Cornwall without the crowds? There is such a place in the secluded Hotel Meudon, with its own private beach
Why go
If you are longing to escape to Cornwall post-lockdown but can’t face the crowds, then how does a secluded hotel, tucked in acres of sub-tropical gardens, with its own private beach, sound? Answer, a dream come true. And that’s what it is - the newly-refurbished Hotel Meudon, near Falmouth, has been one of Cornwall’s best-kept secrets, until now.
As soon as we check-in, we enter a little slice of paradise, where nothing is too much trouble for the guests. The hotel is dog-friendly, so we brought our furry friends along and like us, they had an incredible time. Staff presented them with doggy beds and treats and they were welcome to come everywhere with us including the bar, so they were almost as pampered as we were. The only place out of bounds for them was the restaurant. If they could have done doggy yoga or had a hot stone massage in the treatment rooms, they would have done.
The rooms
The hotel has been newly-refurbished, in a country-manor luxe style and the bedrooms are super-comfortable. There are garden and sea-view rooms and suites and for those wanting the best of a hotel stay with a self-catering experience, there’s also a cottage in the grounds, which was formerly the Head Gardener’s residence.
Food and drink
The food was a highlight for us and we started as we meant to go on, tucking into a traditional afternoon tea, whilst enjoying the beautiful views of the garden: after all, you can’t go to Cornwall and not have a cream tea, can you? The delicious tea included a variety of sandwiches and very pretty desserts as well as the famous, tasty Cornish scones with jam and cream. It didn’t disappoint, especially washed down with a glass of Champagne.
The restaurant is also a standout – serving a locally-sourced, seasonal menu, it’s based around what the fishermen bring in on the day and whichever vegetables are in season at nearby farms. The food is delicious and well-presented and the staff so helpful. Special mention goes to manager Steve, who made us feel very welcome and kept us entertained with many stories about Cornwall.
Much of the action takes place in the extremely-cool bar, which makes you feel like you are in a private club in Mayfair, rather than the south coast of Cornwall. It serves some of the best cocktails in the county, from the popular Bramble, to our favourite, the Cornish Rose, made with organic rose gin from Cornwall and Prosecco. It’s also stocked with lots of local artisan gins, Cornish ales and whiskies and serves share plates if you want to hang out there all evening.
The grounds
We loved the nine acres of exotic sub-tropical gardens, which sloped down to the hotel’s private beach, Bream Cove. The magnificent grounds are a riot of magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons as well as towering trees including the rediscovered Wollemi Pine, once thought to be extinct. You could spend your entire time in the grounds or paddle-boarding on the beach, but if you did want to venture further afield, Falmouth is only 15 minutes away with its abundance of boutiques, cafes and bars.
For more nature, also nearby are the unmissable Trebah Gardens, with 26 acres of sub-tropical valley gardens, ponds and pools and a private beach and open-air theatre. With four-miles of footpaths, it’s a simply beautiful place to spend the day wandering around and like the hotel – somewhere we never wanted to leave.
Book now
Rooms start at £119, visit meudon.co.uk, email reservations@meudon.co.uk or call 01326 250541