Welcome to Newquay... where world-class cocktails, fine dining and luxurious views await

We cannot wait to come back

We arrived at Fistral Beach Hotel in Newquay not quite knowing what to expect.

Expectations had already been pleasantly thrown out the window by the blue skies and beautiful sunshine that persisted throughout our wintry stay.

Upon our earlier-than-expected arrival we are told our room will be ready shortly, so staff show us to the bar area where a complimentary glass of champagne.

The view is utterly peaceful and idyllic.

We are then shown to our room, which includes a decadently large bathtub that overlooks the beach.

This is a British slice of paradise.

After settling down we go and explore the town, and soon enough find our way into Tom Thumb - a speakeasy-style cocktail bar situated 10 minutes away.

This bar brims with a subtle, quirky personality. The ground rules are simple: no hen parties, no fancy dress. My kind of bar.

Over two hours we take on the challenge of sampling six drinks from the sophisticated and fun menu.

'To Sleep Perchance to Dream', which features apricot brandy, white cocoa liqueur and sherry sticks long in the memory.

The barman explains that after opening in 2017 he's seen the town transformed for the better, and that the local community has embraced their arrival - and it's easy to tell why.

All syrups are made in-house, floral and herb accompaniments are plucked fresh from the bar's own garden, and cocktails are devised in drinking sessions with the co-owner's brother... successful experiments then find themselves on the menu.

We then return to our hotel where we are booked for dinner at the Dune restaurant.

A three-course meal of tandori scallops, steak and a chocolate tart with a passion fruit sorbet crown finishes a brilliant evening of seeing what Newquay has to offer.

After an evening of decadence, we seek a quieter following day of relaxation.

Thankfully we could not be better placed.

We're booked in for a 'Gaia Jade Facial' at Fistral Beach Hotel's spa - where staff create an incredibly peaceful (and quiet) atmosphere.

Following 40 minutes of having the natural skincare products massaged into our skin, we are left glowing. My wife returned the next day to buy the product for herself.

Weeks on, she has incorporated them into her skincare routine and says it has never been better. Unfortunately we're set to leave the following day, so we visit Kahuna restaurant for one final blowout.

The Thai and pan-Asian restaurant is rammed on a Sunday evening in winter as we enter, which is always a positive sign.

We start with the char siu ribs and steamed dim sum, before moving onto a powerful Thai red curry with tiger prawns - perfectly accompanied by a crisp pint of local Korev.

The meal concludes with an all-vegan chocolate tart - a perfectly light and refreshing way of ending the meal - and as we leave at 9pm there is a queue of people waiting to take our table, the restaurant still buzzing.

It's clearly wildly popular with locals and tourists alike.

As our trip comes to an end, one consolation is that staff have given us a complimentary bottle of the hotel's own in-house gin, with notes of orange peel and pink grapefruit, that adorns our drinks cabinet.

The following morning we enjoy a beautiful and much-needed full English at the Fistral Beach Hotel's Dune restaurant before departing on our six-hour drive back to Manchester. We can't wait to return next year.