When we first visited Cornwall shortly after our wedding eight years ago, we stayed in the bustling town of Newquay, in a luxurious hotel up on the headland overlooking Fistral Beach and the blue sea. Maybe this shows how travel tastes change as you get older, but this time around we wanted to stay out of the centre for a more relaxing and peaceful weekend, so when I came across Hendra Paul Farm which is home to a group of four adorably cute cottages, I just couldn’t resist. The Wild Flower Cottage, the smallest of the four, was perfect for us with one bedroom suitable for a couple, out in the countryside surrounded by the rolling green fields yet only a short drive from the main towns and beaches of North Cornwall.
Driving down the narrow winding country lanes, passing trundling tractors, horses in the fields and little bunnies hopping across our path (that I totally wanted to jump out of the car and take home with me), we finally found our way to the farm and as soon as I spotted our home for the weekend I completely fell in love. I mean look how utterly adorable…!!
Our small brick cottage was covered in blue and pink hydrangea and, after managing to find the front door through all the flora, we felt completely at home as soon as we stepped inside. The pine units, tiled floors, and wooden ceiling beams gave it a traditionally old English feel, while the flowery patterned curtains adorning every window and more china teapots than we could possibly use in one weekend made it feel lovely and homely.
I’m not much of a cook (which is coincidentally why I enjoy eating out so much) but the table for two was just too cute and romantic not to eat at.
Every single little detail, from the antique decorations and patterned furnishings to the granite fireplace in the lounge for those cold winter nights, made it the most charming and quaint place to stay.
Mr Ayla was so pleased when I told him I hadn’t planned a breakfast or brunch every morning like I usually do on our travels, so we stayed in the cottage with croissants, fruit and fresh juice and snuggled up on the sofa under the duvet because it was August so of course it was cold and wet.
I usually hate doing things like this (not snuggling – I like snuggling) as relaxing on holiday doesn’t come easily to me. My itchy feet would much rather be out exploring and seeing the sights but staying in a cottage somehow forces you to relax and I actually enjoyed doing absolutely nothing for a change. Plus who could say no to this face?!
It was so homely and comforting that having a lay in, staying in our pjs till late morning, watching rubbish on TV and playing board games, was pure bliss. In fact it was a welcome relief to just be able to sit down and not worry about missing out on anything and we even had our own pretty little garden and deck chairs for those odd occasions when the sun did decide to come out.
When we finally managed to swap our pjs for clothes and ventured outside, we went for a wander around the fields surrounding the cottage and met some of the furry locals in the barnyard.
And when we did go further afield to explore the gorgeous Cornish beaches, the perfect way to relax at the end of a day on the sunny windy beach was to head back to the cottage and soak in the plush modern jazucci bath complete with bubbles and bright lights!
I could have easily left my hectic London life behind for a more chilled pace of life in this cottage and to sleep in this cosy four poster bed every night, and I’m sure Mr Ayla agrees with me! In fact I’m pretty sure he’s thinking of retiring and living out the rest of his days in Cornwall at the ripe old age of 29!
We did occasionally step out of our peaceful little bubble in the cottage to see what else this part of Cornwall had to offer but every time we did it was wonderful to know that we had such an adorable home for the weekend waiting for us to return to.
Have you ever had an English cottage getaway? Do you prefer cute cottages or luxurious hotels? Let me know in the comments below or at:
Mama Ayla's Adventures 
I’m with you, I’m always up and about on holiday but the cottage is so cute, it’d be nice to relax once in a while!
The cottage somehow managed to make me relax for a change – not sure whether it was because it felt so homely or just because it was so cute I didn’t want to leave!
Oh my goodness, this place looks so cute! I agree with you, there’s something about holiday cottages that totally makes you slow down. I love staying in them!
So cute! I could totally see you there with your cupcake wellies on 😉
I would be up for retiring to such a chocolate box cottage too!
You may have a fight on your hands for it Emma 😉
This is so cute, it just shows the lovely staycation holidays that you can have!
Lots of love,
Angie
SilverSpoon London
There are so many amazing places to discover that are right on our doorstep. We probably all don’t explore close to home enough.
This is just too cute! Andy and I did that a couple of years ago and went to a little house in the borders of Scotland and just hid away for a few days – it was pure bliss!
Lauren xx | The Lifestyle Diaries
Makes such a lovely trip having your own little bubble to hide away in!
I reckon cottages like this are made for snuggling! We do a cottage weekend with friends every year, which is always really fun but because there’s 8 of us, the “cottages” are always huge so I’d love to find a tiny little cottage like this perfect for just the two of us and being under the duvet in the morning with a mug of tea and a hot croissant sounds like my idea of total bliss 🙂
They did have some bigger cottages on the farm too – ours was the smallest. So it could be perfect for you and your friends or as a little getaway for just the two of you 🙂
Oh my gosh I am in LOOOOOVE! As much as I love Luxury hotels, I think the cosiness and homeliness of cottages especially in the UK with the cold weather makes them so perfect! So glad you had such a good time 🙂
Simone x | The Aussie Flashpacker
I can imagine how lovely it would be during winter too – snuggling under the duvet, hot chocolate in hand and the fire burning away. Bliss!
Being a country bumpkin, it’s allllll about cottage life! Loved this – glad you had a nice time 🙂
Our trip has definitely made me want to do these sorts of cottage stays more often 🙂
it looks delightful!
It was Andy! So cute 🙂
Looks so beautiful! I love all the details 🙂
Lovely pictures, you really know how to capture the atmossphere 🙂
Cylia
Thank you so much Cylia 🙂 The cottage was just perfect – every little detail made it feel so homely and welcoming.