Luxury Cottages

The Lizard is the most southerly point in Cornwall and this tip of the Cornish peninsular is like an island in its own right.  Surrounded on three sides by the lashing waves of the sea you may get the distinct impression that you have travelled further than you think and have landed on a small island.  Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with many quintessentially Cornish fishing villages and harbours the Lizard is stunning and charismatic.  One visit could be all the inspiration you need to write a book or pick up a paintbrush.

Today the Lizard has become a holiday destination favoured by the well-heeled with an assortment of cafés, bars and chic galleries.  Visitors can take home an original piece of art to remember their Cornish holiday. The art culture in the South West is well renowned as the light in this part of the country is excellent for painting.  The Tate St Ives is just north of the Lizard and easily reached for a day trip.

When the weather is doing anything dramatic the Lizard is even more stunning, as if that is even possible.  In stormy conditions the waves crash and foam against the distinctive craggy coastline and in the summer against the backdrop of blue skies the indigo waters are as pretty as can be.

For a stay in this charismatic and ideal location why not take advantage of one of the stylish hotels or luxury cottages found in the area.

Luxury Cottages – St Ives

St Ives is a quintessential Cornish harbour town with one major difference.  The town boasts all the usual amenities of a tourist haven, it is nestled on the edge of the Celtic Sea, there are plenty of places to stay including lovely hotels, cosy bed and breakfasts and St Ives cottages that were once old fishermen’s homes and just wait until you see the luxury cottages in St. Ives!

There are beaches for the children to play on and great places to eat and drink for the grown-ups but, the feather in the cap of St Ives is the somewhat unusual existence of the Tate St Ives, arguably the most prolific gallery in the West Country.

Sitting above Porthmeor beach the spectacular building that was architecturally designed overlooks the rugged coast and the bay of St Ives.  The architects Evans and Shalev built the Tate St Ives on the site of the old gas works and the illustrious gallery was opened by Prince Charles in 1993.  The Tate St Ives is one of the most visited galleries in the UK and there are plans afoot to extend the site to be able to welcome more visitors.

St Ives Cornwall

It may seem slightly surprising to the rest of the world that such a tiny harbour should have such an illustrious art gallery in its town.  It is worth noting however that there is a huge art based community in St Ives and plenty of famous and notable artists have lived, worked and loved in St Ives.

The Tate St Ives also manages the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden, the home of the world famous sculptor Barbara Hepworth who lived there until she died in her seventies.

St Ives really is a truely amazing place to visit with so much beauty, history and art, this part of Cornwall really is magical and if you are thinking about taking a weekend break or even a holiday to St.Ives then I would recommend that you take a look at some of the amazing Luxury Cottages that are available to hire, it really is worth paying that little bit more to make trip that extra special!

Luxury Holiday Cottages V’s Hotels

Planning a trip away is quite a long winded project, it takes skill to coordinate a week’s wardrobe, pack a suitcase and organise the necessary paperwork.  The theory of ‘tickets, money, passport’ might well be fine if you are young, wealthy and single but otherwise taking a trip away can be much harder work.  Add in a child, a pet or a combination of both and the relaxing break just became a tricky task to challenge your coordination skills.

Once you have chosen your location one of the other main stages of planning is where to stay, do you go for a hotel or do you go for a luxury self-catering cottage?  The choices are endless but here are some tips to bear in mind that may help to tip the balance one way or another.

Choose a luxury cottage if…

You have a pet who likes space and freedom.

You have children who like space and freedom.

You appreciate a fully equipped kitchen with all the mod cons.

You cherish your privacy.

You like to throw parties practise the drums or play a loud musical instrument late in the evening or early in the morning.

Choose a hotel if

You don’t particularly want to lift a finger, even to make your early morning cuppa.

You appreciate a good wine list.

You love the idea of room service, Egyptian cotton sheets and expensive fancy soaps.

You like knowing that a full team of knowledgeable and friendly staff are at your service.

You fancy being lord and lady of the manor, even just for a short while.

Cornwall is a magnificent county with natural shades of every colour from dark slate grey to the rose and gold tones of the sunsets off the coast.  The immense stretch of coast makes the Cornish peninsular almost an island in its own right.  It has a wealth of exciting and inspiring things to see and do so; here is a list of the top Cornwall holiday destinations.

1. Penzance – The gateway to the Isles of Scilly and home to a restored sea pool and the bizarre Egyptian House; this is a wonderful town to visit.
2. Land’s End – well, it is the most westerly point on the British coast and as well as attractions on offer right there you can pop along the coast to the spectacular Minnack Theatre, an open air amphitheatre hand built in the last century.
3. St Austell – Perhaps not the first town that jumps to mind when thinking of an idyllic holiday destination but, with the Eden Project just outside and the St Austell Brewery in town for tastings it is a great place to visit.  See the surreal landscape carved from years of mining for china clay.
4. Mousehole – Pronounced ‘maowzal’, Mousehole is a tiny port on the south coast which is famous for being the birthplace of star gazey pie; a pie made with pilchards, eggs and potatoes that sees the heads of the pilchards stick out of the crust.  Try it at its best on Christmas Eve.
5. Bude – a wonderful seaside town on the north coast of Cornwall, popular for surfing on the two beaches accessible from the main town area.  Hawker’s Hut, a famous tiny hut perched on a coast path overlooking the sea is to be found near Bude.  It was the writing place of the poet and Reverend, Hawker.
6. St Michael’s Mount – A fairytale island that gets cut off from the mainland at Marazion by the tides.  You can walk the cobbled causeway to get there or take a ferry from Marazion.
7. Falmouth – A wonderful little harbour town on the south coast of Cornwall; Falmouth boasts a wonderful collection of boutique shops and art galleries.
8. St Ives – The village with the golden light that attracts artists from all over the world.  As a testament to the artistic kudos of the village The Tate have had a gallery open here since 1982.
9. Portreath – Portreath falls into the UNESCO World Heritage Site for the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape.  Interspersed with trails and pathways you will be able to explore this unusual and dramatic scenery.
10. Fowey – Pronounced ‘Foy’ Fowey is the legendary home of the Cornish lovers Tristan and Iseult and now a fashionable and much admired harbour on the south coast of Cornwall that was the actual home of famed writer Daphne Du Maurier.

If your thinking of visiting Cornwall for your summer holiday and staying more than 1 week then renting one of the many cornwall cottages could be the perfect option for you this summer.

Cornwall is an absolutely amazing part of the United Kingdom. Many people see it as a tropical island on its own, and it does seem almost impossible that this is simply a part of a much larger country.

The United Kingdom is mainly known for its frequent rain and cold conditions, but Cornwall actually has white sandy beaches, with palm trees lining the beach. This is in sharp contrast to the rest of the country.

Many people opt to have short or long holidays in Cornwall. Although there are many accommodation types available, ranging from free camping to five star hotels and from hiring a VW camper van to hiring a yacht, most people enjoy looking into Cornwall cottages for their holiday. There are many benefits to hiring cottages rather than going go a hotel.

But what are these benefits? For starters, hiring Cornwall cottages is usually much cheaper than renting a hotel room. Perhaps it is slightly more expensive than a campsite, but not by much. Since cottages come in all sorts of sizes, you could take an entire family, which would bring the cost per person down tremendously.

The best thing about renting Cornwall cottages, however, is that you will enjoy ultimate freedom of movement. You can get up and go to bed when you want, stock your own fridge, eat what you like when you like it, play music and so on. Most cottages come with a lovely garden, meaning you can relax outside without any worries as well. Some of these cottages are pet friendly, which means you can even bring your four-legged friend with you, rather than having to find kennels. The benefits just go on and on.

So how do you find these cottages? There are many websites that are dedicated specifically to finding Cornwall cottages. These are usually the best place to start. Here, you will be able to enter such details as your party size, length of stay, estimated arrival date and such things as whether or not you are bringing a dog.

Smoking is never allowed within Cornwall cottages, but you can check whether you are allowed to smoke outside on the grounds, or whether you will actually have to leave the grounds of the property altogether. If you don’t have an internet connection to find these cottages, you could also visit your local travel agent.

They tend to have quite a large list of properties available, including entire travel books dedicated to self-catering holidays. Make sure you read the fine print very well, including such things as whether a refundable bond is required on the property, whether electricity costs are included, whether you have to bring any bed linen and so on.

If you are planning a holiday, why not take a break from visiting urban jungles and head on to the delightful places to be found in North Devon?

One place that you can visit and stay in is a place called Appledore and there are plenty of Appledore cottages that you can view online so that you can choose one to stay in when you go on holiday.

These Appledore cottages can be as quaint and as inexpensive or as luxurious as you want them to be.

If you have a bit more money to spend then perhaps you can go for a pricier cottage with more trappings but for most people, budget Appledore cottages more than fit the bill.

But if you are hedging since you do not know what there is to do in Appledore then read on and perhaps you can make up your mind about visiting this wonderful little corner of the country.

Appledore in North Devon may not be a huge metropolis but when it comes to food, they have some mouthwatering dairy ices that are unmatched anywhere else in the world. You can also go crabbing and you get to take your bounty home and cook it yourself or visit a stall near the Quay where you can have it steamed.

When you get the chance to enjoy the sweet crabmeat that you caught by yourself, then you know that it is not a chance to be missed. This is a fun family activity that children of all ages will surely love to participate in.

Besides the food, there are other places to visit and things to do in Appledore. You can visit the maritime museum and see all the boats and gadgets that people who made their living by the sea used in earlier times.

You can visit the Torrington Museum where you can catch a glimpse of how people live in these villages and the best part is that this museum just happens to be free. If you are on a budget then this is certainly a place that you need to visit.

There are also some theaters that you can visit that will keep you entertained for hours on end. If you have kids with you there are a couple of amusement parks that you can visit where you can enjoy some rides and play some games as well as enjoy some theme park food.

If you want to go hiking and cycling then there are numerous paths and trails that you can visit. There is even a biosphere that you can visit and you only have to pay a tiny fee to get in. Truly, there is something for everyone in Appledore and that is why you may want to look at Appledore cottages now and make it your next Holiday destination.

Cheltenham Spa is one of the most fabulous towns in the country.  The town was built largely around the discovery of a natural spring and popped up rapidly during the reign of King George III and King George IV.  Cheltenham has continued to grow throughout the years and is now a melting pot of style and substance.  A traditionalist may prefer a Regency town house but a young urban professional may choose a brand new central apartment.

image via www.the-chance.co.uk

A visit from King George III initially prompted a building boom in Cheltenham as the royal visit made Cheltenham a favoured spot for the rich. The older architecture from this boom is mainly in the Regency style and Georgian style.  Throughout Cheltenham you will see many creamy coloured houses with wrought iron railings and balconies formed into long elegant terraces some curved some straight.  The style and elegance of the town is inspiring to any visitor and the mixture of sizes of buildings and differing degrees of detail keep your attention.

Cheltenham borders a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and many of the older countryside buildings, barns and stables have been converted or renovated to create stylish luxury cottages in the Cotswolds.

Cheltenham and its surrounding areas are full of beautiful old architecture yet, today the planners are happy to consent to newer developments being constructed.  The new buildings and developments are very strictly considered resulting in a marriage between old and new that opens the area up to all tastes and budgets.  Ultra-modern apartments stand next to older properties but the mix is dynamic and interesting and means that the town can continue to grow and develop.  Any visitor to the town will be impressed by the style and will want to stay longer to take it all in.

To find out more about Cheltenham you can visit the Official tourist information site here