For my parents Ruby wedding anniversary we went away for a week and rented a guesthouse. It was a new build, two houses built on one plot with a beautiful view across the estuary.
The house had a small kitchen open to the family space but the winning feature was a long narrow window which stretched across the ever-changing view of the estuary as the water rose and fell. The master bedrooms had balconies off them and you could lie in bed and feel the breeze come in through the doors. They were not huge rooms but open to the ceiling and the light and space flooding in from the doors and windows created an impressive impact. Because of the small site they had installed a turning circle in front of the garage and a balcony over the garage this worked the site space to the best capacity and meant that the angle and size of the site wasn't a negative to less confident drivers.
Travelling in Turkey 200.
A wedding weekend way back when, it was an interesting conversion from farm buildings and they were certainly not afraid of colour.
October 2011
We find the views from the Tate Modern in Cornwall are the most successful visuals of all.
Even on the grey day the mossy green roofs, water strewn sands and stark forms are beautiful.
Late October 2011
A short stay-cation honeymoon at the St Moritz Cowshed Spa Hotel in Polzeath, Cornwall. As you go to enter your apartment, a clever cloakroom greets you allowing you to leave your soggy umbrellas, coats and walking shoes behind!
You enter into a large open-plan living space with a deck balcony occupying the entire frontage of the apartment and a sweet little porthole window from the kitchen framing the view of the Camel estuary and sea perfectly. The windows slide in various formations and its striking how the little details like that make the stay (but the 5* restaurant and spa aren't bad either).
Jamie's Fifteen Cornwall is also a short trip away at Westgate Bay and the tasting menu with five courses capture the very best of the Cornish produce. It is very much an 'eating' honeymoon and we arrive home fatter and happier than ever!
A table to celebrate our wedding in October 2011 with family. We select local west-country produce and a lovely weekend stay at The Duchy which was once HRH Prince Charles' townhouse in Bath.
The house was originally designed by the renowned Georgian architect Thomas Baldwin in 1794 who coincidentally designed The Guildhall where we are married. Nelson's mistress was one of the first residents with Jane Austin and William Pitt as near neighbours and its location just off Great Pulteney Street is a fantastic endorsement of why Bath is a justified World Heritage Site.
The Georgian townhouse was designed to accommodate the elite and fashionable with elaborate drawing rooms and a professional kitchen in the basement complete with its own flagpole out the front! We roll the flag out to mark our residence for the weekend which is in itself the ultimate indulgence! The stay is a loved-filled experience and the luxury of the houses' location and comfy beds make it perfect, however, the flights of stairs between every floor mean at the end of the weekend we all feel a little achy and it takes the shine off the glamourous idea of owning our own townhouse!
