I’d always wanted to go to Cornwall – the beaches, the art, the waves, the surfers.. (!) and for our first family holiday with baby number one it seemed like the time was right. It was far enough away from home to feel like a proper holiday but not too far to overwhelm. I put out a call on Facebook asking for recommendations of family friendly boltholes near Newquay airport, having already ruled out the mammoth drive from Scotland.
Various suggestions came back, including a few great looking self catering places, but I was going to take my father-in-law’s sage advice on this one – ‘the whole point of a holiday’ he said, ‘is not to do things which you have to do at home’. The thought of no cooking, no tidying up, no cleaning, sounded like a winner and so we settled on a hotel.
First on my list for googling was Watergate Bay Hotel. I didn’t need to go any further – they got me at their homepage. The hotel had recently had a multi-million pound facelift and boy did it look incredible. A traditional Victorian ‘bucket and spade’ hotel with a slick, mostly glass extension, built impressively into the cliff right above the beach – like something out of a James Bond villain’s lair. Family friendly but with a serious dollop of style – courtesy of design consultancy Household who had previously worked with Soho House.
Of course it was the most expensive on the shortlist but after some sweet talking of the husband, and his agreement that yes the bi-fold floor to ceiling doors on the infinity pool overlooking the beach did look pretty damn awesome, we were booked and on the plane to Newquay.
Newquay airport is an absolute gem. You feel the relaxed Cornish vibe as soon as you step into the tiny arrivals hall. No walking for miles to the baggage reclaim, no pushing and shoving and fighting for trolleys. You simply saunter up to the baggage belt, grab your bag and out you go into the fresh, salty, Cornish air.
I still remember that very first time we drove the five minutes from the airport to the hotel – yes it really is only five minutes away. As we cleared the crest of a hill, the incredible golden strand that is Watergate Bay opened up to us. It was simply breathtaking. Six visits later and I still never tire of that view. As soon as I see it I immediately begin to grin and can feel my whole body relax. To me it is quite simply one of the best places in the world.
That first holiday we spent there was just magical. The weather gods shone on us for seven days straight. I’m afraid to say we didn’t see much of Cornwall, choosing instead to spend our days on the beach with Angus who was just 15months old. At lunch we made the short hop, skip and jump up the boardwalk to The Beach Hut for delicious lunches of fish curries, burgers and sweet potato fries. It was here that Angus first tried ice cream – I’ll never forget the look on his face as the first cold, sweet mouthful went in. His love affair with ice cream and all things sweet continues and if you ask him what he likes most about Watergate Bay I can guarantee that ice cream would be up there, along with the swimming pool – it really is as awesome as it looks in the photographs.
We left after that first week with sand in our hair and our hearts in our boots. I could honestly have stayed for ever. I don’t know what the hotel’s magic ingredient is but their formula is pretty much perfect. The airy openness of The Living Space and the stunning Ocean Room with its awe inspiring views across the beach and out to sea, exude a sense of calm even when your toddler is hanging off your ankles and screaming for more ice cream. You can go to dinner in Zacry’s ,the fabulous restaurant, (the lobster and chips is quite literally heaven on a plate) in your shorts and flip flops and no-one would bat an eyelid. Infact I heard (perhaps apocryphally) that they only began to enforce a shoe rule after a bare-footed Jack Johnson nearly stood on a glass.
We returned the following year as a family of four, having added a little girl to our brood. She loved Watergate Bay as much as her brother. Eating sand on the beach, feeling the surf on her little toes and crawling up the purple carpeted sandy staircase to bed.
On a damp, cold and ‘dreich’ Scottish day I like to imagine myself sitting on the hotel’s expansive decking taking in the panoramic views of the beach and the wild Atlantic surf – preferably with a large gin and tonic in hand. Last summer I felt duty bound during our ten day stay, to work my way through the comprehensive gin menu. Sitting there and feeling the warm Cornish sun on your face at the end of another special day is one of my absolute favourite things in life.
But mingled within the happy times is a very sad one. The week before Christmas 2014 we booked a last minute few days at the hotel. We knew Christmas was going to be crazy with family and friends and wanted some time to hunker down just us and the kids before the festive madness properly kicked off.
The winter trip was shaping up to be a really special one as I had not long found out that I pregnant with baby number three. We were full of excitement and hope for the future. Savouring our delicious ‘steak for two’ in Zacry’s on our first night, we discussed what car we would need to upgrade to, to fit three car seats in the back. We had fast forwarded into a future where we could see an extra little person eating sand on the beach the following summer.
And then it happened. That moment that every pregnant woman dreads with every fibre of their being – I started to bleed. I convinced myself that all was fine and that it would stop. But it didn’t. I couldn’t bare to face anyone. Pete spent hours in the Kids Zone with the children, meeting an amazing family (one of many amazing families we’ve met there) who watched the kids for an hour so we could spent some time together.
Dinner was brought to our room from Zacry’s – despite them not usually offering room service. The staff who delivered it were kind and sensitive – they never asked what was wrong, they just went out of their way to help us. We lay in bed eating chocolate fondants and watching Caroline Flack win Strictly and for that brief moment, things didn’t seem quite so bad.
Every time I return to the Bay I think of that lost little soul. I think about him or her and who they might have been. I think about them floating on the surf and riding the waves. Somehow it makes me feel even more connected to the place I love so much. The next visit after that one was hard and I was terrified that the new little person I had in my tummy would join the last one. But thank god he didn’t and now every time we visit with our gorgeous three I think about how lucky we are.
The kids are already discussing what to have for breakfast during our annual summer pilgrimage – will it be waffles and chocolate sauce or sausages, beans and croissants? For me, I’m dreaming of finding a brief moment in the day to enjoy a run along the cliff path to Porth or book in for the only time in the year I feel justified to get my nails done – I doubt there is a nail bar anywhere else in the world with a more incredible view.
Watergate Bay I suspect you will be seeing us for many years to come. Our children will grow up with memories of you in their bones. Thank you for being our happy place.
Postcards From My Kitchen Table 