Environmentally friendly living is rarely this stylish. Mesmear, on the rugged north coast of Cornwall, doesn’t so much resist the elements as embrace them. The summer sun that warms the soft sandy beaches near Polzeath also heats the swimming pool. A network of pipes buried in the beautiful surrounding farmland provides the hot water, and there’s even talk of installing a windmill to harness the winds that hurl the surf against the nearby sea cliffs. Yet when it comes to comforts, Mesmear most definitely feels like the high life rather than The Good Life.
The four-bedroom Mill is the larger of the two buildings and is ideal for families, with a children’s room that sleep up to four. The open-plan double-height kitchen gives this house a bright and airy feel, while the more intimate two-bedroom Barn is snug and cosy – perfect in winter. The properties can be rented separately and have fully equipped kitchens, but if you rent them both all guests can fit around the dining table at the Mill and enjoy the meals prepared by Lucy the cook. This is the ideal option in summer since other facilities, such as the pool, are shared. Baby-listeners are provided, and guests can phone each other between houses for free of charge.
The Mill and Barn interiors are chic and contemporary, decked out in warm colours and natural materials. The atmosphere is relaxed and homely and the high standards and meticulous attention to detail make for something extra special. Even the sculptures and paintings which decorate the houses are by local artists. These works of art often depict the beautiful coast – they might just tempt you out of these luxurious surroundings. When you return, both houses have stylish wood-burning stoves that you can curl up in front of after a day out in the fresh cliff-top air.
Children are particularly well catered for at Mesmear and there’s a games room with table tennis, air-hockey, table football and TV that will keep them busy for hours, especially when the weather isn’t great. During the long, warm summer months there’s the heated swimming pool surrounded with sunloungers, which is available between Easter and October, and is shared with the Rose family. The Mill and the Barn also have small enclosed patios with barbecues, and the houses share a larger area of surrounding lawn and garden, too.
Only a short distance from Mesmear is some of the most spectacular coastline in the British Isles, including the wide sandy, surfing beach at Polzeath and the more sheltered Camel estuary to the south. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, as well as Lucy’s fantastic organic cooking, the local villages have some excellent seafood restaurants, including Jamie Oliver Fifteen in Watergate Bay and several Rick Stein eateries in Padstow (or should that be Padstein?). Clearly offering everything you need for the perfect Cornwall escape, all you have to do is enjoy yourselves.
Reviewed by Jim Whyte
