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You are here: Home / ADVENTURE / A weekend at the Headland Hotel in Newquay

A weekend at the Headland Hotel in Newquay

October 12, 2017 by Molly 5 Comments

The Headland Hotel and Spa

As we drove up to the gates of The Headland Hotel and Spa in Newquay the sun was setting, blazing orange against a lilac sky, dipping into the sea surrounding the imposing building. “It’s so grand!” exclaimed Freya, who was flapping with excitement at the thought of two whole nights in a “posh hotel”. We arrived just after 6.30pm on Friday night, the day of Effie’s birthday. She couldn’t have had a warmer welcome.

The Headland Hotel and Spa

The Headland Hotel and Spa

If you recognise the building it might be because this is where they filmed one of my favourite childhood films, The Witches, back in 1987. Fast-forward to today and the hotel’s undergone some major changes, including a new spa and current work to create an incredible swimming pool complex.

Our room was decked out in a balloon each for the girls, along with their own Princess Pack of activities, a special dressing gown each and a little collection of luxurious toiletries. Both girls were in heaven and the finishing touch – Effie’s own personal birthday card – was the cherry on the cake.

See the video I made of the weekend to get a glimpse of the room when we arrived:

That evening we ate in The Samphire restaurant, named after the edible seawood that clings to this section of the Cornish coastline. The food was delicious and the service impeccable – coming from someone who often dreads eating out with young children, this was a big win. As soon as we walked into the restaurant the waiters made us feel at ease. Offering a highchair and then, when that was scoffed at by Effie, a “princess” cushion, they all wished her happy birthday and made a big fuss of her. She was in her absolute element. As a parent, it’s touches like this that make you feel at home somewhere new. It didn’t go unnoticed.

The Headland Hotel and Spa

Our room overlooked the back of the hotel, with a clear view of the sea and the bright lights of Newquay. The Headland Hotel sits on the headland (obviously!) overlooking the famous Fistral Beach, surfer’s paradise and home to the Boardmaster’s pro surfing competition. There are self-catering cottages as well as the hotel itself, meaning it literally has something for everyone. Even dogs are welcome!

We woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of rain lashing the windows, so after a two-course breakfast (fruit and yoghurt for Si and I, pastries for the girls, followed by a Full English for everyone) we headed to the swimming pool and spa. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.

Although I didn’t try out any of the beauty treatments I did manage a full five minutes’ in the steam room while Si splashed about with the kids in the pool. Day. Made. The girls were obsessed with the bubble feature in the shallow end and had to be dragged out of the pool after about an hour, their skin shrivelled like dried prunes.

The thing about luxury hotels is that, often with kids, it isn’t a luxury – you know? No matter how many incredible beauty treatments are on offer or delicacies the top chef can whip up it doesn’t matter if you don’t get a moment to actually enjoy them. This is why we often opt for self-catering accommodation like an apartment or house when we go away. However – and it’s a big however – our experience at The Headland proved that you CAN enjoy a luxurious stay in a hotel with kids in tow.

This is partly because of the sheer size of the hotel. There are plenty of places to escape to and nooks to get cosy in, even when the rain is pelting down outside. It’s also partly due to the staff who are all so friendly and welcoming. On the Saturday evening we decided to let the girls stay up late while we hung out in the bar area after our meal in Newquay’s Pizza Express (although if we’d have known The Stable – a pizzeria and pie place – was literally next door to the hotel we’d have gone there). Usually I’d feel self-conscious about this, worried that people would think I was a bad mum for letting my kids stay up past 9pm, stressing that they might be in the way. But they were so well behaved and the staff were so friendly, offering drinks and snacks and always coming to our table despite there being a busy wedding to cater for, that we all felt relaxed and really enjoyed the evening.

Despite it’s size, the hotel feels cosy and is the perfect place to snuggle up in on a rainy autumn day. After a trip to Newquay Zoo on Saturday we spent a couple of hours just chilling out at the hotel, reading books, colouring, people-watching. As well as The Samphire, there’s also the Terrace – a laid back cafe and bar space to enjoy an afternoon tea, cocktail or brunch (they also offer breakfast and lunch too). The Terrace has an outdoor seating area too, so I can imagine this is the perfect place to watch the sun go down on a non-rainy day!

There’s so much to do in and around Newquay and The Headland Hotel is the ideal place to explore the area from, because it’s within walking distance of many places but not right in the centre of town. Newquay Zoo gave us a few hours’ entertainment, despite the rain, but we could have gone to the Blue Reef Aquarium, Lappa Valley Steam Railway, Healey’s Cyder Farm or one of multiple other day trips nearby. And that’s before we’ve even mentioned the beaches – one of which is literally on The Headland Hotel’s doorstep.

Fistral Beach is a huge sandy beach a two minute walk from the hotel, down a path onto the sand. As well as the beach, there’s a complex on the sand including a snack hut where you can get ice-creams, pasties and sandwiches, a couple of clothes shops selling brands like Fat Face and Joules, surf hire, plus a couple of restaurants including a Rick Stein fish and chip offering. But, obviously, if you’re staying at the hotel it’s just as easy to wander back up the path to the comfort of Terrace cafe or room service in your dressing gown, after a morning surfing or jumping in the waves.

We spent a whole morning at Fistral on the Sunday morning, after a last swim in the hotel pool. And, yet again, it reminded me how lucky we are to have such amazing beaches right here in the UK. You don’t need to travel abroad for incredible surf and sand – and even on a chilly autumn day the beach is a lovely place to be (if you can put up with an errant toddler throwing sand, that is).

I could go on forever about our wonderful weekend, the memorable third birthday Effie had or why we’re already researching another trip back to The Headland Hotel, but I won’t because I’ve already written way too many words. Instead I’ll leave you with a few more photos (yes, I went camera crazy). You can really get a feel for the hotel in the video at the top of this post, and see some of the outtake moments that come as standard on my YouTube channel!

 

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Thanks to The Headland Hotel for inviting us to stay for the weekend. All content and opinions remain my own. To find out how I work with brands check out my Work With Me page. 

Filed Under: ADVENTURE Tagged With: Cornwall, family travel, family-friendly hotels, hotels in Cornwall, Newquay, The Headland

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Comments

  1. Jade - Raising the Rings says

    October 14, 2017 at 11:14 am

    Oh this looks super homely, I love it! Looks like you had a fab weekend x

    Reply
  2. Emma - Life According to MrsShilts says

    October 13, 2017 at 8:45 pm

    I’ve always wondered what the inside of the hotel looks like after seeing it in the film. Looks like you had an incredible weekend and so glad your little lady had a wonderful birthday x

    Reply
  3. Claire at Tin Box Traveller says

    October 13, 2017 at 8:10 pm

    I love the traditional look of this hotel and Newquay is fab. We still have so much to do in that area despite several trips in the past year or so.

    Reply
  4. Jenna Parrington says

    October 13, 2017 at 4:39 pm

    Wow, you got so much done in such a short amount of time and the place looks amazing! I’ll have to visit sometime x

    Reply
  5. Pippa Vincent says

    October 13, 2017 at 5:54 am

    We stayed at the Headland earlier this year and loved it- the staff were all fantastic and the food was brilliant! We didn’t take the kids so it’s fab to see the bunk bed option!

    Reply

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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If you feel bad about your body you’re less like If you feel bad about your body you’re less likely to do nice things for it, including moving in a way that feels good and eating in a way that feels good. (FYI health is about more than just exercise and nutrition, but let’s get deeper into the exercise thing for a second...)
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Research shows kids who have low body image are less likely to get involved with sports and more likely to skip PE. 
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Want kids to move more? Stop teaching them that one type of body is better than another - because if their body doesn’t look like your version of a healthy / beautiful / successful body not only will they be more likely to feel shame over their body, they’ll be less likely to engage with the very behaviours you want them to do more of (or be more likely to engage with them in an UNhealthy way - compulsive exercise is dangerous).
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Instead:
💕Try talking about the intrinsic benefits of exercise over the extrinsic ones (ie. how it makes you FEEL instead of how it makes you LOOK).
✨Create opportunities for movement where ALL children feel welcome. 
💕Show children diverse representation so they can see sporting heroes with a range of body types and know that movement is for EVERYbody. 
✨Take a zero tolerance approach to appearance based bullying, body shaming and comments that perpetuate weight stigma (including even the hint that fat = bad). 
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(If you’re a teacher or youth leader interested in knowing more about this topic, a #BodyHappyKids workshop will help - follow the link in my bio 🥰❤️)
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[Image description: A multicoloured slide with an overlaid screenshot of tweet by Molly which reads ‘If your intention is to “get kids healthy” then you need to be aware of how weight bias, weight stigma and poor body image are active barriers to health. The end.]
Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a crying shame only the piles of laundry got to see it, quite frankly. Finally, a pair of pre-loved jeans bought online that are true to size, consistent with the rest of the brand’s sizing and actually fit! 🎉 
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PS heads up - I’ll be doing a Q&A about body image and kids in my Stories on Friday. The Q sticker is up in my Stories now if you’d like to submit a Q! 💕 #BodyHappyKids
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[Image description: Molly is standing in front of the mirror looking very pleased with the fact her new jeans bought from Depop fit her. She is wearing pink patterned jeans with cherubs on them, a pink check jumper and pink trainers. There are piles of laundry on the bed behind her.]
Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been our main form of entertainment this year. Anyone else? 
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I honestly now get excited about putting my boots on and being outdoors, even in the rain. I’m going to start hugging trees next and going on wild camping weekends that involve doing a poo behind a tree and making my own fire. Joke.... maybe. 
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Just another reminder that all movement is valid, exercise doesn’t need to have to be about burning calories or even tracking steps in order for it to be “worth it”. Hope everyone’s had a great weekend ❤️
#BodyHappyMum #JoyfulMovement
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Image description: Molly and her two daughters stand on a bridge in the countryside. They are all wearing hiking boots and outdoor clothes and smiling.
My body is good and excellent and my body only bel My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me ✨ (Words by Effie May, age 6 💕) #BodyHappyMum
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Image description: A close up of Molly’s bare skin as she hugs herself. It’s dark and part of her body is illuminated by light. She has her eyes closed and is smiling.
“Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. “Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. And my heart swelled. Maybe I’m doing an OK job after all 🤞❤️💕 #BodyHappyKids 
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I could leave this caption here but I need to make something clear: if you think it’s great that my daughter - a thin, white, nondisabled, cisgender kid - feels good in her body but you’re not here for the self-love of any kid who doesn’t look like her.... then you’ve missed the point.
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ALL bodies are good bodies, and without this important piece of the puzzle ALL children will be at risk of doubting their body. And what happens when they doubt their body? Well... hating our body doesn’t make us treat it with love, and the same is true of kids. 
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Great, now we’ve cleared that up, can we take a moment to appreciate the incredible phonetic spelling on show here?! 
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Image description: Effie, age 6, stands against a white wardrobe holding up a letter she has written to herself. It is spelled phonetically and reads “My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me.”
I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I ha I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I had any spare cash - not just treats, but basics like pants and tights that fit properly. I’d tell myself I didn’t need it, didn’t deserve it, couldn’t justify the expense. There’s still that little voice (the habit of putting everyone else’s needs first and my own last dies hard it seems) but I’m leaning into exploring why it still sometimes rears its head, instead of always listening to it. 
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I’m trying to buy as much as I can from pre-loved places or small businesses these days, which is why I’m very happy to share with you some of my latest finds: a star dress from Depop (£5), earrings from @kelzojewellery by @ourtransitionallife (£12) and the comfiest tights I’ve ever owned in Raspberry Pie by @snagtights (£6.99) 💕💕💕
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Have you found any great small brands lately? Shout them out in the comments so we can all support in the run up to Christmas. ⬇️⚡️
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Image description: Molly is smiling and sticking out her tongue to the camera. Her hair is freshly dyed a light shade of pink. She’s wearing a pink t’shirt underneath a black and white star patterned slip dress, with bright pink tights and black and pink earrings decorated with a boob design.
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