The quiet UK beach away from the crowds – and it’s just like the Maldives
FANCY walking across the golden, powdery sands of an empty beach where the only footprints are your own?
You can, and you don’t have to do it in the Maldives or the Caribbean, either.
Head to Fistral Beach in Newquay — yes, that Newquay, the really busy one — and, voila, your private sands await.
Now, there is a bit of a catch. You do need to get up fairly early and, more crucially, you need to go in the winter, as we discovered on a long weekend in the Cornish resort last month.
There are, you see, TWO Newquays.
There’s the traditional “Newquay” which in the summer is awash with families on bucket-and-spade holidays, waves of surfers looking for the Big One and teenagers on the loose celebrating the end of GCSEs.
And then there’s “NQY”, as trendies have taken to calling this historic fishing port.
This is for the more discerning adult who likes the quieter winter months, wants to sip cocktails overlooking stunning scenery, eat food that wouldn’t disgrace a Michelin-starred restaurant and enjoy a bit of pampering in a spa.
We discovered this new NQY, named after the code for nearby Cornwall Airport, on a two-night stay at the Fistral Beach Hotel & Spa.
The NQY thing is, to be honest, a bit pretentious — for a start it’s harder to say than “Newquay” — but it does sort of make sense.
The ease of flying into Cornwall Airport is the key to enjoying a weekend here.
You might not fancy driving down from, say London, just for two nights but an hour flight from Gatwick or 75 mins from Manchester make Newquay very accessible.
And maybe what NQY really means is Newquay’s Quietly Yuppifying.
Nowhere is this more apparent than the brilliant Fistral Beach Hotel & Spa.
It’s a laid-back adults-only hotel that looks directly over the beach, with wonderful views. Our room had a seaview bathtub and balcony overlooking the bay — although it was too chilly to sit outside.
But there may be few finer evenings than sitting in the Bay Bar sipping speciality cocktails The Hugo (elderflower liqueur, mint, lime, Prosecco, soda) and a White Bay (Baileys, Absolut Vanilla, espresso, hazelnut liqueur, cinnamon), followed by dinner in the Dune restaurant.
Foodie Mecca
The food is a mix of Cornish fare with a twist and is subtle, tasty and beautifully presented.
Get the tasting menu for two for the best experience.
You might need a bit of a lie down after all this food. Why not do it in the spa while someone rubs oil into your skin during a massage?
The spa offers a range of serenity-inducing treatments that wouldn’t be out of place in some Balinese temple.
The pleasures in Newquay out of season are simple ones — bracing walks on cliff tops and along wide, sandy beaches and a dip in the sea to surf or bodyboard (cold, needless to say).
If you want to go further afield, Newquay isn’t far from the foodie Mecca of Padstow, the Eden Project, St Michael’s Mount, trendy St Ives and the outdoor Minack Theatre.
But the best bit is closer to home. A 15-minute walk up the South West Coast Path from the hotel will bring you on to the craggy cliffs of the Pentire Headland.
On one side is the Gannel Estuary, which is a great walk when the tide is out. On the other side are the wild waters of the Atlantic.
But perched on this windswept headland is a lone building, Lewinnick Lodge.
This bar and brasserie (and hotel) offers fresh, seasonal Cornish seafood as well as classic dishes.
The grub’s great but it’s the location that stuns, making a meal there a real experience.
As you savour your food you can look out to sea for dolphins or watch the drama as a storm brews up miles out in the Atlantic.
And it’s worth remembering as you stare out across the vast expanse of ocean that if you head west you will eventually come to another tourist attraction that likes to go by three initials — NYC.
GO: Newquay
GETTING THERE: Flights from Gatwick to Newquay with Eastern Airways are from £39pp. See easternairways.com.
STAYING THERE: One night in a standard room at the Fistral Beach Hotel & Spa is from £170 per couple including breakfast and complimentary spa membership.
Call 01637 852 221 or see fistralbeachhotel.co.uk.