With the weather in the UK looking absolutely glorious this weekend, we decided to go on a mini staycation down to the iconic surfer town of Newquay in Cornwall. Leaving on Friday morning from Hampshire, the journey took just over 4 hours and we arrived to checkin at The Headland Hotel by 2pm.

We spent our afternoon at the newly renovated Aqua Club spa with lots of indoor and outdoor pools overlooking the deep blue ocean sparkling in the sunshine.

It was a perfect Friday arvo enjoying the spa pools, sunbathing whilst reading my book and indulging in a glass of bubbly paired with some olives of course, my absolute bliss.

After a freshen up and change for the evening, we went for a stroll along Fistral Beach and had sundowner drinks at Boardmasters Bar.

It was just a 15 minute walk from our hotel into the centre of town where we had dinner at a bistro on the front called Saltsheds.

I had a twist on a traditional Greek salad whilst my boyfriend had a chicken bacon burger with chips which we said was really good. Classic food done well with a nice coastal view, you can’t go wrong with that.

Later that evening there was the most incredible sunset which we got back to the headland just in time to see the final few minutes before the sun dipped below the horizon.

Nothing beats the natural beauty and romance of a breathtaking sunset.

Saturday morning after breakfast at the hotel, we went down to Fistral Beach where I rented a board to do some surfing.

Obviously it was very different to surfing in Bali and unfortunately the waves were fairly flat this day, so I only caught a few small ones and then called it a day. Not to mention the water was freezing even with a wetsuit on!

I’m glad I gave it a good go though as Newquay was where I first learnt to surf at the age of 8, so it was a nostalgic moment coming back over 22 years later. We even tried to recreate this photo my mum took of me on a film camera all those years ago, but I’m not sure it has the same effect taken with a modern iPhone.

That afternoon we went to the Newquay Food Festival which happened to be taking place this weekend in the middle of town on Killacourt overlooking the cove.

My boyfriend enjoyed his favourite Greek chicken Souvlaki wrap, whilst I couldn’t resist the fabulous looking spicy Bloody Mary cocktail with all the accompaniments.

I also caught up with an old friend who moved down to Newquay years ago and it was a joy to see her thriving in her new home.

Saturday evening we had 8pm dinner reservations at Dune Restaurant within the Fistral Beach Hotel, so we had a gorgeous sunset stroll along the top of Fistral Beach over to our dinner spot.

We were spoilt with another picturesque golden hour with sweeping views of Fistral as surfers continued to catch waves until dusk.

Our experience at Dune Restaurant was very positive as we savoured a delicious dinner complete with sundown views and wonderful service from our friendly waiter.

We shared the padron peppers and a bread board to start, followed by the chicken dish for my boyfriend and the roasted Monkfish for me.

The flavours of the smoked tomato lentil dahl, coriander yoghurt and carrot purée to accompany the Monkfish were divine, and the fennel bhaji added a lovely crunch to the dish.

A post dinner walk back along the beach at dusk with those pastel peachy pink skies, was the most beautiful way to end our evening.

So that was our very short but sweet stay in Newquay this weekend and although we are not usually ones for a UK staycation, the weather in particular made it almost feel like we were abroad.

Thanks for having us Newquay ❤