New ideas for when it feels like the whole of Cornwall is booked until 2023.
With international travel still up in the air and most planes remaining firmly on the ground, we find ourselves in the midst of another summer of staycations. Dramatic coastlines, greener pastures, and a slower pace of life make England’s South West a magnet for city dwellers seeking sunny sojourns but, as a result, a lot of accommodation is booked up for the summer and beyond.
As an antidote, we’ve found six new and hidden hotspots in Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset to salvage your staycation plans.
Hotel Trematonia, Cornwall
From now until 22 August, you can check in to a plush Castle Room or retro caravan at the Trematon Castle estate, which is owned by the founders of East London interiors maestro, House of Hackney. Bringing the brand’s signature maximalist aesthetic to the wilds of Cornwall, Hotel Trematonia is a bohemian idyll of painterly florals and velvet draping; outside, guests get the run of sprawling gardens, an Indian-inspired pool, and a fleet of House of Hackney print Jeeps.
The Great Garden Escape, The Newt, Somerset
Everyone knows The Newt, but you can now take a day trip to the bucolic bliss of the hotel’s extensive estate for a leisurely tour of the beautifully landscaped gardens, cyder tasting, deer spotting, farm shop perusing and a lunch of local produce at the Garden Café. It all sounds very wholesome and Famous Five, but everything is suitably luxe too, including the first-class train journey there and back, complete with breakfast and afternoon tea hampers.
Glebe House, Devon
Staying at this newly opened guest house in the rolling hills of the Coly Valley feels like a truly authentic country experience. With period features and traditional touches, the rooms are a refreshingly refined take on cottagecore. The East Devon setting, close to the untamed Jurassic coast, is full of off-grid, rolling hills and remote headlands hiding under-cliff beaches. This is a foodie hotspot too, with an emphasis on local, seasonal produce.
Three Mile Beach, St Ives
The special quality of light in St Ives has drawn painters for more than 200 years, and one spot preserving this charm beautifully is Three Mile Beach, a collection of 15 new beach houses amid golden dunes by the wilds of the Atlantic. Come here for Cornish holidaymaking at its most refined: seaside location, fresh beachy interiors, every beach activity you could wish for, and street food joints serving up local produce with trendy flair.
The Beach Hut, Devon
If you’re seeking seclusion, this remote beach cottage is the place, located on a completely private cove that is invisible from the coast path above. Made for two, it’s accessible only by foot and can be stocked with food hampers so you need waste no time before lighting the barbecue, opening a bottle of wine, leaping into the wood-fired hot tub, and whiling away the hours listening to the sound of waves crashing on the rocks.
The Harbour Beach Club, Salcombe
Plenty make a yearly pilgrimage to Salcombe in normal times, but the pandemic has seen it overrun with visitors, so seek serenity at the just opened Harbour Beach Club on dreamy South Sands Beach. Most rooms offer jackpot sea views, while a vast rattan-strewn waterfront terrace promises to fulfil international holiday cravings. Alongside the killer location, unexpected touches like complimentary sherry and gin set this place apart.
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