Supreme Orlando
WELCOME
The hotel was so new we could still smell the fresh paint as we walked in. England’s first vineyard hotel opened last summer with 17 en-suite rooms. It has been designed with the planet in mind and hopes to lead the way when it comes to sustainable green tourism. The check-in desk was next to the dining room and we were instantly struck by the stunning view looking over the huge vineyard – an event space where the hotel will host weddings.
ROOM
After being warmly greeted by the staff, we were escorted to our room in a building next door, where all the bedrooms face out on to the vineyard. All are modern, spacious and tastefully decorated. Extra touches included a Nespresso coffee machine and a delicious selection of shortbread and caramel wafers.
Just the ticket after a long drive. NEIGHBOURHOOD
Denbies is nestled deep in the Surrey countryside, just 50 minutes from London on the train. It’s a peaceful, tranquil setting. Relax in your room, enjoy a wine tasting or learn more about the biggest vineyard in England on a private tour.
FOOD AND DRINK
We enjoyed a private wine tasting and as a pair of novices, we found it fun and informative. Jeremy, our host, was the perfect teacher and might have got us a bit tipsy. Later we devoured a feast of salmon pastrami (£9), venison (£26), cauliflower risotto (£17) and toffee apple pudding (£8). LOVED
We were staying in a vineyard hotel – so the best bit had to be the wine! We loved it so much we even bought some from the on-site shop to take home.
HATED
The hotel could have been better signposted. We almost missed the turning on the way there and initially went to the main building rather than the new hotel.
BOTTOM LINE
Prices start at £120 a night for a vineyard-view double petite room.
CHECK IT OUT denbies.co.uk.
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SPRING comes earlier to southern Cornwall than anywhere else in the country. That means gardens blazing with camellias and magnolias and fishing villages without the crowds.
Bloom boom Spring gardens
While most gardens wait until April to open, most of Cornwall’s – and there at least a dozen along the southern shore – are welcoming visitors already. And they kick off the year with a remarkable showing of potent pinks, purples, yellows and reds.
Daffodils have long been grown commercially here but if you see any stripes of yellow on the hills, it means they have flowered faster than the pickers can keep up.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan is among the most famous, with its natural sculptures and banks of rhododendrons. See heligan.com.
Then there’s Tregothnan, in its extensive forested grounds on the banks of the Fal creek, where English tea is cultivated and sold. See tregothnan.co.uk.
Caerhays has the most magnificent giant magnolia trees, which trigger like a slowmotion fireworks display around the manor house that is Caerhays Castle. It shelters in a valley running down to its own beach.
Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was filmed here and it does have a certain magic to it. Tickets cost £9. See visit.caerhays.co.uk.
Bobbing along Fishing villages
At this time of year, southern Cornwall’s fishing villages have yet to be overrun by visitors and traditional lifestyles are still evident.
Mevagissey – the focus of an episode of the recent BBC series Cornwall: This Fishing Life – still has an extensive fleet in its harbour. A lot of the quayside activity is fishing related, although many village properties are holiday homes.
What a contrast, then, with Portloe, about ten miles south along the coast, which is a spectacular little collage of roofs, walls and windows in a deep cleft in the shoreline. It is all patched with lovely little gardens, bathed in sunshine and cocooned against bad weather. Its tiny sheltered cove could barely accommodate more than one boat at a time.
Then there’s Looe, where the fishing fleet that crowds up the river has to play second fiddle to tourism.
Looe’s narrow lanes are stuffed with craft shops, cafes and bakeries, with fresh fish sold from the quayside. The lanes end at a neat beach, usually packed with families in summer.
Take a hike Coastal path
The South West Coast Path is famed for its dramatic views, secret beaches and wild headlands. But at this time of year, you will need to seek out sections on its more sheltered south.
A great place to start is St Just, on the Roseland Peninsula, where the little church – hugely popular for weddings – sits in a churchyard that doubles as a botanical garden.
Tombs are hidden behind bamboo and monkey puzzle trees rise up among the gravestones. You could almost be on a
Costa somewhere.
From here, walk the couple of miles along the shore to sophisticated St Mawes, where you’ll find several good places to eat and the foot-ferry across to Falmouth.
Alternatively, for something wilder, head out to the National Trust’s Nare Head, where you’ll
Inevitably, there are going to be times when the spring weather drives you indoors and the No1 all-weather attraction for garden lovers has to be the Eden Project.
The attraction’s huge biome domes just outside St Austell represent pure escapism. The steamy rainforest biome – complete with birdlife and waterfalls – will make you feel like you’ve been whisked to Malaysia or even Australia, but without the flight costs. Entry is £26. See edenproject.com.
Meanwhile, a couple of miles south, is the Unesco-registered port of Charlestown, which looks like a film set from a pirate movie and