“Its core is a characterful old building in the centre of Fowey, with a new extension overlooking the estuary and harbour. The harmonious interior is embellished by funky artworks, and the informal restaurant spills out on to a teak deck with spectacular waterfront views. Bedrooms are traditional in the old part of the building, contemporary in the new, all with state of the art technology. One is in a glass turret – magical.”
Written by Fiona Duncan
They say
“Lovingly restored from a derelict B&B, the Old Quay House is a boutique hideaway in Fowey that acts as the perfect base from which to explore all this stunning part of Cornwall has to offer. With just 11 rooms and an award winning restaurant, it also encourages long, lazy weekends in one of the region’s most idyllic harbour side towns.
The hotel’s bedrooms are decorated with gentle neutral tones, fine fabrics, Asian inspired furniture, and most have small balconies with stunning views out to sea. For a closer look, the waterside terrace is the perfect place to relax and soak up estuary life, whilst being served a pre dinner cocktail and homemade snacks. The intimate and elegant restaurant ‘Q’ is headed by acclaimed chef Ben Bass, who cooks with French flair and local passion, making the most of daily catches such as Fowey river oysters and pan fried Cornish scallops. The staffs’ attention to detail is second to none, nothing is too much trouble and they are always on hand with local knowledge and even a warm rug when the terrace gets a little chilly in the evenings.
The Old Quay House is a ten minute drive away from the Eden Project and very easily accessible to The Lost gardens of Heligan; there’s also an open air theatre and sailing and flying clubs nearby. The town of Fowey, with its perfect location, lends itself to long afternoons on boats exploring beaches, bays and neighbouring towns, walking the coastal path or simply relaxing in seaside cafes, enjoying the scenery that has inspired literary artists from Daphne De Mauier to Dawn French, who has a home in the town.
Just round the corner from the hotel is a lovely little day spa that offers a range of treatments for men, women and mums-to-be, using Spiezia’s range of organically certified skincare products that are handmade on a Cornish organic farm. For the more culinary inspired, guests can go food foraging with The Wild Food School picking weird and wonderful foods such as wood sorrel and Cornish round leaf mint, and afterwards, join the chef in the kitchen for some impromptu cooking lessons.”
