Polpier
Sleeps 16
Mevagissey, Cornwall
Pool, gardens and grounds
From the two-acre garden here, life is all about the views. See the sun rise over the harbour, with the day boats off to secure their catch. Watch the sun sparkle on the water. Taste the tang of sea salt in the Cornish air mixed with the perfumed balm of the flower garden. You won’t forget this in a hurry.
Swim in the heated pool, slide into your strokes on the clay tennis court, hang out on the slate terrace. Wander the herb gardens, play croquet on the lawn, gather in the gazebo bar with its infinite panorama. Eat from the wood-burning pizza oven, put away a Prosecco or two under the enchanting lighting warmed by the woodfire.
Living spaces
Spaces here are all about dozing, snoozing, reading, lazing, and dancing. Do as the mood takes. In the central hall is the disco. An integrated dual player/mixer and two turntables provide the beat that synchronises seamlessly with the pulsating coloured light beams. Fuel your furious feet with cocktails from the gazebo bar.
Recover in two main reception rooms: fire up a film on the Bose home-cinema system in the family room or escape with a book to the drawing room with its harbour views. Get together for snooker and table tennis in the games room. Drop your muddy togs, rods and rackets in the boot room, the source of many an adventure.
Cooking and dining
The Aga is the attention-grabber here. Dive in and keep the place toasty as you sear and sizzle your stuff from Lobb’s Farm Shop. Or settle back on the sunloungers while our pro chefs take over. Eat in the breakfast room, around the 16-seat diner, out on the sun terrace off the kitchen, or in the gazebo bar with pizza from the wood-fired oven.
Did we mention the ante-kitchen? Oh yes. You’re nothing without this second kitchen that includes two spacious fridges, ice-maker, sleek hob, dual ovens, dishwashers, and a convenient sink. Shop at Tesco, Lidl and Aldi with wine from Polmassick Vineyard. Get your fish and chips from The Fishermen’s and Indian from Mevagissey Spice.
Eat out at The Crown with beer garden and views over the ‘Cornish Alps’. Pick from an indulgent menu that includes oven-baked ciabattas, loaded nachos and dirty fries. Try mussels, steak, scallops and more at The Fountain Inn. Or set sail for The Ship Inn for hearty pub grub washed down with navy-strength gin.
Consider halibut with roasted hazelnuts or venison and celeriac at Salamander, fresh seafood on the quayside in The Sharksfin, or crab cake, scallops or monkfish straight off the day boats at One Polkirt Hill. Or eat at exclusive 12-seater Portuguese Alvorada in the heart of Mevagissey, serving fresh local fish from its own boat.
Bedrooms
Sleep seems easier beneath the caw of the gulls with the promise of a sunrise across the sparkling harbour. With eight en-suite bedrooms, including a honeymoon suite, Polpier accommodates 16 guests. Many rooms have sea views.
On the first floor, the Red Bedroom offers a superking bed, en-suite walk-in shower, and breathtaking views of the harbour, while the Green Bedroom comes with superking bed that converts into a twin and en-suite bathroom with rolltop bath.
The Grey Bedroom has a superking bed and en-suite bathroom with rolltop bath, while the Blue Bedroom gives you a superking bed and en-suite with rolltop bath and walk-in shower. The Yellow Bedroom is an en-suite superking with rolltop and great views.
The Aqua Suite offers a superking bed with stunning views and a second bedroom also with superking that can be converted into twins. The rooms share an en-suite bathroom with rolltop bath and separate walk-in shower.
Just a stroll away, the Honeymoon Suite delivers total seclusion. Relax on the soft sofa in front of the woodburning stove, spread out in the superking bed, and spruce up in the en-suite shower and dressing room. Cook in the kitchenette and take in the views from the glass-screened balcony.
Children welcome
It’s been a long trip, but you’re here now, high above the harbour at Mevagissey. This is a new world, where the rooftop views take you down to the quayside boats and gulls. The Cornish coast is legendary, but there’s plenty on site at Polpier to hold your interest – not least because, with room for 16 plus dogs, you get to bring half of home with you.
Explore the two-acre garden. What will you find? Great views and a stunning sunset, for sure. But how about a set or two of tennis on the clay court? A game of cricket or croquet on the lawn? A few lengths of the heated pool, open from Easter until September? Then maybe burgers from the barbecue or pizza in the wood oven?
Tuck into your meals on the slate terrace or in the gazebo hut, with the sun dipping behind Polkirt Hill in the west. Head inside to gather around the Bose home cinema, and play table tennis and pool in the games room – or bedtime-busting board games all night. Maybe join the grown-ups in the disco room or even run the DJ booth?
Polpier is heaven for kids. Toys, books, and DVDs abound, the swimming pool is fenced (but watch out for an unfenced pond), and you’ve got two travel cots and high chairs for the very young. Sleep in eight bedrooms (seven en-suite), add more guests at sister cottage Penpol, and wake to the call of the gulls and the lure of the Cornish coast.
What people say
Boots, buckets and beaches
See the largest indoor rainforest in the world at The Eden Project and ride England’s longest zip line. Bring your buckets for beaches at Polstreath and Portmellon and wild-swim at Talland Bay. Get a history hit at Trewithen and Lanhydrock, tame the clifftop course at St Austell Golf, and strap up your boots for the South West Coast Path.
