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Watergate Bay is a
spectacular sweep of
sand and surf five
minutes' drive from Newquay
airport. The Old Watergate Bay
Hotel has been transformed
with the addition of the
Extreme Academy watersports
centre and The Beach Hut bistro,
while Jamie Oliver's Fifteen
Cornwall is just across the car
park. The project is a work in
progress; but it is progress in
the right direction. The layout
- the original 1904 building; the
Coach House extension with
16 budget rooms; and a 2004
wing with 20 four-star rooms
- is a little untidy, a little all-things-to-all-people, but the
30 redecorated rooms in the
main hotel have a lovely,
New England beach feel with
tongue-and-groove headboards
on the beds, oak floors, Nina
Campbell wallpapers and
striped fabrics in turquoise,
lime and sand (or red and gold).
Parents will like the bunkroom
suites, kitchen with microwave,
outdoor pool, play zones for
different age groups and oodles
of toddling room in the Living
Space, a bar-lounge staffed by
White Stuff-clad waiters. There
are also two fun, overblown-romantic
suites with wrought-iron
beds and roll-top baths.
Whether you are here to
sleep, kitesurf or storm-watch
from Fifteen, this is a trendy,
dynamic place. Will Ashworth,
the 33-year-old managing
director, is now planning an
'eco village' and a spa.
The Hotel & Extreme Academy: Watergate Bay, Newquay (01637
860543; www.watergatebay.co.uk). Doubles in the main
building from £95
Read all about Cornwall in CNTraveller.com's guide
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