Talland Bay Hotel, Cornwall
Tucked away in a small, peaceful cove on Cornwall’s South East coast is Talland Bay Hotel; a privately-owned boutique retreat, with an award-winning restaurant, beautiful gardens and incredible sea views, and it doesn’t end there.
Boasting a captivating cliff-top setting at Porthallow, this luxury coastal hotel has recently laid claim to be the very first in the county to commission a single estate gin, no less. Talland Bay No. 1 is the delicious result of a collaboration with Cornwall’s first plough-to-bottle gin distillery, Colwith Farm, and I was invited to go and try it.
After a stunning 3.5-hour train journey from Paddington, a gin and tonic was just the ticket. The welcoming hotel staff advised us that Talland Bay No. 1 is best enjoyed overlooking the ocean, so we of course obliged and had our drinks outside on the hotel’s beautiful, pine-fringed lawn, so that we could enjoy the truly heart-stopping sea views. A few delicious sips and several gulps of sea air later, and the hustle and bustle of London was quickly forgotten.
A hotel since the late 1940s, this 23-room boutique property offers a choice of sea view rooms, classic rooms and garden suites, all individually and sumptuously styled with an eclectic mix of furnishings and art. Our recently refurbished garden suite was positively palatial, boasting its own sitting room, spacious bedroom and bathroom, as well as a small outdoor terrace to soak up the morning sun. Best of all, with the exception of the odd bleat from a nearby field, it was completely and utterly peaceful.
With the weather on our side, we spent our days walking along the South West Coast Path, which passes just below the hotel. From there you can walk in one direction to the ridiculously picturesque fishing village of Polperro, or the other way to the also pretty but larger seaside town of Looe. The coast path here is stunning; all yellow gorse, hovering buzzards, windswept trees and turquoise seas. Heaven.
In the name of research, naturally, we also found time to visit the aforementioned state-of-the-art distillery at Colwith Farm, where we enjoyed a fascinating tour and tasting with friendly and knowledgeable owner Steve Dustow. What Colwith is doing is unique and, in my opinion, the future of gin and vodka production; where most craft gin distilleries in the UK and beyond buy in their base spirit, Colwith is the first distillery in Cornwall - and one of only a handful in the country - to bring the entire production process under one roof. They make a deliciously smooth vodka, Aval Dor (which means potato in Cornish), using the farm’s King Edward potatoes, and then mix that same spirit with botanicals foraged on the farm to create the zesty Stafford’s Gin. Talland Bay Hotel’s creation is also made using Colwith’s potato spirit along with a unique mixture of botanicals, including a selection foraged from the hotel’s own coastal gardens, which provide distinctive notes of pine, citrus and peppermint. The gin is then carefully blended in a traditional copper still before being bottled and driven the 17 miles to Talland Bay, to sit alongside the other 100+ gins found behind the bar.
Back at the hotel, we managed to avoid the temptation of more gin and instead enjoyed the gardens and soaked up the sea views from comfy, cushioned sunbeds, whilst our friendly waiter Ryan supplied us with pots of fresh tea and the papers. Before long, it was time for dinner.
The hotel recently scooped Gold in the 'Small Hotel of the Year' and Silver in the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ categories at the Cornwall Tourism Awards 2018/19, as well as a Gold in the Taste of the West Awards. This is in addition to four Stars and two Rosettes from The AA. At the helm of the kitchen is chef Nick Hawke, who learnt his trade under some of Britain's finest Michelin starred chefs, so expectations were high.
The evening began with a glass of Cornish fizz on a vast zebra print sofa in the cosy hotel bar, accompanied by some delicious, freshly made canapés, which are served to all guests as standard. There are two dining spaces to choose from; the white table-clothed, fine dining restaurant and the more informal, dog-friendly conservatory.
We plumped for the fine dining menu, which started with a delicious wild garlic amuse bouche, followed by a feast of freshly landed local fish, seafood, locally grown vegetables and more; my scallops, served with cauliflower puree, were not only beautifully presented by perfectly cooked, made all the more interesting thanks to cubes of lime jelly and small dollops of curry oil. Everything was delicious, but dessert was absolutely knock out. I am not normally one for hyperbole, but the caramelised banana soufflé, served with a generous jug of butterscotch sauce and a scoop of Cornish ice cream, was the best I’ve ever tasted. We then managed some mint tea and a selection of delectable petit fours, before rolling in to bed.
Breakfast was yet another delicious affair; melt in the mouth smoked salmon and perfectly scrambled St Ewe eggs, and endless pots of good coffee and hot toast. All this alongside mouth-watering pastries, fresh fruit, yoghurt, granola and more. It was definitely time to hit that coastal path again…before reluctantly hopping on the train home.
Throughout our stay, all the hotel staff were incredibly helpful, friendly and attentive, but never overbearing, and the same can be said for the hotel itself. Whilst it feels sumptuous and luxurious, it’s by no means stuffy – the atmosphere is happy and relaxed, and we felt truly at home. The décor is - for want of a better word – bonkers; imagine life-sized mannequins wearing lampshades, sausage dog statuettes and Cornish piskies dotted around the garden, and whilst this may not to be everyone’s taste, there’s no denying that it gives the hotel its unique personality and a real sense of fun.
We left feeling torn – we felt as though we had found a rare and special spot hidden in a secluded cove on the beautiful Cornish coast, but did we want to tell everyone about our newly discovered secret? No, not at all, but then somebody is going to have to help us drink all that gin…
Rooms at Talland Bay Hotel cost from £160 per night on a bed and breakfast basis. A 50cl bottle of Talland Bay No. 1 Gin can be dispatched by post from £40 per bottle including postage and packaging. For more information and to book visit tallandbayhotel.co.uk. Tours of Colwith Farm Distillery are bookable on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and cost from £15 per adult. For more information visit colwithfarmdistillery.co.uk. Published online at Essential Surrey and SW London
