Tr avel report NEWQUAY
Headland Hotel, which is – quite literally – on the edge of the sea, just to the side of the famous Fistral Beach.
Approaching the hotel is very picturesque, as the unique red-brick building is a the stark contrast to the lapping waves behind.
Entering the hotel you’re greeted by what I would call old-fashioned glamour, all the rooms are intricately furnished to the smallest detail and has all the luxuries that you rarely find nowadays in contemporary hotels, such as a morning room and a very attentive concierge service.
We stood waiting to check-in likening the scene to something out of Grand Budapest Hotel.
Our room was simply beautiful, we had a Fistral View suite, which meant we had the added luxury of a little living room on top of big double bedroom with dressing space and a big bathroom with a his and hers sink.
The windows looked right out on to the beach so you could watch the surfers attempting to ride the waves as you got ready.
As a resident of The Headland you also get complimentary access to the spectacular spa on the bottom floor.
Complete with sauna, steam room and hot tub, it is delightful – and that’s just the pool area. The spa features a small cafe, a nail-bar, multiple treatment rooms and a truly tranquil relaxation room to enjoy at your leisure.
The spa offers a wide variety of treatments including a Rhassoul mud room and an ELEMIS deeptissue full-body massage, which I gave a go.
The therapist asks what areas you’d like to focus on and asks about your general stress levels to assess any tension you might be carrying.
Then chooses an oil to match your mood, whether relaxation is your aim or something more uplifting. You’ll be sure to exit the room, as I did, very relaxed and calm as you’re led into the relaxation room to continue the total chill-out experience.
Before this trip I’d never set foot on a surfboard, and if you’d believe it, barely stepped foot in the sea – hello, sharks?
But never the less we made our way down (the short few hundred yards) to Newquay Activity Centre and tried our hand at surfing.
We enjoyed a cool two-hour taster lesson as we were both newbies and needed to learn everything from how to lie on the board to how to assess the waves.
The lesson included an introduction to all the main aspects of surfing; how to assess the ocean before heading out, safety, terminology (I now know what they mean when they fist pump in the air, it’s not having a blast, it’s danger), handling the board and jumping up if you can grasp it that quickly (I did not).
Before getting in the sea I was visibly nervous, which I’m 100 per cent sure our brilliant instructor, Brendan, noticed immediately.
However, he was extremely patient with me and gave me extra attention all the way through the lesson to make sure I felt as comfortable as possible and pushed me just enough to get me to give surfing my best shot.
By the end of the two hours we were confident looking for a wave to catch and getting on the board, paddling as quickly as our arms could paddle, and attempting to jump up on to our feet to ride the wave to the shore – and I for one came away pretty proud of myself.
We visited at the start of autumn which I originally thought might be a little cold to be wading into the sea but Brendan actually told us it’s the best time to swim as the sea has had the whole to summer to heat up so it’s actually pretty toasty in your wetsuit.
I have to say Brendan was brilliant and a very experienced surfer – previously teaching all over the world including surfing hotspots, Australia and Bali – and he was a great teacher.