Travel: St Mawes

St Mawes, lovely St Mawes, where I escaped to for a few late summer days in early September. The small, historic old fishing village curls around the Roseland Peninsula, just around the shoreline of Falmouth on the south coast of Cornwall. Picture-perfect white houses line the harbour at the mouth of the Percuil River, with rolling hills in the distance and the sea beyond. This is a place to take your time and relax, away from the hustle and bustle of bigger Cornish towns: stroll along the harbour and people watch, take a small ferryboat to the remote St Anthony headland opposite and visit the church and lighthouse, dip your toes in the water at its pebbly beaches, or simply take in a Cornish cream tea in the sunshine.

 

We stayed at The St Mawes Hotel on the waterfront in the centre of the village. With doors flung open onto the street, French cafe-style chairs to sit outside on and the aroma of fresh coffee, the place is immediately inviting. There’s also a slim balcony on the level above, connected to a lounge – a perfect vantage point to look out on the landscape and enjoy over afternoon tea or breakfast.

The rooms were fresh and airy, with a subtle seaside theme that didn’t overpower or turn into kitsch. Wonderful crisp white linen, cosy blue and white striped blankets in case it got a bit chilly in the evenings, and brand new Nespresso machines for the morning. Cue: a dreamy sleep and perfect wake-up. The breakfast was one of the best we had while on our week away as well – not only a wonderful seaside view, as mentioned above, but fresh, juicy berries and muesli, flaky buttery pastries and delicious salty hams and cheeses.

 

We then managed to lift ourselves out of our comfy seats and go for a little walk to clear the cobwebs.

We had a wonderful dinner at Olga Polizzi’s elegant Hotel Tresanton (another place to stay, but unfortunately they didn’t have any rooms available). In addition to 30 stunning rooms the hotel has the restaurant, a terrace for afternoon tea or evening sundowners, a cosy sitting room and fire, and even a cinema and a private yacht Pinuccia that can sail your around the Falmouth bay. The service is impeccable, nothing is too much to ask; for example, the menu in the restaurant is just a guide really, you can mix and match to create your own dish if you wish, or if they don’t have something, they’re happy to go out and get it for you! 

The meal we had was delicious; I had sardines with red roasted peppers, followed by whole lemon sole accompanied by a pea shoot salad and the freshest, juiciest clams. The setting was even better: a calm, cool Mediterranean atmosphere with tongue and groove panelling, twinkling tea lights and breathtaking sea views. The dessert was the cherry on the top, as it were – moist Tunisian orange cake with yoghurt sorbet, yum!

Plus, if you’d rather have lunch, they’re offering a set lunch special at just £23 for two courses or £27 for three. Both include a glass of wine.

 

As you can probably tell, this trip was mainly about going from one comfy seat to another, or from one delicious meal to another (more likely)! You really can’t beat a Cornish cream tea, a steaming hot meaty pasty on the beach, or the freshest seafood in a beachside cafe. Another place to stop, and perhaps stay the night, is the Idle Rocks Hotel. This lovely boutique hotel is at the other end of the waterfront to Hotel Tresanton, right on the harbour, with comfy chairs on the terrace looking over the water.

We stopped here for lunch and a drink. An interiors junkie and urban jungle blogger at heart, I was overawed by their beautiful floral displays – vintage French jugs lined up on shelves, or even better, groupings of small glass vessels with pure white blooms.

All that remained was to walk along the beach and take in the views…

All images: Cate St Hill