St Moritz Hotel: A Weekend in North Cornwall
"St Moritz makes me feel like I'm on holiday even though I'm only an hour away from home. The perfect staycation".
Exploring Cornwall is easily one of my favourite things to do, so I was extremely excited to be invited to stay at St Mortiz Hotel in North Cornwall for the weekend. I'm guilty for spending far too much time in the South of Cornwall so I couldn't wait to spend some time somewhere different and to also put my feet up and forget about the previous weeks worth of stress that had rapidly crept up and shattered my poor body.
The sun had been shining through October, so I was a little gutted when I woke up to a weather warning prior to our stay. Storm Callum hit the Cornish coastline on Saturday night, so once we had checked into our gorgeous Sea View Suite, we kicked back and watched the waves roll into Greenaway beach from our balcony (wine in hand, of course). I couldn't have been happier. Blue skies are always nice; but in that moment, being curled up on the sofa, watching the sky turn to darkness was definitely the highlight of my weekend. Cornwall is just as beautiful during a storm as it is on a summers day.
Our Sea View Suite was the definition of contemporary coastal style. As soon as we walked in, we were welcomed to a board full of chocolates and strawberries plus a card wishing us a lovely stay. I've stayed in a fair share of hotels in Cornwall but it's the little thoughtful touches that really stand out to me. We had our own kitchen and living room which was perfect for lounging around in. Later that evening I even found some board games tucked away in a cupboard - I can be a competitive nightmare so I was delighted to turn the evening into a wine and competition night.
St Moritz is an early 90's hotel and stood until the 1990's before undergoing a huge refurbishment. With white Art Deco-inspired architecture the hotel certainly gives off that stylish, relaxed, coastal living vibe - the perfect place for a family holiday, a chilled spa break or just for a change in scenery (which Is definitely what I needed)!
After storm watching from the balcony, we made our way to St Moritz fine dining restaurant, The Shorecrest. Before dinner, we crashed out on the cosy bar sofas next to the log fire for some cocktails - (cosmopolitan and espresso martinis of course) before making our way over to the dining area. The Shorecrest Restaurant and Bar is open to non-residents too, so if you're a local I would definitely take full advantage of that! I'm guilty for being a little bit of a food snob (only on the odd occasion!), but The Shorecrest did not disappoint and I'm already looking forward to making a return.
Please excuse the low image quality, the restaurant was lit just by candles - extremely romantic but not so great for photographs!
Dinner was a dream. To begin with I tucked into calamari and Tom had pigeon... yes, pigeon - something that we'd never come across before, but it looked good, and tasted even better (who would have knew)!? I'm a HUGE seafood and grill lover, so for me I wanted to try pretty much everything on the menu. Considering I had devoured a plate of mussels for lunch, I thought I'd go for fish and chips because carbs were on the mind - as per usual. We agreed on chocolate brownie for desert and little did we know that it was certainly going to be a rememberable one! Tom unfortunately has very limited taste, but as we ate, the taste of the chocolate came back - something that had never happened before! Literally MAGIC BROWNIES - and I'm not talking about the type you get in Amsterdam.
As we awoke on Sunday morning, we looked out from our balcony to discover that Storm Callum was finally over and the October blue skies were beginning to make a comeback. With Greenaway just a 2 minute walk away, we decided to make our way to the beach for a Sunday stroll. Greenaway is such a hidden gem, and if I hadn't been told about it by the hotel staff then I would never have known it even existed - and I can assure you that I know my beaches! There's nothing better than a secret beach.
After a few hours on the beach, we headed back up the hill to St Moritz for coffee and pizza at the Sea Side Cafe. Again, the cafe is open to non residents and is the perfect spot to refuel and take in the views before heading out for an afternoon of adventures. There is also an outdoor pool which is perfect for the little ones and families - not that I’d I recommend jumping in at this time of year! I think playing amongst the flowers in the garden is a much better idea.
I had visited St Moritz once before for a full body massage at their Cowshead Spa. "It's all about downtime, and not just about playtime." There are six stylish treatment rooms and mood-enhancing products based on botanical ingredients are expertly blended to soothe or revive the body. Whether it's a quick beauty fix or an indulgent package, I couldn't recommend visiting the Cowshead spa more - the therapists really know what they're talking about and I felt completely at ease, something that I normally find difficult when visiting spas. Plus, it was an amazing massage!
We spent Sunday afternoon visiting St Moritz's neighbouring beaches. Polzeath and Trebertherick are less than a five minutes drive from the hotel, so there's always that question of "which beach first"? Later, we drove over to Padstow, one of Cornwall's cutest fishing villages and an absolute foodie heaven for an afternoon of exploring. I absolutely adore Padstow and the weather was gorgeous, so to me, it was the perfect kind of Sunday afternoon.
A weekend at St Mortiz was EXACTLY what I needed. Stress levels were high at the beginning of the week, but by the end of Sunday I was completely relaxed. Thank you St Mortiz for allowing us to make some beautiful memories in my new favourite corner of Cornwall.
To find out more, check out the St Moritz website. And don't forget to keep an eye out on my 'Hidden Gems' post for other secret spots across Cornwall!
* St Moritz kindly invited us in return for a review on Meet Me By The Sea, but all
opinions are my own*