Turquoise waters, white sand beaches and tropical gardens...it may sound like the Caribbean but on a trip to Cornwall Abena Bailey discovers that there is paradise right here in the UK.
I stood in the gift shop of the Minack Theatre, in Penzance, and gazed at a postcard of a Cornish beach scene showing a basking shark under the water approaching a crowd of unaware people playing in the bright blue seawater.
“That picture hasn't been photo-shopped you know. That is the real colour of the sea,” the lady at the gift shop told me.
“One of the ladies who works here is a photographer and when she gets a moment she pops out on to Porthcurno Beach with her camera and takes snaps for the postcards.”
It wasn’t hard to believe that the image I was looking at was Porthcurno Beach and not somewhere on the coast of the Mediterranean.
This south coast of Cornwall is so glorious people nickname it the English Riviera as it is blessed by good weather.
Situated at the most westerly and southerly point of Britain, it is mostly surrounded by sea.
The sunniest times are from May to July and during these months the Minack Theatre’s subtropical garden is in full bloom - cacti and plants from South Africa and Mexico thrive here.
There is no other place in the world like the Minack Theatre. Back in 1931 and local woman named Rowena Cade carved it out of the side of the cliff.
She enlisted the help of two local craftsmen to build a stage for an amateur performance of The Tempest, which took place overlooking the sea.
Today the Minack continues to celebrate amateur dramatics and has an exciting summer programme, which this year includes Guys and Dolls, Hamlet, Pirates of Penzance and the season will end, as it does every year, with a proms night and fireworks.
Theatre-goers sit close to the stage for serious plays and further back for large scale productions.
They take picnics, blankets and cushions and are not only treated to the spectacle of a show; the sea creates its own drama too.
The actors compete for attention with dolphins, basking sharks and ships and at night the stage is covered with a blanket of stars.
I had booked a luxury farmhouse through Cornish Farm Holidays. Out of the 80 odd farmhouses they offer, I chose the Granary on Chegwidden Farm.
The self-catering accommodation was located, in St Levan, which is just a 20 minute stroll away from the Minack Theatre and Porthcurno beach.
Situated close to Land’s End, this location is ideal because you can take a helicopter over to the isles of Scilly, have a day trip in St Ives and visit scores of easy-to-find attractions dotted about.
There are tropical gardens, museums, coves, vineyards and breweries.
Chegwidden Farm has a farmhouse, which sleeps six people, and a Granary, which sleeps four.
Both are exceptionally beautiful and are decorated in traditional farmhouse style. Expect polished beams, exposed stonework, solid pine furniture, log burners in living rooms, Agas in the kitchen and hot tubs on the terrace.
The working farm is hidden away up a country lane in the small village and is surrounded by fields where sheep and cattle graze.
The animals are kept in pens on the property behind the Farmhouse and Granary and you can see them from the living room window.
There farm shop opposite sells fresh eggs, vegetables and meat, which are produced on the farm.
I felt like I could have all the benefits of living on a farm without having to do any of the work.
Farm owner Viv Hall lives down the lane in a bungalow and was up at the crack of dawn each morning to do various jobs.
She told me that youngsters who stay love the farm animals and she often takes them on tours around the yard and lets the kids help out if they want to.
On arrival guests are greeted with a welcome hamper of Cornish chutneys, jam, shortbread biscuits, local apple juice, a bottle of cava and a batch of freshly baked scones.
All the essentials, such as milk, butter, cooking oil and condiments, were provided and there was a huge bunch of freshly cut daffodils on the kitchen table.
I couldn’t have felt more at home. The hot tub had also been fired up and was ready to go.
I spent our days exploring the beaches, gardens and took walks to see performances at the theatre.
Evenings were for slow cooking kebabs in the Aga while lazing under the stars in the hot tub. It was bliss.
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