The last time I was in Cornwall seems like a bajillon years ago (that’s a real word, ok?). It was for the eclipse all those years ago – just me and my mum for a week and what a week it was, we loved it. When Esplanade Hotel in Newquay asked me if we would like to come down to review their hotel I was over the moon, it was perfect as a few days before we were heading down to Devon to visit Crealy (which you can read about here) for a few days which meant that we were only a couple of hours away as opposed to the usual 7 hrs it would take us! Yikes!
Anyway, we arrived in Newquay at 6pm and from the moment we arrived we were so impressed with this hotel. I can’t express how amazing the whole place was for children, it was like every little touch that could be thought of had been. The very first thing that took our breath away was the glorious views from the hotel lobby. The lobby faces straight on to the Fiscal beach – the main surfing beach in Cornwall we were told, with the hotel boasting the Quiksilver shop and surf school attached giving them access to professional instructors, instant surfing gear and all you beachy needs. I’ll come back to this in a minute, but the other thing that struck us in the hotel lobby was the chest of buckets and spades for children to grab before they went down to the beach, meaning the that if you (ahem, like me) forgot your bucket and spade and beach toys, you need not fear – the hotel had you covered. Fiscal beach isn’t just an iconic surfing place, it’s also amazing for rock pooling, something that the kids absolutely loved. They caught loads of shrimp, watched (and tried to catch) mini fish that were swimming around the pools – must to my horror – and just enjoyed getting their toes wet. The hotel gifted us towels which was so appreciated, it meant that we could enjoy a good paddle on the beach without worrying about having to drag our soaking wet towels back home in the cases. They are available on request, so don’t forget to ask for yours before you head down to the beach.
Once we got up to our room we discovered that the magic didn’t stop there, the children had personalised spades and buckets, hot chocolate sachets were ready and waiting in five mugs (usually there are only mugs for the adults) and a build a bear bag on the kid’s bed. There was a personalised bottle of gin on our bed with a full itinerary of complimentary sessions that the hotel offered for children in the afternoons, from crafting sessions like doughnut decorating to build a bear and more. The kids were over the moon and couldn’t wait to get on to the beach – so naturally we obliged with a little walk down but the sea was already in so we headed down for a little sit on the stairs to watch the sea for 5 minutes before coming up to see what the restaurant had to offer.
The restaurant we reviewed differently, I as underwhelmed with my food and probably wouldn’t choose to eat an evening meal there again however Adam’s steak was delicious and he was impressed with the restaurant. We were both really pleased with breakfasts and would 100% recommend getting breakfast as part of your booking, from tasty full English to pastries and toast with every imaginable cereal for the kids which was fantastic. The children had really nice meals on the evening too and we noticed that the menu had a story on the back so that we could take a bedtime story up with us – which is super handy when you don’t bring away any books with you. I loved that there was an ice cream station but the kids were just too tired, so we bundled them out of the restaurant only to notice that the hotel offers complementary cookies and milk on an evening so that you can take them into your room and get off to bed! Another perfect touch for the children, one amongst so many.
The bedrooms are large and spacious, basic but clean and comfy décor and our room even had a deck to sit out and watch the sunset over the sea – it was beautiful. I noticed the following morning that the bathroom had two different types of wash – shampoo, conditioner and body wash/lotion from ESPA which is the hotel’s spa (located in the sister hotel just for grown ups up the road) which smelt amazing, and then one for children, which is amazing as Toby’s sensitive skin often suffers with over scented or harsh soaps in hotels.
After breakfast (which was lovely) we went for a play on the hotel’s football court through the bar (this doubles as a tennis court) and there is a little play house and pretty seating area for the children to enjoy. The hotel also has a little soft play area that was fantastic for the cooler days, late evenings and rainy days. As if that was enough, there is also an indoor swimming pool which Adam took Reuben to for a late night swim. The pool was open from early morning until 10.30pm which made it perfect for older kids to have that one to one time if they wanted it after the little ones went to bed.
Once we had a play it was time for us to head down the to beach for some rockpooling, a light lunch over at the beachside bar directly opposite the hotel and then our surfing lesson with Quiksilver Surf schools. Laurence from Quiksilver Surf school, the hotel’s very own surf school and shop, was absolutely amazing. He not only managed to get Reuben to get stood up on the wave in the sea, but also got Edith and Toby riding the waves – though Toby really wasn’t a fan and Edith only rode 2-3 waves, he still kept us all safe and taught the kids some really valuable lessons – as for Reuben, I genuinely think Laurence has created a surfer there. Adam had a fantastic time, he really enjoyed the little chance he got to get out and try riding the waves and we all feel really inspired to try surfing again!
Once we dried off, we went to a build a bear session and doughnut decorating hosted by the hotel, which the kids absolutely loved! Once we went over to decorate doughnuts we realised that there was a fab play area with DVDs and games for the kids to play, table tennis and more. It was fab!
Every member of staff at the hotel was effortlessly friendly and their goal really was to make the hotel as family friendly as possible. Toby did have an accident in bed on our second night, something that never happens, but when I told the hotel there was no angry faces, no charges and no making us feel awful, they were so understanding and friendly. We adored our stay with The Esplanade Hotel and we can’t wait to come back down to Cornwall again and stay with the hotel – it was perfect for children and I honestly can’t sing it’s praises enough. From friendly, personalised service to every possible thing thought of for the children. the Esplanade Hotel is Newquay’s ultimate child-friendly hotel.
H 🙂
