UK Travel Blog

Perched on the cliffs amongst 12 acres of landscaped gardens, with south facing views across Mounts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on Cornwall’s Lizard peninsula, the Polurrian Bay Hotel is re-launching on 8th July 2011, following an imaginative make-over of the public areas and the majority of the bedrooms.

This 41 bedroom hotel is being re-positioned as the quintessential ‘family seaside hotel’ with a homely house party style atmosphere, offering great, locally sourced food and an array of children’s facilities; all at an affordable price for families (with children under 12 staying free in their parent’s room (conditions apply).

The property was acquired in February 2011 by Nigel Chapman’s Halcyon Hotels Group. Nigel is best known as the founder of Luxury Family Hotels (Fowey Hall, Woolley Grange, Moonfleet Manor and Ickworth), which he sold to Von Essen six years ago, and is most recently credited as a founder of Portugal’s leading luxury family resort, Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel, on the western Algarve.

The Polurrian Bay is Nigel’s first UK hotel acquisition since the sale of Luxury Family Hotels in 2005 and there are plans to bring in further similar properties as a new ‘generation’ of family hotels, each with their own distinctly welcoming and stylish character.

The original Polurrian Hotel dates back to 1890 and was the first hotel on the Lizard peninsula. Over the years the hotel has hosted a number of famous guests including the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi, who stayed at the original hotel in 1901 whilst conducting his experiments to send the first transatlantic message in Morse Code from nearby Poldhu Beach across the Atlantic to St Johns, Newfoundland.

Chapman’s team includes many ‘old hands’ from the Luxury Family Hotels days and they have now completed the first phase of the refurbishment to this century old building. Appreciating the fact that parents don’t want to compromise on quality just because they are travelling with children, they have created stylish yet comfortable interiors that are warm and welcoming with subtle touches that evoke the atmosphere of the hotel’s heyday as a classic 1950’s seaside hotel.

The spacious public rooms are being gently restored back to their Edwardian origins, with the pitch pine parquet floors now revealed – the fine features that characterised this stately hotel are now on show again.

Food is once again at the forefront of the story. Cornwall abounds with high quality produce including, of course, the freshest fish, often caught, cooked and served on the same day. Relationships with local growers and artisan suppliers are being nurtured and the food at the Polurrian Bay is best described as ‘delicious and unpretentious’.

The hotel is set in 12 acres of gardens with a series of terraced lawns. The south west coastal footpath, which is maintained by the National Trust, meanders discreetly through the gardens and it’s possible to join the path that leads down to the hotel’s own pristine sandy beach at Polurrian Cove or to follow the path to the small working harbour at Mullion Cove.

Guests can make use of the hotel’s leisure facilities with the cliff top tennis court; two swimming pools – one outdoor and another indoor heated pool and a sports field behind the hotel. For younger guests there’s a separate playground area with a wooden climbing frame, swings and a slide. Within the hotel a ‘movie theatre’ shows films for families as well as children and there are further child friendly facilities. For younger children aged between six months and eight years, the hotel offers a spacious and complimentary Ofsted registered ‘Den’ with plenty of toys, games and activities to keep even the most energetic children amused.

For older children there is the ‘Blue Room’, which is named after the tube created by a breaking wave – the holy grail of surfers. Stylishly designed with a futuristic look children can use this free of charge at any time and absorb themselves in the latest video games, or meet up with like-minded youngsters and indulge in more traditional pastimes such as board games, or a game of pool or table football.

To make parent’s lives easier the hotel also offers a babysitting service, high chairs, cots and baby equipment which can be ordered in advance.

For adults the hotel offers a ‘Purity Spa’ where parents can escape for relaxing and reviving facials, massages and wraps using luxurious Elemis products as well as Spiezia Organics.

Beyond the hotel a wide range of sporting activities can be arranged from cycle hire and horse riding to surfing and golf. There’s also a huge choice of exceptional beaches close by, such as family friendly Poldhu Cove and Praa Sands as well as the world famous beach at Kynance Cove. Wildlife enthusiasts will enjoy seeing the animals at the Gweek Seal Sanctuary or visitors can step back in history and experience a traditional Cornish Tin mine at the Poldark Mine.

Between 8th July and 4th September 2011, rooms cost from £150 per room per night including breakfast and VAT, based on two adults sharing an inland facing refurbished room.

Children under 12 stay stay FREE year round in their parent’s room on an accommodation only basis (subject to the suitability of the room to take extra beds). Children’s breakfast costs £5 per child per night for those aged two – seven years (inclusive) and £7:50 per child per night for eight -11 years (inclusive). Breakfast for children under 24 months is free of charge.

The first phase of the refurbishment will be completed by 8th July 2011; however a small selection of rooms will not be newly refurbished until Autumn 2011. When available, these rooms will be charged at a 25% discount on the room rates.