In the know

House style

Coastal cottage, loft-style living

Grounds

Hidden off Mousehole’s harbour

Sleeps

2 and possibly also a baby.

Ideal for

Couples.

Rates

Low season (31 October–27 March): Friday to Sunday, £270; Friday to Monday, £350; four-night midweeker, £420; full week, £515. High (3 April–29 May; 4 Sep–30 October): Friday to Sunday, £290; Friday to Monday, £430; four-night midweeker, £510; full week, £615. Peak (29 May–4 Sep): Friday to Sunday, £320; Friday to Monday, £450; Four-night midweeker, £540; Full week, £715.

Minimum hire

Two nights at weekend, four nights during the week.

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Interior

Bedrooms 

The bedroom is the Old Store’s trump card; it’s a sanctuary of calm with all-white walls and a high-white gloss beamed ceiling. New England-style shutters lend a colonial charm.  Always flooded by south-facing light, the shutters allow for lazy days and early evenings.  Splashes of vibrant colour from original Sir Terry Frost artworks and chic turquoise bedside lamps bring the room to life. There’s a double freestanding bath stood neatly in the corner offering the perfect place for a long soak (for you both if you are prepared to share).

Kitchen Fully equipped with black marble surfaces and oak cupboards, a Baumatic gas oven, integrated washing machine/dryer and dishwasher plus everything else budding Gordons or Nigellas could possibly desire including a hand-blender, mixer, scales, lobster crackers and cookbooks aplenty. The cupboards are also stocked with the basics such as tea, coffee, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Living room The open-plan living room, kitchen and dining area blend a mix of old with new and echo the fresh feel of the bedroom above. A slate floor is a great canvas for chic designer furniture that includes a bespoke linen-upholstered corner sofa scattered with fuchsia and turquoise cushions. The look is contemporary seaside chic but traditional comforts include a wood-burning stove which on colder nights is begging to be lit, the lighting dimmed and shutters drawn. A nautical stainless steel and rope banister with oak handrail remind you of the seaside location as does the bespoke porthole in the front door.

Dining room It's open-plan; see living room.

Other The bathroom has a stylish floor-to-ceiling slate wet room with walk-in shower.

Outdoor

Gardens The Old Stores has a private front garden with a French café-style table and chairs to enjoy a glass of wine or two in the evening sunshine. Totally secluded make the most of this unrivalled sun trap, a perfect extension to the living room in the summer days.

Parking Private parking in the gravelled area next to the cottage.

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Planes Newquay International, Cornwall’s main airport, operates regular flights from Stansted with Ryanair, Gatwick with British Airways and Manchester with BMI Baby. Cornwall also has its own airline, Air Southwest, which flies from Bristol, Manchester and Dublin, among others, from around £35 each way (www.newquay-airport.co.uk).

Trains There are regular, direct trains from London Paddington to the South West, taking between four and five hours, with Virgin (www.virgintrains.co.uk) or First Great Western (www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk). The latter also offers the very civilised Night Riviera Sleeper to Penzance, departing London shortly before midnight and arriving at around 8am; to book tickets, ring 0845 700 0125.

Local taxi service For car hire, click on our Travel Offers page. Smithcard holders get a 10 per cent discount with Hertz.

Review

Tucked behind the harbour, the Old Stores is hidden away behind huge oak gates. Greeting us before we go into the house is a flag-stoned courtyard with a French bistro-style table and chairs nestled under the olive tree making it feel more Mediterranean than Mousehole.

Through a stable-door into an open-planned kitchen/living area, and we're met by dark grey slate floors, oak and black granite and wrap-around white walls  flooded with natural daylight, giving this cute cottage an airy, contemporary feel.

Cleverly tucked out of sight, under gleaming granite work surfaces and behind solid oak doors sit all the mod cons required by any discerning domestic god or goddess. A bespoke linen L-shaped sofa neatly divides the kitchen from the sitting area and with a flick of the Forbes and Lomax light switch, the result is a cosy snug by the log-burning stove, perfect for cuddling up after a day on the beach or a wild windy coastal walk. Owners, Joss and Philippa, have planned the lighting meticulously to ensure that any mood, and any weather conditions, are perfectly catered for. White leather high-backed chairs and a retro-feel circular dining table sit proudly underneath vibrant original artwork, specially commissioned for the Stores by a local artist.

Tiny mouse-sized deck lights guide us up the stairs to the bedroom; the impact is instantaneous. Open-beamed ceilings, plantation shutters, a king-sized New-England style bed and the most fabulous freestanding double bath all in brilliant shades of Swedish white. A varnished wooden floor is, on closer inspection, made up of fruit boxes and wine crates, a subtle reminder of what happened at the Old Stores before it became this chic self-catering stay for two.

Infused with the aroma of mimosa oil, this contemporary cottage is a deep-breath of fresh air thanks to Manhattan loft-style living meeting seaside chic. The attention to detail is exemplary and the exceptional standards as set by Skippers are paralled in this adorable Cornish property.

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