Travel is one my main passions and I travel as often as my time off work and wallet allows. Normally all my travel involves getting on a plane, but this time it was a 5 hour drive to Cornwall - one of the most beautiful parts of the UK and somewhere I’d never been to before. My friends who invited me have an apartment right on Fistral Beach with stunning views of the beach from their lounge window - the second I saw the view I knew this was a very special place.
Fistral Beach, Cornwall
Having never been to the area before I was exceptionally lucky to have stayed in such an amazing location. With Newquay itself just a easy 15 minute walk away where you will find a bustling high street with lots of indie shops, as well as many chains and lots of options to eat and drink, you can enjoy from afar whilst also enjoying the calmness that Fistral offers. On the south end of the beach, perched on rocks and looking like an island at high tide is the cute Sea Spray Cafa that serves excellent coffee and food - I could have chilled here everyday for all my meals.
Sea Spray Cafe, Fistral Beach
On the North end of the beach you have a small selection of surfing shops, bars and restaurants including Rick Steins Fish and Chips Restaurant and Stables Pizza. If you’d like somewhere more traditional there is The Highlands Hotel which offers great views of the bay and excellent food as well as a highly recommended spa. www.headlandhotel.co.uk
Fistral Beach is incredible at low tide as the sea reveals a beautiful, enormous sandy beach, which is quite the contrast to high tide when the sea almost meets the dunes. As the sea turns to low tide the wet sand reveals a wonderful mirror reflection on the beach that reflects the clouds and sky. The beauty of the beach and also the wave activity means this really is a top destination for surfers and one of the best beaches to surf on in the UK. Many companies run surf schools for those new to it - but one thing is pretty much guaranteed - if the sun is up there will be a surfer in the sea and much of the day there will be many of them....
Fistral Beach, Newquay
Lusty Glaze Restaurant
Just a short walk from Newquay town centre is Lusty Glaze, a absolutely stunning beach with a wonderful restaurant. The beach was voted the best beach in the UK by The Sunday Times in 2017 and easy to see why. In the day time it will be busy, but we booked a table to coincide with sunset, and we were so glad we did. The food and service was wonderful and we could pop down to photograph the sunset between each course. I can't recommend this place enough. You will need to book and there are a lot of steps down to the beach and restaurant so you’ve been warned, but it certainly is worth it.
Lusty Glaze, Newquay
Scarlet Hotel outdoor hot tubs
Only one day was rainy, so we decided to we'd head over to the The Scarlet Hotel which is about a 30 minute drive from Fistral. The Scaret is a luxury eco hotel, just for grown ups, on the edge of the ocean - and is incredible. We had Afternoon Tea which was exactly what was needed on a rainy day, with views over the outdoor hot tubs, pool and the ocean. After tea we had an explore of the hotel including a tour of the spa, which for sure on my next visit I will experience.
After 3 amazing days and nights I headed back to London fully recharged with my sea fix and I've already booked a return visit for November. This trip has proven to me that although we did a lot we barely scratched the surface of all that Cornwall has to offer and I will look forward to discovering even more of Cornwall in just a few months.