Chilled thrills in Cornwall

Jun 14 2009 by Jon OMalley, Sunday Sun

LOOKING for sun, fun and great food by the ton? JON O’MALLEY found just the spot . . .

ROLLING countryside blanketed by a mix of moorland and forests and all within a short distance of countless beautiful beaches. Sound familiar?

The comparisons between the stunning scenery myself and my other half passed through on a trip to the opposite end of the country, and that which we’d left behind in the North East, were easy to make.

So why would anyone want to travel hundreds of miles to an area which, at first glance, is very similar to the natural beauty in our own neck of the woods?

Speaking to those who are regular visitors to Cornwall’s Watergate Bay – one of the South West’s real gems – there are three main reasons . . . sunshine, surf and something you’ll never see on the North East coast as long as you live, which I’ll come to later.

Before the complaints flood in, yes, I know we sometimes have decent weather when the sun’s not busy elsewhere, and I know that, in Tynemouth, we have surf fit for champions. In this corner of Cornwall, however, you’re far more likely to be blessed with both.

Following a flight made fraught by a four-hour delay – “technical difficulties” – we landed shy of the mark and found ourselves paying an unexpected visit to Plymouth airport which, while pleasant enough, wasn’t Newquay, where we’d expected to land.

And so it was that we found ourselves being driven through that gorgeous scenery along with a fellow passenger . . . a lovely old dear who kept us so entertained with tales that the one-and- a-half hour journey to Newquay flew by.

A little late, and a little tired, we arrived at The Watergate Bay Hotel complex, a couple of miles outside the famous surfing citadel, and hastily rearranged a booking for dinner at The Brasserie, one of the hotel’s two main eateries, before heading to our room.

It must be said, that the suite we found ourselves in was almost worth the trek south alone. There are an assortment of suites and rooms of a similar standard at The Watergate, each different.

Ours came with a view of the bay, were clean, airy and came with everything from large, flat-screen TV to ironing board and power showers . . . great for shifting the day’s sandy deposits.

To the hotel’s rear is The Coach House, offering simple, economical accommodation, and there is also the option of self- catering “beach retreats”.

Refreshed and ravenous, we took our seats in The Brasserie, which provides meals we’d all recognise from any restaurant, but lifted beyond the ordinary by the use of local produce and the chef’s imagination.

For example, steak and chips becomes Cornish rib eye steak with flat mushrooms, roast tomato, triple-cooked chips and mustard creme fraiche.

For less formal dining, and to stave off the hunger pangs while out on the beach just yards from the hotel, there is The Beach Hut, where the food is simpler but no less local and no less delicious.

The signature Beach Hut burger was particularly good. They’ll also happily provide you with a takeaway.

Kids are high on Watergate’s list of priorities when it comes to food, with special menus cooked at a time when the little ’uns want to eat, such as early evening children’s suppers.

On the top floor, there is a family kitchen with microwave where, for instance, milk can be heated up. A supervised “sitting service” is also on hand should mum and dad fancy a little peace over dinner.

So, tired after travelling, but a little too well-fed to think about turning in – no matter how comfortable our enormous bed – we took our drinks on to the terrace.

There we waited for that special treat we can’t get back home . . . the sun setting over the sea. There’s a webcam on the hotel website – there to help surfers decide whether it’s worth trotting down to the beach – which, if you time it right, will give you a flavour of the experience.