Holiday Cottages Cornwall – Where Do You Start?

If you have already spent a holiday in Cornwall, you may well wonder why anyone would choose anywhere else!  Magical Cornwall seems to have everything you might look for in a holiday destination.

However, you may have decided to go to Cornwall for the first time and be wondering whether to rent a holiday cottage in Cornwall, or stay in a hotel.  There are some lovely hotels in Cornwall.  Sadly, however, the UK hotel industry as a whole still has some way to go in providing value for money and really good service.  Renting holiday cottages in Cornwall can cost you less and free you up from the limitations of staying in a hotel.

So if you are looking at holiday cottages in Cornwall, how do you go about making a choice?  The range and selection is awe-inspiring!  How do you know where to start?

First of all, decide whether you want to go through a lettings agency or rent direct from the owner.  The latter may be cheaper but you don’t get the quality checks that you get from an agency, so you take more of a chance. 

Consider what you are looking for in a Cornish holiday.  Are you specially attracted by the enchanting creeks like the Helford River?  the beautiful little sandy, rocky coves all round the coast?  the superb beaches and surfing facilities in places like Newquay and Perranporth? or the steep coastal villages like Port Isaac with phenomenal views?  Of course, in Cornwall, especially in the west, distances are short, so you can get anywhere in less than an hour.

What kind of accommodation are you interested in?  Holiday rental in Cornwall is big business, and at the top end of the market you can find houses and apartments with five-star amenities including private beach access, swimming pools, jacuzzis, hot tubs etc.  But if your tastes or your budget are more modest, it’s not a problem – there is a range of cottages and flats to suit every taste.  If you want to keep costs down, properties not directly by the sea are cheaper – remember you can still get to the sea pretty quickly from anywhere.  If you can possibly avoid the peak season, do try to do so as prices in Cornwall get quite inflated at peak holiday times.

Holiday cottages in Cornwall get snapped up very fast, so do book early. For a summer holiday booking you should start looking in January at the latest.  Remember that many people go back to the same cottage year after year and book their next holiday at the time of the previous one.  So really, the earlier the better.  You are very unlikely to get discounts for last-minute booking!  You will simply find you have a very limited choice.

Nowadays most people take a car to a holiday letting, but some people still prefer to use public transport.  Some holiday cottages in Cornwall are pretty remote and a car is essential.  If you are not taking a car, you must check proximity to shops, pubs, restaurants and transport links. 

There is such an incredible variety of holiday cottages in Cornwall that whatever your tastes and preferences, you can find one to suit you.  Just be careful not to get swept away with the beauty of a particular property without giving thought to  what kind of holiday you want, and what your family requirements are.  Choose carefully, and you can be sure of a truly magical holiday.

50 essential items every Cornish girl should have

Reading the paper this weekend I came across a funny little article in one of the magazine supplements. The article was entitles ’50 things that every British girl should have’. Thinking that I may uncover some useful information I began to read the feature. I quickly began to realise that this article was not completely accurate. It may have been better off titled ’50 things nearly every British girl should have’.

You see, I am an English girl living in Cornwall but I would never dream of buying some of the things on the list simply because of where I live. This does not make me less English or less of a ‘girl’, it’s just because we Cornish girls just go by a different set of rules.

Read any information on ‘things to do in Cornwall’ and you will see what I mean. Every Cornwall holiday tourist information website gives you the advice to ‘bring sensible footwear’ and there is a reason for that, believe it or not!

When I read one particular item on the list was ‘brightly coloured stilettos’ I nearly fell from my seat. Brightly coloured stilettos? With all the cobbles and steep hills I would only buy these if I had a death wish or a bunion fetish. What if you get invited to a boat party or a spontaneous cliff-top rave? You won’t want to go in heels if you want to come back in one piece! I own just two pair of heels and they have to go with nearly every dressy outfit I own.

The emphasis in Cornwall is more about having fun than looking polished. It is better to be able to be spontaneous and adventurous than trapped inside your clothes all night. This is why I have devised my own list of 50 things every Cornish girl should own because there is no way we can let ourselves be lumped into one boring category!

A cool waterproof coat with a hood would be first on the list. Sea winds have the power to ruin any hairdo, even if it has been Elnet sprayed and Kirby gripped into oblivion. Number two would be flat or low heeled leather boots. Ankle or knee length you can where them into town, to a garden party, the cinema and even out to dinner. There you are, weatherproof and perfectly on trend.

This would be closely followed by sun glasses. Bright sun in the middle of winter is a common occurrence and there is no way you could survive a Cornish summer without them. They must be made by a well known durable company, fiddly nose bits that get stuck in your surf hair every time you push them off your face whilst driving through shady country lane is a big no thank you.

A car vacuum for sand is also high on my list. Whilst you live in Cornwall your car will never be free of sand. Ever! Even if you don’t set foot on a beach all year.

I have not quite finished the full list yet because there is so much to add. When I do I am going to publish it on my own blog page to be used as a real Cornish girls guide to their 50 essential items.
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Sarah Maple is interested in Cornwall tourist information and things to do in Cornwall.