Spring comes early to southern Cornwall. At the Nare Hotel in Veryan, its arrival is gauged with ritual precision: six magnolia trees in the county’s great gardens must each bear 50 blooms. When we visited in late February, we missed this moment of celebration by a matter of days, and the weather remained resolutely wintry, with chilly easterly winds and breakers booming through the night. But the Nare’s location is glorious in any weather.
Follow the narrow lanes from the village of Veryan through the rolling hills down to the sea, and Gerrans Bay opens out: to the east are the high cliffs of Nare Head, to the west there are panoramic views towards the village of Portscatho, in front are the pale sands of Carne Beach, a mile wide at low tide. Most of the coastline is owned by the National Trust, so it’s entirely unspoiled and crisscrossed with footpaths.
Sited unobtrusively just above the beach, surrounded by elegantly landscaped subtropical gardens, is the Nare. Originally built in the 1930s, and run by the same family since the late 1980s, it has a resolutely old-fashioned charm, but every modern comfort.
Why stay here?
The Nare is a classic country house hotel: the lobby is all tartan carpets, floral wallpaper and old prints. Beyond it there’s a comfortable bar and sitting room, where delicious complimentary cream teas are served every afternoon. Beyond that are the gardens, and the sea.
The rooms are all extremely comfortable and thoughtfully designed, in a way that doesn’t feel impersonal; with interesting wallpaper, antique furniture, flowers, fruit, books and Roberts radios. The whole hotel has a retro, Agatha Christie-ish, mid-century appeal. Overlooking the sea, there’s a swimming pool with beach huts, a hot tub, and a tennis court.
But the things that really stood out, to our family of five, were the staff and the stunning location. The hospitable owner, Toby Ashworth, the scion of a long line of hoteliers, has been working at the Nare since 1996. A portrait of his formidable predecessor, his grandmother Bettye Gray, hangs above the reception desk. He entertains guests, many of them returning regulars, at Tuesday-night drinks. It’s an AA five-star hotel, with the level of service that implies. But that doesn’t quite do justice to the staff, many of whom have worked at the hotel for decades, and are wonderfully helpful, warm, funny, tolerant of noisy children and annoying dogs. (Well-behaved dogs are welcome.)
It’s hard to imagine a nicer hotel room than the suite in which we stayed – one of the newer Whittington Suites at the western end. The main suite has two bedrooms arranged around a sitting room and a small kitchen. There is every hotel-ish luxury: huge spotless baths, fluffy towels, sumptuous sofas, ultra-comfortable beds, a decanter of sherry. And, of course, there are those panoramic sea views, always visible through the vast French windows: these are thought to be the largest sea-facing suites in Britain.
Eating and drinking
In season, you can dine à la carte in the Quarterdeck restaurant or on the terrace. In the dining room there is a five-course fixed-price table d’hôte, serving traditional English cuisine in a brilliantly old-fashioned style, with silver service flourishes, explosive tableside flambés, and a dessert trolley stacked with hearty puddings. Cornish beef, crab, lobster and fresh fish were all excellent. The breakfasts are lavish, with everything on offer from a full English to kippers, eggs benedict to prunes with clotted cream. Special mention should be made of the chef’s home-made marmalade.
Things to do
There’s lots to do in the area. The pretty seaside village of St Mawes, looking across the Fal estuary at Falmouth, with its boats and castles, is 20 minutes away. A little further are The Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey, an exotic Victorian garden – overgrown after the First World War but revived in recent decades – and known for its rare plants, vast gunneras and earthy, outdoor art; the cafes are nice, too.
A short drive via the chain ferry at King Harry Ferry will take you to Falmouth, and beyond it children will love the excellent Cornish Seal Sanctuary at Gweek on the Helford River. In summer, the hotel’s classic motor launch, the Alice Rose, is available to hire.
There’s also plenty to do without getting into a car: tennis, croquet and swimming at the hotel; an outdoor and an indoor pool, with steam bath and a sauna. Best of all, for us, were the walks from the hotel, over the beach at low tide, and on the South West Coast Path. Wellies of every conceivable size can be borrowed from the bootroom.
The verdict
The Nare is a seaside country house which provides old-fashioned luxury in a stunning location, a secluded bay on the coast of southern Cornwall. Looked after by its excellent staff, guests can enjoy an opulently upgraded version of a classic seaside holiday, with wonderful views, coastal walks and cream teas.
Theo was a guest at The Nare Hotel where double rooms start from £406 per night in low season.