Saturday 20 October 2012

Weekend away from London: week in Cornwall with 17 mth old

By Georgina Sturmer

Sometimes you just need to get away from London without the hassle of flights and jetlag.  In October, however, you can't rely on sunshine, so we wanted to stay where we knew that we could entertain our toddler, come rain or shine.  We spent 4 nights at Bedruthan Steps in Mawgan Porth, followed by 2 nights at the Red Barn near Bude.  Here's what we thought:

Bedruthan Steps
http://bedruthan.com/
This hotel bills itself as a luxury family friendly hotel with a stunning view across the Atlantic.  And they really know what they are talking about.  We stayed in a villa suite (with a separate room with 2 bunkbeds and space for a cot) which had French windows leading directly out to an outdoor play area. The food is excellent, with one restaurant catering all day long for family meals (with bibs, plastic cups and sippy cups all available) and another restaurant open for grown ups to enjoy a nice meal without the kids.  Jamie Oliver's Fifteen is nearby, as are lots of gorgeous beaches and other good places to eat. We had a few minor gripes, for example, there are lots of stairs to get from the main hotel area down to the villa rooms which is a bit of a hassle with a little one.  But all in all, this is the perfect place to relax and have a proper holiday.

View from room 111 at Bedruthan Steps

The Red Barn
We found this place http://www.venn-farm.co.uk/redbarn-01.asp on the Baby Friendly Boltholes website http://www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk/ and stayed there for 2 nights after Bedruthan Steps.  After the ease of Bedruthan, it was a bit of a shock to the system to have to cook for ourselves (and our toddler!) again but other than that, the Red Barn was lovely.  The main living area is spacious and very stylish, with 2 decent sized bedrooms (one Master with a double and one Twin with space for a cot) and a lovely bathroom.  The whole place has been kitted out to a really high standard the owners obviously take great pride in what they do.  The kitchen is lovely to cook in, and the lounge has a great selection of DVDs, games and books although the TV is a bit small.  If you're lucky enough to have sunshine, there is a BBQ on the decking and if not there is a fire in the lounge which kicks out some serious heat.  We were provided with a travel cot and a highchair, and stairgates which were incredibly useful.  Our little girl loved playing in the garden and visiting the chickens each morning to find eggs for breakfast.  If you do choose to stay here, and we would recommend it, just be careful as you drive up to the property.  The single lane track gives way to an even narrower driveway, so just hope that you don't bump into anyone coming in the opposite direction.


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