RETREAT ON THE BEACH
Get dreaming….
Karma St Martin’s on the beautiful Scilly isle of St Martin’s offers a truly relaxing beach escape
Dubbed the Cornish Caribbean for its clear turquoise seas and white sand beaches, the Isles of Scilly – just 28 miles off Cornwall’s coast – offer seclusion from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Enchanting St Martin’s, just two miles long, is one of the archipelago’s five inhabited islands (a further 140 islets are uninhabited, except for seals and seabirds). In Lower Town, above The Flats beach, sits four-star Karma St Martin’s, a retreat hotel with fantastic views across Tean Sound to another popular island, Tresco.
When the government’s restrictions eventually lift across the country and travel is encouraged again, you’ll find a high standard of accommodation and amenities at this hotel. There are 30 luxury rooms and suites to choose from, plus the Cloudesley Shovell restaurant, known for its delectable seafood platters and lobster rolls. It’s named after Admiral Shovell, who was lost when his vessel, HMS Association, was famously shipwrecked on rocks off the Isles of Scilly in 1707.
Other fun things to do during a stay on St Martin’s include snorkelling with seals, and a round-island walk with hotel picnic. At the North Farm Gallery you can buy prints and paintings by local artists, and at Fay Page’s Jewellery Studio (featured in coast’s August 2019 issue) marine jewellery designs. As and when the luxury Karma Spa reopens to guests, you can expect dreamy Asian-style treatments, such as the two-hour Island Cleanse detox that comprises salt body scrub, foot cleansing ritual and Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage.
When it’s ‘business as usual’,
Karma St Martin’s opens from Easter until October – check the website for updates. The island can be reached by air from Exeter, Newquay or Land’s End and by ferry from Penzance. An Ocean View double room costs from £180 per night (including breakfast); for stays of three nights or longer the rate is from £160 per night. coast readers who book to stay three nights or longer will receive a complimentary two-course dinner on the first night. Simply quote ‘Coast’ when booking (the offer is valid up to and including July 2021). To book, call 01720 422368 or go to karmastmartins.com. For more information about the island go to stmartinsscilly.co.uk and visitislesofscilly.com.