premier party towns, it is unsurprising that this coastal town in the north is a hot contender for New Year’s Eve celebrations. In terms of New Year’s traditions, the town is probably best known for fancy dress – with every venue and most revellers endorsing outrageous clothing and costumes. Clubs such as Berties and Sailors are popular with those who want to dance the night away. For those who want to stay in luxury for the New Year, why not splash out on a Newquay holiday apartment offering superb accommodation and stunning sea views.

Truro
Cornwall’s capital, Truro, has an excellently festive feel about it all through the Christmas period due to its Georgian architecture and illuminations. When it gets to new years most of the town descends upon the Lemon Quay piazza for its fireworks display as the clock strikes midnight. The city also offers a great diversity of clubs and bar to return to when it gets too cold outside.

St Ives
Despite its far-west location, the popularity of New Year’s at St Ives seems to grow year on year. The town still retains its community and laid back feel – and is known for being free from schedule with spontaneous bonfires and fireworks occurring on the beach some years, and visitors preferring to stick to the pubs and bars other years. Fireworks and fancy dress are traditional – while it is advised that people get to the town early if they don’t want to be stuck in traffic.

Looe
The UK’s Sunday Times has recent declared the small south coastal town of Looe as one of the top four places in Britain to see in the New Year. Like Truro and St Ives, the town is well known for its small alleyways and streets, but also benefits from its close location (around 20 miles) from Plymouth and the Devon border. Again, fancy dress is the order of play – with visitors and locals gathering on the promenades and beach to watch the fireworks launched from the country’s original banjo-shaped pier.

Scarlet - Luxury Hotel in Cornwall

The Scarlet is a cool luxury eco hotel in Cornwall near Nequay built to the highest eco standards, boasting delicious locally sourced food and the best Ayurvedic spa you can imagine. The Scarlet hotel is a balance of light, airy spaces with cosy, private areas, allowing you to mix with other guests or enjoy a bit of peace and solitude.

The Scarlet Hotel was featured on BBC Programme Alexander Armstrong's 'A Very British Holiday' on BBC1 10.25pm 8th November 2009.

The Rooms
There are 37 rooms with 5 hotel room categories - each room is slightly different. All feature stunning sea views and individual contemporary design with their own outdoor space in the form of a terrace or walled garden.

Tiny rainbow tiles made the oval bath and rain shower shimmer like water - both stand open in the room and there is no curtain to draw for your modesty.

You can, however, always ask your partner to retreat to what was surely is our favourite feature - a secret room at the top of a spiral staircase. Just an enormous beanbag and a big window looking out to the sea.



Another cool room can be found down in the basement...



Other luxurious rooms including the stunning hotel bar

The Food...The Restaurant

The menu has been created by Michelin star-winning local Ben Tunnicliffe and, unlike many hotel dining experiences, the evening meal feels like a real night out. Ceviche of wild halibut and line-caught sea bass with guacamole and red onion was followed by roast monkfish tail and lobster risotto.

Breakfast is prepared with fresh Cornwall ingredients served in generous portions - sweet seasonal fruit salad, gorgeous homemade jam or a full English with local sausages.

The Spa
The star spa feature has to be the two log-fired seaweed baths/hot tubs perched outside on the edge of the cliff, for total immerse-yourself-in-the-scenery serenity. Then there's the natural reed-filtered pool, for a one-off wild swimming experience.


Inside, Ayurvedic treatments are based on a consultation to determine your dosha or body type. Interestingly there's no spa pool, as it was deemed too energy-hungry.

Scarlet Hotel Costs
From £180 per room per night B&B
30 minute Shirobyanga (Indian head massage)
£35, 4-hour spa journey from £175
Set 3-course lunch £19.50
Average dinner main course £20
Glass of Prosecco £4.

The Scarlet spa and restaurant are open to non-residents.

Address
Scarlet Hotel
Tredragon Road
Mawgan Porth
Cornwall
TR8 4DQ
Website: www.scarlethotel.co.uk


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Sourced from Luxury Hotels in Cornwall

Luxury Self Catering Holiday Cottages - Porthleven and surrounding area

Self catering in Cornwall is as popular as ever and holiday cottages are a great option for families. Locations such as Porthleven, Mousehole, Marazion and Sennen are all lovely places to stay in Cornwall anytime of the year.

There are many companies offering self catering holiday cottages in these areas but one of the best is Above Beach Cottages who are a family-owned business offering luxury self catering cottages in Porthleven, Mousehole, Marazion and Sennen.

Here are a just a few pictures of the type of high quality holiday cottages on offer. For more information and to book a stay, visit www.abovebeachcottages.co.uk

A typical holiday cottage lounge where you can relax and unwind!

A typical well equipped kitchen

A typical luxury bathroom

You will never get bored of a beautiful Cornish sunset!

In Porthleven, Cornwall, you can spend your time browsing the galleries, craft shops, gift shops and jewellers, in fact you need not go out of the village for anything. There is live music in the pubs and on the harbourside, and events throughout the summer such as gig racing, lifeboat day and traditional Cornish festivals.

Porthleven, Cornwall, remains unspoilt and is still a thriving local community rather than a holiday resort. Virtually all of the shops & restaurants are open all year round and all West Cornwall's towns and attractions are a short drive away.

Map of Porthleven and Surrounding Areas


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Above Beach Cottages Contact Details

Address
41 Commercial Road
Poole
Dorset
BH14 0HU

Telephone
(freephone) 0800 9700 797
or 01326 389272

Email
info@abovebeachcottages.co.uk

Website:
http://www.abovebeachcottages.co.uk

Check availability and book online

Luxury Eco Lodges In St Agnes, Cornwall

SECLUDED ECO LODGES IN ST. AGNES CORNWALL

Here is something different for Cornwall - over in the beautiful St Agnes is a small development which has just six eco-houses which are set above Trevaunance Cove.


They have all been architecturally designed by award winning London architect Simon Conder and they all have 3 bedroom's.

They are being sold via Savills but would make a lovely holiday destination or investment. It would certainly be a more environmentally friendly holiday or investment.

Holiday Home Insurance Guide

Have you got the right insurance to cover your holiday home? If you’re lucky enough to own a holiday home in the UK, one downside is that you now have two properties to worry about. One way to lessen the stress is with home insurance.

Buildings insurance for a holiday home
Your holiday home insurance should cover exactly the same as your regular home insurance - the structure of your property, fixtures and fittings. Make sure your insurance policy is comprehensive and covers the full cost of the repair and rebuild of your holiday home, should the need arise.

Also check that you’re covered for subsidence and flooding if your property lies within a risk area, and read the small print to find out what your home insurance policy doesn’t cover.

Contents insurance for a holiday home
A good contents insurance policy will cover your furniture, carpets, clothes, ornaments, paintings and electrical goods. However, you may want to get additional insurance cover for extra piece of mind.

Examples of additional home cover include:

• Extended Accidental Damage
• Sports equipment or bicycle cover
• New for Old - claims paid on a new-for-old basis
• Family Legal Protection
• Guests’ Possessions Cover
• Garden equipment cover (can also include toys)
• Items in outbuildings/garage cover
• Locks and keys (to cover lost/stolen keys or damaged locks)
• Emergency Assistance – cover for temporary repairs due to a domestic emergency
• Cash/Credit Card – provides cover for theft
  

Contents cover can also be extended to include items that leave the home with you, such as laptop computers, MP3 players, cameras, SatNavs, handheld games consoles, mobile phones etc. (sometimes called an ‘All-Risk’ policy).

Important: There is one clause often found in home insurance policies that is of particularly relevance to a holiday home, and it has to do with the length of time the property is left empty.

Some insurance policies have restrictions on what they cover if a property is left vacant for a significant length of time, typically 30 days or more. This is obviously an extremely important point to consider with a holiday home, which may be left empty for lengthy spells.

A vacant home can be an invitation to burglars, so keep one step ahead of thieves with Confused.com’s Top 10 Tips to Keep Burglars at Bay, and make arrangements to ensure the home is never left empty for any 30-consecutive-day period.

Top tip: You could get a reduction on your home insurance policy and your holiday home policy by beefing up security measures with the addition of secure mortis locks, intruder alarms and by joining neighbourhood watch schemes.

The Cornwall Hotel Spa and Estate - Luxury Woodland Retreat

I've recently visited the site which is going to house the luxurious Cornwall Hotel Spa and Estate. Featuring 60 fantastic woodland homes, a 65 bedroom luxurious hotel, 2 restaurants and a luxury state of the art spa. This luxury development is truly unique and is located at Tregorrick which is just a few miles from the Eden Project, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Mevagissey and the gorgeous south Cornish coastline.



The Cornwall Hotel and Spa Estate
The Estate is located in approx 43 acres of parkland and woodland and will be a fantastic retreat to either invest in your holiday home or even take you holiday in.

The development which is due to be opened in February of next year (2010) has not only 60 fantastic woodland homes but also has the added benefit of a luxurious hotel and a pretty snazzy state-of-the art spa.

I've seen a lot of holiday homes that the developers claim to be "luxury woodland retreats" but this place really did exceed my expectations.

They have a sales centre on site with all the computer generated images of what is planned here (some of these images are on this page) but from what I saw recently you will get the idea when you visit the site.

The woodlands lodges to buy start from around £318,500 freehold and they come fully furnished and equipped for holiday letting - so for investors its a great buy and something quite different to what is on offer in Cornwall at the moment in terms of luxury accommodation.

For holiday makers its a great location. I used to holiday around this area as a child and its a really lovely area for kids and for adults alike.

The Cornwall Hotel and Spa Estate Map and Directions

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The Cornwall Hotel Spa & Estate is located at Tregorrick just a few miles from the Eden Project, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Mevagissey and the spectacular south Cornish coast.

Website description of The Cornwall Hotel and Spa Estate...

An 18th-century manor house, walled garden, undulating walks through copse and glade, lakes and mature pastures are key components.

The main house is a handsome Cornish building in a handsome setting, and the prelude to the full kaleidoscope of amenities available. Proudly boasting a stunning spa created in the old stable block, infinity edge pool, two dining rooms and 65 bedrooms the hotel offers panoramic views from almost every room, in a classic, yet contemporary style.

There are two restaurants, Arboretum the more formal of the two, offers fine dining with fastidious service punctuating epicurean menus with wit and panache. It is a great setting to sample seriously good food, with a wine list that has been crafted with passion and knowledge.

For families and those, more frequent, casual occasions Acorns keeps it simple. The wood fired pizza oven sets the tone for a rustic menu which is full of flavour. The atmosphere is unashamedly lively, the food is free range and organic and the children's menus have been cleansed of all those E numbers that send some children flying around the room.

Scattered amongst the beautiful parkland will be 60 two and three-bedroom Woodland Homes, providing stylish self catering holiday accommodation for owners and holiday-makers alike.These have now been released for sale on a Stay & Let basis, affording owners a special investment opportunity.

You and your family enjoy using your freehold home for six weeks of the year. When you're not there, your property keeps working for you. We fully maintain it and let it for you. A minimum return is guaranteed for the first 2 years. Whatever you are escaping from you will breathe a sigh of contentment on arrival at the Cornwall Hotel Spa and Estate.

On warm days you will see your fellow guests gravitate towards the shade of a pear tree in the walled garden, or rest on a bench on the front lawn, or take the path that meanders through lavenders and meadow on down to the lakes. In winter log fires are permanently lit in the lounges.

Quietly attentive service will ensure that a warming drink, your favourite newspaper and menus are always close to hand.

Welcome to the Cornwall Hotel Spa and Estate, welcome to the Cornwall's way of life.

The Cornwall Hotel Spa and Estate website

Top 5 Beaches in Cornwall, 2009

The Marine Conservation Society has recently released their Good Beach Guide for 2009. The guide is taken from data compiled over the summer of 2008 and includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Island, as well as The Channel Islands and The Isle of Man. With many UK tourists opting to save their travel money and head to our own holiday resorts this summer, I thought I would compile my top five beaches in Cornwall. (All of the following have been recommended by the MCS as having excellent water quality).

5. Trebarwith Strand
Trebarwith lies on the north coast just over two miles from the popular destination, Tintagel.

Trebarwith Strand Beach, Tintagel

Often regarded as one of the nicest stretches of coast in the country, the quality of water and waves make the beach a great destination for surfers. However, keep an eye on the tide times because the beach can be completely submerged at high tide, causing a high risk of being stranded on the rocks.

Map and Directions to Trebarwith Strand


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4. Mother Iveys Bay
More family friendly and just as breathtaking, Mother Iveys Bay retains its quality despite being popular with tourists.

Mother Iveys Bay Beach, Padstow

Being near Padstow is another plus, whilst the surf is often also good. The beach gets its name after Mother Ivey, a white witch who is said to have cursed a local field in anger for Harlyn’s starving villagers.

Map and Directions to Mother Ivey


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3. Maenporth
Just around the corner from the busy harbour town of Falmouth and its beaches Gyllingvase and Swanpool, the beach at Maenporth is more sheltered and famed for its gently sloping bay.

Maenporth Beach, Falmouth

Situated on the south coast, the area is not known for its surf but it does offer facilities that are sometimes hard to find at the nicer spots in Cornwall, such as car parking, the Cove restaurant and toilets.

Map and Directions to Maenporth


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2. Sennen Cove
Lands End is the most westerly area of mainland England, and Sennen Cove lies just north, boasting golden sands and crystal clear waters. The beach is popular with surfers and bathers but also benefits from its impressive length.




Map and Directions to Sennes Cove


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1. Porthcurno
Sheltered by high cliffs and offering a funnel shaped beach, Porthcurno is often considered number one by tourists and locals alike.

Porthcurno Beach, just off Minack Theatre

Dramatic geography and clean waters proved so beautiful, that Rowena Cade decided to build an open air theatre to overlook the bay as a backdrop. Subsequently the beach is very popular with visitors who are also drawn to the Porthcurno Telegraph Museum.


Map and Directions to Porthcurno


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Awesome Beach House In Praa Sands, Cornwall

This is one of the best holiday homes we have come across and thought it worth a mention on this luxury Cornwall blog.

This property is right on the beach and is in a lovely peaceful location - from what i've seen, this one is definitely worth a stay and its not a bad price either - check out the info below and you can book it through the holiday letting agency Blue Chip Vacations.

It is the perfect place for anyone who loves the sea and beach life and as an extra, the owners offer on your arrival at Golden Sands a proper traditional Cornish cream tea.

With this holiday home, not only do you get a great location, but you get a top quality holiday home with all the amenities plus more.

Hiring A Car In Cornwall

As the most southerly county in England, Cornwall`s typically warm and dry weather has long been an attractive draw for those seeking to depart the more northerly UK to holiday in sunnier climes. The scenic landscape, too, seems naturally given to attracting holidaymakers, with the south coast home to stunning beaches, small coves and fine surf and the north coast being of an altogether wilder nature, rife with dramatic rock formations exposed to the harsh Atlantic air.

Accordingly, Cornwall is well-placed to offer myriad different styles of holiday from the beach-dwelling variety to the hiking-oriented with something available to suit every taste and budget. However, in order to get the utmost out of a trip to the Cornish coast, it is necessary to be as mobile as possible in order to effectively traverse the picturesque landscape. So, with this in mind, we have written the following as a guide to getting around in Cornwall, with regard given to popular driving routes and car hire advice.

With so many delightful villages, townships and other areas of interest dotted about the county of Cornwall, the most popular drives have always proven to be those that link a small array of destinations of note, whilst providing ample time to explore each to the fullest extent. So, for a varied drive that connects a selection of holiday hotspots whilst remaining based around the Cornish coastline, travellers would do well to consider driving the North Cliffs route. Lasting anywhere between a few hours and all day (depending on lengths of stop-offs), the drive offers a truly unique view of the natural side of Cornwall.

The North Cliffs route spans from Chapel Porth to St. Ives, calling in at Portreath along the way, with frequent dramatic vistas. To begin, take the winding Cornish Lanes south from Chapel Porth to Portreath, stopping as long in the old village as you wish. Leave via the B3301 to Hayle, being sure to peek out of the side window during this stretch as the cliff (known as Hell`s Mouth) drops away a sheer 250 feet, leaving you with remarkably clear ocean views. Carry on to reach the sprawling St. Ives bay, then take a brief detour to Godvey Point for a picnic overlooking the lighthouse if you feel peckish, before heading down to the harbour of St. Ives to conclude the trip.

When choosing your car hire in Cornwall, it is often best to opt to pick up the vehicle from a town linked well by rail and air, such as the coastal Newquay. This allows for seamless transfer to the car after initial arrival, meaning no delays or additional transport costs. Lastly, when choosing the vehicle for your car rental Newquay, it is essential to pick the right one for your needs most companies will luckily offer a range to suit just about every requirement: from people carriers designed to keep families in comfort to sportier numbers for that special getaway.

Trewhiddle - Mevagissey Cornwall - Luxury Holiday Villas

Review of new holiday homes close to Mevagissey, Cornwall called Trewhiddle.

I've recently visited a new site called Trewhiddle which is just outside St Austell on the way to Mevagissey on the Cornish South Coast - lovely location within easy access to the Eden Project, the delightful harbor town of Mevagissey and the beaches and attraction this side of the coast offers.

The company who are building these new holiday homes describe them as a "new era in UK holiday homes"

The facilities they will offer for Holiday makers are top quality leisure facilities, with items such as a gymnasium, indoor spa and pool, relaxation room, brasserie restaurant, bar, children's crèche and outdoor infinity pool.

How it works :

Each of the holiday villas at Trewhiddle will be owned by a co-ownership company, legally set up like any other company and its internal rules will be set out in its Articles of Association.

The purchasers will legally own a share within the co-ownership company that owns the villas, so instead of investors spending hundreds of thousands of pounds purchasing a holiday home, that in reality you will only use for five or six weeks of the year you will be looking at prices starting from £54,950 + VAT and this will entitle you to an eighth share (equating to six weeks) in a one of these villas.

Before I read up a little on co-ownership, I thought it was time-share which i'm not a fan of but co-ownership is not timeshare, the owners are entitled to a certain number of weeks stay at the property per year making it a pretty good investment if you are looking for yourself to use it but if you are looking to rent it out solely as an investment, its not ideal.

For more information check out the website at www.trewhiddle.co.uk