What we did
The wind was blowing hard so we
swapped walking boots for dressing
gowns and booked an hour in the
Sensory Spa Garden, an outdoor
thermal circuit of seven experiences
inspired by fire, water, earth, air
and space. After applying the
deliciously scented dry scrub and
rinsing off in the hot shower (below)
we dashed to the cedar wood sauna
with circular window overlooking
the bay. After heat comes cold and
an icy drench was worth it for the
invigorating rush and reward of a
long soa k in t he hot t ub. Then it wa s
more scrubbing and showering
before drying off in our robes by the
f ire pit , feet in a wa r m foot bat h a nd
a mug of herbal tea in hand. We left
rejuvenated having enjoyed an
hour of peace without phones (or
children!), blissfully unaware of the
dark clouds gathering overhead.What we ate
Plenty! The hotel’s Wild Café is open
all day offering relaxed dining with
f loor to ceiling windows and chatty
waiting staff. The day gets off to a
good start with a generous breakfast
buf fet a nd addit iona l menu of
specia ls, such a s g rava la x w it h
potato rosti cake. After a morning of
spa and swimming we tucked in to
doorstop crab sandwiches while
building up to a blustery beach walk.
We chose to stick with The Wild
The bestthing
Thatyoucandoaslittleorasmuch
asyouwant.It’sa greatplacefora
mult i-generat iona lbrea k;wesaw
lotsoffamilieswithchildren,
grandparents,anddogs,too.There’s
a softplayarea,kids’clubs,outdoor
playareaandgamesroomstokeep
childrenbusy,whileyouenjoythe
spaandquietlounges.Workshops,
frompotterytoscreenprinting,
takeplaceregularlyina sunnyroom
withthatbeautifulseaview.The
locationis prettyunbeatable;cliff
topwalks,someofCornwall’sbest
beachesandseasidetownssuchas
Padstowa shortdriveaway.Andif
theweatherdoesn’tbehaveyoustill
feellikeyou’vehada doseofnat ure
justsitting,gazingattheocean.We also liked
Welovedthespa,particularlyin
theearlymorningsandtowards
theendoftheday,whenit was
a bitlessbusy,andweenjoyed
potteringbetweenthesteamrooms
andthelargehydropoolbath.
I alsohada fantasticOulamassage
withtherapistLinda,whoseemed
tointuitivelyknowjustwhatmy
achingbackneededandherfirm
strokescombinedwitha bitofreiki
healingloosenedmyknotsand
stilledmymind.Thespa’sOula
products(Cornishforowl),are
usedinmostoft het reat ment sa nd
theirlovelyshampoosandshower
gelsfeatureinthehotel’s
bathrooms.I particularlyloved
thelemongrassscentedseasalt
andseaweedscrub(aboveright)
fromtheSensoryGardenand
couldn’tresistbuyingmyselfa tub
tobringhome.Prices start from£165fora double
room; bedruthan.com.Café again in the evening and sample
more of the local fish – Cornish hake
with olive tapenade and artichoke
stew (below) was light and delicious.
The Herring, meanwhile, is a more
intimate adults-only restaurant with,
you guessed it, fabulous sea views. If
we’d stayed longer and the outside
world had been more inviting we’d
have sampled some of the area’s local
fish restaurants and coastal pubs, but
for a weekend we didn’t need to
venture outside the hotel.A PLACE TO STAY