I adore Cornwall for its spectacular coastline, dinky villages and cream teas – but not so much in peak summer when visitors are piling into harbour walkways and car parking spaces are like gold dust.
So it is a delight to discover the St Moritz Hotel, in the hamlet of Trebetherick, in the shoulder season. My family and I share the dramatic coastal path, a five-minute walk from the hotel, with local dog walkers. We are able to grab a prime window seat overlooking the sandy beach at Surfside Polzeath to refuel with chips and hot chocolates. We still get stuck behind a tractor on a country lane – but hey you can’t have everything.
Location, location, location
Depending how far you want to wander, there’s a choice of beaches. The views on the coastal paths connecting them are stunning. You can leave the car in the hotel car park and access several top Cornwall highlights on foot. Greenaway Beach, directly in front of the hotel, is a rock pooler’s playground; surfers’ paradise Polzeath is a 10 to 15-minute walk; calm, sandy Daymer Bay is a 25 to 30-minute walk; and Rock, from where you can get the ferry to Padstow, a 45 to 50-minute walk. There’s also a free shuttle service for guests.
We take a morning stroll, blessed by blue skies, to look out over Daymer Bay. Two years ago, we spent a warm summer’s day splashing in its shallow waters. It doesn’t have to be 25 degrees to enjoy a beach though. They are a year-round playground – provided you’re kitted out in the right gear.
That said, it’s nice to return somewhere warm and cosy after an autumnal clifftop ramble.
Somewhere like St Moritz, where the accommodation is split between suites and ensuite bedrooms. The suites, with their fully fitted kitchens, are a great option for self-catering. Ours is a Garden Suite, which gives us plenty of room to spread out, even with two Z beds set up for the children. Neutral colours with an injection of sea green inspire the interior design, and there are thoughtful touches throughout, from the provision of hair straighteners and coffee table books to the Cornish-made biscuits included on the tea tray.
A spa for the Soho House crowd
Aside from location, the hotel has two really stand-out elements… the first being the Cowshed Spa, the only one outside of the Soho House collection. Spa treatments cover every aspect of wellness, and are well worth the splurge. With the indoor pool facility including a sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi, a restful spa day including a soul-stirring coastal walk, is easily done. Check out the programme of complimentary Mini Moritz activities, such as scavenger hunts and cake decorating, that help keep children entertained. But they don’t have to miss out on the spa experience – there are Little Princess and Prince packages comprising a 20-minute treatment and a goody bag too.
The Cowshed Spa is open to non-hotel guests to book – same as the Shorecrest restaurant, and both could add a little sparkle to a Cornish break with a more modest budget.
Shorecrest makes creative use of Cornwall’s natural larder to deliver a subliminal fine dining experience. The Porthilly Bay mussels with white wine, dill and clotted cream that I order on our first night set the bar high, but it’s the duck breast with braised chicory, fondant potato and blackberry jus that I have on night two that really pole vaults over the bar.
“Our duck comes from Tintagel Duck Farm,” explains restaurant manager, Conrad. “They are free-roaming, naturally-fed ducks and they are bred, hatched, reared and dispatched from the farm. We order them months ahead and when they are in, I always recommend them.”
This buy-local, eat-local ethos typifies the entire menu. Meat and vegetables come from local farms, and the fish from Cornish waters – even the peanuts and olives are sourced from a Cornish company and the tonic water is made from a Cornish spring on the edge of Bodmin. “Our menu keeps changing,” Conrad tells me. “We don’t buy food in bulk and freeze it – it’s all seasonal and completely fresh.”
All the while my husband and I are savouring every mouthful of these culinary delights, my children are eating a pizza that the chef team went to great lengths to prepare from scratch, despite it not being part of that night’s menu. It’s unlikely they’d get away with such diva-ish behaviour in high season, but that’s the beauty of visiting in the shoulder season – everyone has a little more time.
It’s an indulgence that highlights where the secret lies for this gorgeous seaside sanctuary. It caters for everyone, without going too far. It doesn’t feel like a creche but it has family appeal. It’s upmarket yet still informal and relaxed. It’s Cornwall at its best, but without the crowds.
