Ten things to do when staying at Watergate Bay
What's it to be? Will you stride out onto the coast path, dive in for a surf, or swim in the view from Swim Club? To help you plan your next visit, here are our top ten things to do when you stay at Watergate Bay.
1. Eat and drink
Choose from four different restaurants, Cubs coffee on sea lane and beach food take away options.
The Beach Hut
Walk off the sand and straight to your table at Watergate Bay's original beachside hang-out.
The Living Space
Elevated views across the Bay and located in the hotel, The Living Space is open for lunch, dinner, light bites or just a drink.
Zacry's
Evening dining with a changing menu to match the seasons inspired by local produce. Expect classic dishes with a contemporary Cornish twist in the hotel restaurant, Zacry's.
Emily Scott Food
Emily Scott Food is focused on simple, seasonal and beautiful menus. Inspired by nature and her love for bringing people around a table.
Beach food
From Cubs Coffee, pizza trucks and pop-up cocktail bars, to beach snacks. Various beach food pop-ups throughout the summer.
Explore further
Looking to explore further?
2. Swim Club
A 25-metre ocean-view swimming pool, cardio room, cliff-top hot tub and Finnish sauna. Treatments with land&water products and an elevated decked terrace with views across Watergate Bay.
25-metre infinity pool
Floor to ceiling glass on two sides and views out towards the Atlantic give the sense of an endless blue.
Outdoor hot tub
Our cliff-top Canadian hot tub can be found on the terrace just below the pool, with views out to sea and across the Bay.
Finnish sauna
After a dip in the outdoor hot tub, relax in the sauna and soak up the panoramic view of the beach. Our Finnish dry sauna is naturally filled with the smell of fresh birch.
Treat yourself
Take time out for a treatment, a massage, body scrub, or facial. Give your hands and feet some pampering with a manicure, pedicure.
3. Ocean room
Probably one of the most photographed windows in Cornwall, the ocean room is our guest lounge located in Swim Club. Ideal for quiet contemplation, coffee and cake from the ocean room cafe, or relaxing after a swim.
Time for you
Time for you, the view and a favourite read. Roaring fires for when it's cold outside, areas flooded with light during brighter times. Watch the surfers from the armchairs and sink into the sofas as the sun dips.
Ocean room cafe
Serving coffee, cakes, snacks, juices and alcoholic drinks, the cafe is on hand for that glass of wine in the hot tub or hot chocolate by the fire.
Board games and libraries
Choose from our selection of board games and books, or bring your own to play and read against the backdrop of the waves.
Sunsets and fires
Find a cosy corner as the sun dips below the horizon, colours of the sunset fill the space as the stars scatter the sky.
Ocean room
Time for you
Time for you, the view and a favourite read. Roaring fires for when it's cold outside, areas flooded with light during brighter times.
Ocean room cafe
Serving coffee, cakes, snacks, juices and alcoholic drinks, the cafe is on hand for that glass of wine in the hot tub or hot chocolate by the fire.
Board games and libraries
Choose from our selection of board games and books, or bring your own to play and read against the backdrop of the waves.
Sunsets and fires
Find a cosy corner as the sun dips below the horizon, colours of the sunset fill the space as the stars scatter the sky.
4. Wavehunters at the Extreme Academy surf school
Surfing, paddle boarding, yoga clasess the list goes on. Wavehunters surf school is located on the beach with wet suits and equipment to hire, and instructors catering for all abilities and ages (lessons for those aged 7yrs and up).
Get active
Surf lessons
An introduction to surf lesson is aimed at those with little or no experience of surfing. With instructors on hand to teach you the basics, you'll be standing up in no time.
Outdoor shower and board storage
Outdoor showers are on tap as you make your way back to the hotel, a wet suit drying room and board rack means you can dry your wetsuits and store your boards closer to the sand.
Yoga on the beach
Beach fitness and beach yoga sessions take place on the sand. Classes range from high tempo intervals, cardio and resistance, through to rewarding and revitalising yoga and core.
5. Kids' Zone
Games rooms, playrooms, an outdoor playground. Get crafty, unwind with storytime, movie nights and beach games.
Explore Kids' Zone
Kids' Zone
A dedicated playroom for younger children. Table tennis, table football, cinema room and PlayStation are found in the games room.
Beach school
From firepit cookery and bushcraft to imagination and storytelling, our forest school inspired coastal sessions run throughout the summer months.
Supervised sessions
Supervised sessions with the Kids' Zone are available for those aged 6mnths - 2 yrs and 3 - 7 yrs during term time. During the school holidays, XA Club also runs for those aged 8-12 years.
6. Beach rambling
Perfect the art of beach rambling by exploring the 2 mile stretch of beach at low tide. Rockpools and caves scatter the shoreline. Endless opportunities for rediscovering your child-like curiosity.
Discover treasures at the far end of the beach, what lies in our rockpools, in our seas, which birds call our cliffs home, sandcastles and the simple pleasure of flying a kite. Click 'read more' to discover the art of beach rambling at Watergate Bay.
Heading north
At low tide the two-mile beach opens up, a walk to the north end is rich with rewards. It's not on the way to anywhere in particular but is full of large interconnected rock pools, caves and coves, mussel beds, starfish and crabs.
A guide to our tides
'Waiting for the push', the changing moods of Watergate Bay, finding space and solitude. Learn about tidal clues, springs and neaps and tidal safety at the Bay.
Clattering in the sky
The towering cliffs framing Watergate Bay are home to many types of birds. Recently, a couple of rare Cornish choughs were sighted. But it's the Jackdaws cry that is the most familiar sound, a colony or 'clattering' have made their permanent home here.
Spotter's guide
Spot sea anemone amongst the rock pools, black and white guillemot colonies clinging to the cliffs, shoals of shimmering mackerel in the shallows, spider crabs, sunfish and dolphins with our SUP spotters guide.
Simple pleasures
The simple pleasure of building a sandcastle is often forgotten, drawing lines in the sand, beachcombing for sea glass and treasure hunting are appealing in the nature of their simplicity.
7. Walks
Located on the south-west coast path, you can easily explore the area from the hotel.
Beach and coastal path circular
Timing for this walk is critical, it's best to do the beach section of the walk an hour or so before low tide. Depending on the timings, you can choose to walk south along the beach for 1.5 miles (turn left once you reach the beach) or head straight out of the hotel entrance, across the car park and onto the coast path.
To Mawgan Porth
Heading north out of the hotel, pick up the coastal path to reach Mawgan Porth. Choose to take the bus back, head back along the coastal path, or head inland along the valley cutting back across fields before dropping into Trevarrian and ending at the hotel.
Coastal paths and woodland walks
Our walking guide is packed with route options, links and detailed information on local and further afield walks, including woodland options for windier days.
8. Further afield
Our things to do in Cornwall blog is full of ideas for both walking, cycling, swimming, nearby gardens, attractions, museums and many more.
9. Sunsets
Watergate Bay hotel faces the sunsets year-round, the changing colours of the sky as the sun dips are always a special moment. There's no better place with many of our beaches facing west.
10. Barbeque on the sand
At Watergate Bay you can barbeque all year round, in fact it's thought of as one of the best barbecue spots in the UK.
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