COTSWOLD Travel
An unbeatable escape
It’s just a straight run down the M5 from Gloucestershire but Cornwall offers an unbeatable escape that is worlds apart when it comes to chilling out. Sue Smith visited the St Moritz Hotel, an art-deco, Miami-inspired luxury building overlooking the stunning Daymer Bay.
ON the outskirts of Launceston the sky suddenly starts to open and that magical feeling of being in unlimited Cornish space begins to take hold. The world, or the Cotswolds at least, is a
mere three hours behind us but it may as well be on a different galaxy. There is something so undisputedly
calming about the Cornish coast that it should be on prescription for the lowering of blood pressure. Driving through Polzeath we stop for the
laid-back surfers idly wandering across the road, oblivious to anything but the thought of the next big wave.
Up the hill and out of the resort is the St
Mortiz Hotel. It stands regally over the bay like a luxury
cruise liner waiting for the tide to come in. An assortment of wellies and kid’s bikes
greet the visitor just before reception and sets the scene for a no-fuss, relaxed couple of days. A cream tea of scones with Earl Grey is a
welcome start as we check out our bearings and kick back. This original, imposing private house once
belonged to a couple who, after the war, reinvented it as a luxurious hotel. On his trips to St Moritz, in Switzerland, the husband, Richard Underwood had found
68 COTSWOLDESSENCE | September - November 2013
a commitment matching his for haute cuisine, excellent service and attention to detail, and so named the hotel after the town. The St Moritz became truly international
with its chefs learning their trade in Switzerland. Politicians, film stars, business leaders and
writers were drawn to the spectacular coast but, most of all, to the hotel’s celebrated levels of service. Today, the new St Moritz has undergone
substantial extension work and refurbishment but remains a fitting tribute to the Underwood’s vision. The apartments dotted around the grounds
www.cotswoldessence.co.uk
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