St Moritz is located within minutes from breathtaking Cornwall beaches and the South West coast path which runs along the bottom of the coastal gardens.
Cornwall’s beaches are rated the best beaches in the world from iconic sandy beaches to intimate sheltered coves. Each and every one of the 300+ beaches in Cornwall are gloriously varied with dog friendly, family friendly, golden, pebbly, bustling or blissfully empty – all for here exploring.
Here are our top 7 beaches, all located minutes from the hotel;
Greenaway
A quiet cove of sand and rocks situated just at the bottom of the hotel’s lane and just a 10-minute walk from the main hotel building. The beauty of this beach is that it is only accessible on foot and is largely overlooked in favour of Daymer Bay to the south or Hayle Bay and Polzeath to the north. It is the perfect spot for a lazy picnic and rock-pooling session. For literary lovers the late great poet laureate John Betjeman (who is bured in St Enodoc Church yard) penned a poem about his days on Greenaway beach.
Distance: 1/2 mile (10 minute walk)
Daymer Bay
Daymer bay is arguably one of the best beaches in Cornwall and is located just short way along the coast from the hotel. Daymer bay is in the mouth of the Camel estuary and unlike Polzeath has very little in the way of surf, but it is an excellent location for swimming, windsurfing, or kayaking. The wide sandy beach is very sheltered and at high tide you can walk out in to the sea for quite a way before it comes up to your waist- though do check the tides before doing this!
Daymer is an ideal location for families with youngsters to spend the day.
Distance: 1 mile (20 minute walk)
Polzeath
Polzeath beach is located in the small coastal town of Polzeath just a few minutes drive from the hotel. The beach is enormous at low tide, extending around half a mile in all directions and is one of the safest beaches along our stretch of coast with its gently shelving sand and seasonal lifeguard cover. Along with all the facilities and water quality you would expect from a Blue Flag beach Polzeath is a great family beach.
Distance: 1 mile (20 minute walk)
Rock
Rock beach is a long sandy beach on the east side of the Camel Estuary. At low tide Rock beach stretches from Porthilly Cove north to Daymer Bay. The best of the sand is beyond the ferry pontoon. There are also extensive sand dunes. There is a passenger ferry between Rock Beach and Padstow on the opposite side of the Camel Estuary.
Distance: 2.5 miles (10 minutes in the car)
Lundy
Lundy Bay is to the north of the hotel between Polzeath and Port Isaac. It is a small sheltered rocky cove who’s name is believed to come from the fact that it faces Lundy Island in Devon 80 miles away. Another explanation is that there were once puffins here and the ancient Norse name for these is lundy. At low tide, a beautiful sandy beach is revealed along with plenty of rock pools making great for families with kids. However, access to Lundy Bay involves a bit of a hike off the beaten track. It’s a pleasant walk though, through an open field into a stunning wooded valley which allows you to walk down to the beach via a sloping path or up to the cliff to take in the breathtaking views.
Distance: 4 miles (13 minute drive)
Hawker's Cove
Situated at the mouth of the other side of the River Camel, near Padstow is Hawker’s Cove beach. At low tide the beach forms a large stretch of sand almost 1.5 miles from the old lifeboat station and joining up with Harbour Cove in the town. During higher tides Hawkers Cove becomes cut off from Harbour Cove and is a much smaller intimate space with rocks rising up to provide shelter to the little patch of sand and slipway.
Distance: 17 miles (36 minutes in a car)
Harlyn Bay Beach
Harlyn Bay is a large sheltered and safe family friendly sandy beach to the south of the hotel. During the summer months lifeguards are on duty and is therefore popular for families and surfers. The coast path can be walked from Harlyn Bay to Mother Iveys Bay and Trevose Head. Please note that part of the coast path is on Harlyn Bay Beach, so this route may be impassable at high tide. There is parking at the beach.
Distance: 17 miles (35 minutes in a car)