The Polurrian on the Lizard makes holidaying with a children, whatever their age, incredibly easy. The overall ethos of the hotel is set up around making getting away with the family, and extended family, a real treat where everyone gets a break – including stressed out mums and dads.
To do so, the hotel offers two hours of free childcare a day in their creche – for babies right up to older children. The creche is Ofsted registered so parents can leave their children here secure in the knowledge that their offspring are not only safe, but happy too and well entertained. They also offer a baby listening service, free of charge for those that want to have dinner without the stress of leaving a baby in their room. On Sunday mornings, there is a breakfast club where creche staff pick up children from their rooms, leaving mum and dad to relax in bed. Outside, there are a plethora of kid friendly activities with the wooden climbing frame & play area, tennis court and hotel run Cornish piskie hunts. If the weather isn’t with you, and the outdoor pool or beach aren’t an option, there is also an indoor pool, cinema and games room.
For adults, there is a spa, stunning sea views, an excellent restaurant and a hotel that, though set up bearing kids in mind, is still stylish with its pared back scandinavian styling and nod to the Edwardian beginnings of the building itself. The hotel is perched high on a cliff of the Lizard Peninsula offering a spectacular vista of the sea. The Cornish Coastal Path is on the hotel’s doorstep with direct access to a private beach a short two minute walk away.
This view is on offer at the stunning restaurant, which prides itself on its organic meat and dairy produce. The menu changes daily to allow for the freshest of ingredients and seasonal highlights. There are also two coffee lounges with the same wide reaching views. All eateries offer flexible dining with children’s meals or snacks served all day. Meals can also be served in your room and chefs are more than happy to provide freshly pureed baby food. Wine for the adults is also available to help their relaxation along a bit.
If your extended family involves a dog, rest assured they are welcome here too, but there are also family rooms as well as interconnecting suites if your party includes grandparents or more. All rooms are well equipped with fluffy towels, a private bathroom and TV. In addition, the hotel will contact you before any stay to ask if you have any necessaries for your little ones. Be that a bottle warmer or nappy bin for a baby, or bed guards and potties for toddlers. The hotel wants you to arrive relaxed and offers this equipment, amongst others, to minimise the stress of packing for your little ones.
For further exploring, the hotel offers free parking for hotel guests and Mullion Harbour is very close by.
Polurrian on the Lizard, Polurrian Road, Mullion, Helston, Cornwall TR12 7EN
Telephone: 01326 240421
Website: www.polurrianhotel.com
What TripAdvisor says
Right from the outset we were made to feel welcome by the friendly reception and, throughout our stay, all the staff were very approachable and genuinely helpful towards our family. This was particularly evident when dining, the restaurant staff were able to engage with our son and daughter (3 and 5) on their level, making the whole family experience feel very special indeed.
Inside, the hotel décor is what I would describe as ‘Colonial’ with lots of natural light in the public areas and you are never far from a stunning vista. Our light and airy sea view family suite with interconnecting rooms had outstanding views of the Atlantic, overlooking the private beach. The bed was super-comfy and the room was well equipped with the usual facilities, tea, coffee and hot chocolate, TV and DVD, nappy bin and a fridge (by special request) to name a few. The bathroom had an art deco feel to it with a decent size bath and powerful shower. High quality ‘Voya’ toiletries lined the bathroom shelf. The kids had their own twin-bedded room allowing us parents some privacy. You can, of course, all sleep together in one of the big single rooms but, if you can bag one of these suites, then do it as it is worth the money!
In the evenings we used the hotel’s room listening facilities to keep an ear out for our sleeping children whilst we enjoyed the superb fine dining as a couple. Like other hotels in the Luxury Family Hotels chain, this service is a godsend allowing much needed respite from the kids and a rare adult dining experience!
As closet foodies, we loved the food that consistently lived up to its two AA rosette standard. Our first night’s meal was a great example. I particularly enjoyed my starter of home cured salmon with mustard mayo, shaved fennel and citrus caramel starter followed by a delicious and succulent cooked feather blade of beef, sweet potato layers and carrot puree. The dark chocolate truffle with milk and honey ice cream and honeycomb was a delight and finished off the experience perfectly.
Breakfast was perfect, both on a service and food level, which is saying a lot as it can often take second place to other meals. My daily Full Cornish, as pictured in the gallery below, was tasty and filling as was Mrs H’s salmon and scrambled egg. Our kids are quite ‘experimental’ with food and appeared to go through the whole range of cereals and fresh fruit on offer!
Our stay felt very much like an upmarket seaside holiday without the pretence some hotels exude. One of the best moments of the holiday was when the kids were in the Ofsted approved crèche on their daily two hour allocation. Mrs H was having an ‘amazing’ massage in the spa and I was relaxing in the Vista lounge with a hot chocolate on a comfy sofa reading a book and marvelling at the breath-taking views. At that point I was in nirvana as, not only was I totally relaxed and free of my typical working week worries, I knew that all of my family were also having a great time. Bliss.
The spa facilities were excellent and, whilst the spa building isn’t the best looking extension to a hotel we’ve ever seen, what goes on inside more than makes up for it. Mrs H loved her daily swims with (and without!) the kids but her ‘treatments’ were what she talked glowingly about the most.
The hotels grounds extend to some 12 acres and we made good use of the children’s swings. I don’t remember children’s parks having such amazing views when I was a kid, but then again, we never went to places like this! The private beach, which is about a 7 minute descending walk from the hotel, was a great place to hang out and enjoy a picnic. That and the cinema, play rooms and children's activities meant we didn’t have much need to stray from the hotel. Locally of note, we found the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and Kennack Sands (one of our top 5 beaches in Cornwall) great places to spend some memorable family time. And ‘memorable’ pretty much sums up our experience, for all the very best reasons.
A highly deserving winner of our Editors’ Choice award and another very big pat on the back for the Luxury Family Hotels group.
