Gardens and grounds
The garden at Padstow Manor House is where the serenity of the house meets the calm of nature. Head out from the garden rooms to the oval sun lawn to chill with a beer from the bar and cook pizza in the outdoor kitchen.
Stay out there for the evening to stare at the gazillions of stars from the eight-person, woodfired hot tub, then towel off, wrap up and chew the fat around the firepit until the owls begin to hoot.
Living spaces
Choose from five living spaces, each one more serene and spiritual than the last. This is an 18th-century build restored to its original plan by Parti Architects. The honesty and authenticity of the past shine through in a celebration of exposed Cornish slate, original beams and restored fireplaces, all wrapped in a chic white minimalism.
And yet you’ll feel right at home here on the wild Cornish coast, totally relaxed and cocooned in the lap of luxury, with everyone who matters close at hand. Get together around the main living area’s 52” smart TV with Apple FireStick or escape for alternative entertainment to the snug TV.
Stay up late on a school night with games around the fire. Chat, laugh, and plan your stay using the online Lobby system: use the reception spaces for in-house activities such as yoga or as a setting for professional photography that documents the love and laughter you shared along the way.
Cooking and dining
Share the cooking in the white-and-slate Cornish kitchen on four electric ovens and two hobs, then get everyone together around the dining table that fronts the picture window onto the garden. Or head out there to the outdoor kitchen for pepperoni specials from the pizza oven washed down with beer from the bar.
Stay out there for sociable suppers warmed by the flames from the firepit. Or hand over the cooking to the pros: call up our chefs from DineIndulge for everything from a one-off celebration to a hog roast to a fully catered break. Or book tasty takeaways from Jojo’s Kitchen, Chip Ahoy, Fryer Tuck’s and Baan Waan Thai.
Head out to local pubs such as the 17th-century Ring O’Bells, with beers on tap and hearty, home-cooked pub grub such as Ringers’ Proper Pie, with beef cooked in real ale, or fresh Cornish fish pie. Or try catches, cuts and picks from the local Cornish larder at The Pickwick Inn with a side order of splendid views.
Try The Journeyman restaurant, with Asian curries served in a converted watermill. Maybe The Stepping Stone in Wadebridge, for marinated monkfish or local Cornish sirloin steak with blue cheese. Or perhaps it’ll be grilled bream with laksa noodles or sea bass fillet from Rick Stein’s.
Bedrooms
Sleep in 12 seaside sanctuaries with countryside views from the windows, contemporary prints on the walls and exposed slate and oak at every turn.
Bedroom one is a superking en-suite with separate shower, while bedroom two is a superking en-suite with shower room. Bedroom three offers a kingsize bed with private bathroom and separate shower, and bedroom four is a superking en-suite with shower. Bedroom five provides a superking or twin with en-suite shower.
Bedroom six is a superking or twin with en-suite bath, while bedroom seven comes with a superking or twin and a private bathroom. In bedroom eight, you have another superking or twin and two singles plus a private shower room.
Bedrooms nine and ten offer kingsize beds and en-suite shower rooms, and bedroom eleven provides a kingsize with en-suite. Bedroom 12 offers a superking with a bath in the en-suite. The snug has a double sofa bed for extra guests.
Children welcome
If the idea of trekking many miles from home, away from friends and family, worries your children, fear not. St Issey sits just off the A39, making transport links from London and the North a breeze. Best of all, with 26 guests, you can bring home with you, with all of its aunts, uncles, cousins and grannies. Oh, and two four-legged friends.
When they get here, all the fun and frolics of the wild and wonderful North-Cornish coast await, but there’s plenty on site to hold their attention as well. It all begins in the garden where you’ll dine out from the outdoor kitchen on pepperonis from the pizza oven and play games on the oval sun lawn.
Stay out there to hang around past bedtime around the firepit, with a throw around your shoulders and a marshmallow skewer in your hand. Older kids will enjoy staring at the stars from the eight-seat, wood-fired hot tub. Inside, movie nights beckon on one of two 52” smart TVs complete with Apple FireStick.
What people say
Chips, beaches and waves
Eat fish and chips on Padstow harbour wall, master the waves with the Harlyn Surf School, shoot 18 holes at Merlin Golf Club, or ride the Camel Trail with bikes from Padstow Cycle Hire. Meet a spectacular range of creatures at Newquay Zoo, brave the coasters at Flambards, or find amazing beaches such as Polzeath and Treyarnon Bay.
