Fab things to do near Looe & luxury cottages Cornwall

Back from a lovely very active minibreak pre Easter with chic luxury cottages Cornwall with hot tub – precisely our fourth trip to Cornwall, we admit, we are hooked. So here are our suggestions for best things to do near Looe and some of our favourite places in Cornwall for the spring . A full immersion into countrylife and blooming fields, daffodil delicate scents and fresh grass, sun shining, newborn lambs, calves and piglets everywhere.

Cornwall in spring daffodyls

Luxury cottages Cornwall with hot tub : Kilminorth Cottages

We stayed at Kilminorth Cottages, a sweet luxurious oasis of calm and beauty on enchanted Cornish hills and valleys. The sundeck, sunchairs and hottub were an instant hit with me and our 3.5 year old.

Kilminorth cottages

Kilminorth cottages

Kilminorth cottages hot tub

We’ve been upgraded to Ash Cottage which is so spacious and beautifully designed, minimalistic smart and very practical. The kitchen is open space and cooking (the bare minimum I admit!) in such a gorgeous space with so much light and views felt cool and therapeutic. Or maybe something to do with with the chill out tunes through the speakers and the ever present glass of wine glued to my hand in the afternoons?

Kilminorth Cotages – luxury cottages Cornwall with hot tub: Kilminorth cottages

And holidays are for all of us, so Peppa Pig, Thomas or Leggo Land will have to wait for a while. Maybe indefinitely 😂

We spent some time in Polperro, rustic authentic fishing village, going around its narrow streets and admiring cute white and Mykonos blue house, crossing the bridges over the river, testing the boats in the river harbour and just staring at the fishermen and getting their boats ready. The boys loved the beach, the rock climbing, the boat play and lunch in the sun by Polperro museum. Less than 15 minutes drive and one of the easy fab things to do near Looe.

Polperro

Fowey with the ferry

We’ve crossed the estuary towards Fowey with the ferry, to the maximum excitement of Raphael, more boats and sailing yachts but these time deep blue waters.

In Fowey we stopped in the cutest garden Wind in the Willows tale themed, animal shaped shelters, pebbles and gorgeous views of Fowey and the bay – just by Fowey hotel.

We spent one day at Eden Project, the kids loved the Rainforest biome, its wobbly high bridges, the waterfall, the cooking facilities inside the rustic houses, the coffee and banana stories and gadgets. About 35 minutes drive, but definitely in our top things to do near Looe, such a fascinating and educational complex !

Cornwall with kids: Eden Project

The grown-ups loved the Mediterranean biome, its very nice cuisine and stunning surroundings. We all loved the outdoor gardens, playing around and of course the little people, the Easter fun.

Another magic day was spent at Lost Gardens of Heligan. We wandered through the wild gardens, spotting magic characters, the sleeping maid and staring grass gentleman; the kids climbed and hopped on wooden logs and stairs; we talked about and hid into huge ferns; we fabulated about crocodiles within the jungle marshes and stared at the incredibly vibrant colours: fuchsia blooming trees and fresh green grass which rendered the colours of water and sky almost pale. The jungle track is maze like and it takes a bit of detective work to find the Burma rope bridge ot maybe it’s just us getting distracted with so much natural beauty around. The kids were thrilled with the Rope Bridge, is just above the marshes, ferns and jungle vegetation to led you dream about more adventures.

Best places in Cornwall for spring : The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Best places in Cornwall for spring : The Lost Gardens of Heligan

The bridge is recommended for 5 years +, but our 3.5 years old loved to cross it by himself whilst the 1 year old baby was quite excited in his sling. There’s a sweet natural playground right after the Jungle, we spent a good hour with both kids having a fantastic time and baby having his usual early lunch. Easter fun activities right after, duck fishing, horse races, chocolate prizes to mention just a few. The kids had a blast – difficult to leave for the next surprises! Piglets with their mums, emu birds and lambs with sheep on beautiful hills – we walked around the hills, up and down and talking about. More animals, chicken and newborns included on our way and thereafter gorgeous gardens. Baby by this time collapsed for a late afternoon nap and we were starving – time for a late lunch at the Heligan cafe.

It’s been a fabulous break, far from the urban crowds and madness, recharging into the rural stunning Cornwall.

Each afternoon after a long adventurous day, we’d dip into our hot tub at Kilminorth Cottages, with a glass of wine, my eldest with his boat, soaking in the green landscapes and blooming trees. We’ve also loved the understated kids fun area of Kilminorth, enough to keep them entertained and parents relaxed: a trampoline where even baby loved to be bounced around by his brother, a swing big enough for 3 of us, pebbles and beautifully manicured alleys and grounds, valleys where you can spot pheasants and sheep lovely and cuddly.

Tennis court at Kilminorth Cotages

Swings & playarea Kilminorth Cotages

Cornwall with kids: Kilminorth Cotages trampoline

Kilminorth Cotages – luxury cottages Cornwall with hot tub

There’s also tennis and there’s Marley and Ash, the cutest friendliest dogs, which were happy (or maybe just resilient) to the cuddles from our baby and 3.5 years old pretty much any time they were found, mornings or afternoons.

Kilminorth cottages

For the best places in Cornwall, apart from Polperro and Fowey beaches, we also spent an hour at Talland Bay beach, a 7 minutes drive from Kilminorth Cottages . The road is rather steep and narrow but the beach and facilities are cute, certainly one of the best  things to do near Looe. We had an icecream by Talland bay beach, played with a boat and pebbles and headed back to our hottub – the Cornish waters may look Caribbean like but definitely not for spoiled travellers used to 20C and above temperatures!

Drive from London. For inspiration on where to break the journey fom Cornwall back to London with the kiddies, check our article on the World of Countrylife, Devon. And on the way to Looe, check Dyrham Park, another gorgeous National Trust gem.

For more tips on Cornwall with a baby or simply in the summer around St Ives, check our dedicated article in here. We also reckon Kilminorth Cottages would make a lovely romantic getaway for Valentines, especially for the hot tub – we wrote about in here.

Talland bay beach

PS: Many thanks to Kilminorth Cottages for the upgrade – the Ash cottage is amazing and we identified some other great luxury cottages Cornwall with hot tub to return to; many thanks to Eden Project and Lost Gardens of Heligan for complimentary passes. Pictures, adventures including monkey business and opinions entirely ours.