Any parent will tell you that once you have a child, many, many things will change. That includes holiday plans; they quickly went from Caribbean beaches and the sheer volume of all-inclusive restaurants we could enjoy whilst away, to considerations on flight length, baby clubs and things to do for our little one. The newest Google search was ‘Cornwall Holidays with kids’!
We’ve regularly headed overseas for our holidays, both before and after having Sophia, but with so much on our doorstep, have we been missing a bit of a trick? We headed 45 minutes West of our home to visit Bosinver Farm Holiday Cottages, widely regarded as one of the best in the county, or even the country, when it comes to family holidays.
Let me tell you a little about what we found when we got there….
Packing the car – what did we pack and what did we need?
How did we ever fill our suitcases before we had a child? And what on earth was in them? Gone are the days of a million outfits; in are the days of baby milk and all sorts of toddler paraphernalia that soon fills the car boot. The good news is that much of it is provided within your cottage; there was a cot set up in one of the bedrooms and even a blackout blind (something we have travelled religiously with but never been supplied before), as well as kids cutlery and other things you might not have thought you needed, but inevitably will. The car was packed full, but we needn’t have worried.
The Cottage – first impressions for us and Sophia
Before we get to the cottage, let me tell you a little about the setting. It’s kind of like a small village; some might call it a hamlet. What do I mean by that? Each cottage is spread out and has its own space; there’s 20 but you somehow wouldn’t know it.
First impressions count; with a long and scenic driveway that winds gently to the right, you know you’re in the countryside and somehow that your holiday is starting. But anyway, back to the title of this section… ‘the cottage’!
We would be spending the weekend in Pentree. This bungalow commands a pretty central location within the Bosinver village and close to all the action – from the swimming pool to the animal feeding. The cottage itself is kind of quirky but cool; decorated and finished to a high standard and God, the smell of the place is heavenly! We certainly didn’t used to get excited about the smell of any hotel (I would likely question those that do!), but the eco-friendly products used to clean their cottages leave it smelling like a spa! Just how nice is the smell? My wife went on to contact the supplier and their products are now in our own house. That’s how nice!
There were a few little touches that worked well for Sophia. The first was the layout of the cottage; it’s open plan and has a nice flow. You can kind of tell it’s for families, but it works for the parents too. The biggest winner of them all? The small box full of toys to make her feel at home. Absolute winner.
Oh, the soft play!
Who’s not spent a few hours at a soft play in their time as a parent? We certainly have and Bosinver have their own barn full of it! Situated close to our cottage, this was obviously a first port of call when we arrived. It’s safe to say, Sophia loved it! That unbridled ‘ooooh’ of excitement you odnly really get from a toddler was heard for the best part of 15 minutes, before becoming overwhelmed at what to play with first. It’s safe to say she enjoyed her visit(s) to the play barn!
Note to self; you can also bring your own coffee in the reusable Bosinver cups that are supplied in the cottage – a very nice touch and much needed!
The swimming pool
The pool is a real winner, so let me tell you why and how it all works. Before you arrive, you get to book an hour a day to yourselves. That’s not necessarily something I’d done before, but the idea of swimming without the sound of many, many children screaming in a reverberating space did fill me with a lot of joy! So, when our time slot came, off we walked to the pool and immediately we were impressed. The space is nice; it’s homely and it’s secure; you can keep an eye on them all the time and once you’re in, the water is warm! How warm? Noticeably warmer than most pools and that is a real plus; you can walk straight in, and you can also walk throughout the pool itself. Sophia is not yet two, so that was a brilliant addition as you can support no matter where you are in the pool.
We came away from the pool wanting to go back. If you’ve gone swimming with a toddler that may not always be the case!
Morning animal feeding
Those ‘oooohs’ of excitement were back when it came to meeting Farmer Dave for animal feeding. If you excuse the awful animal pun, Sophia started off a little sheepish, but soon found her feet, feeding a wide menagerie of animals with seeds Farmer Dave had placed into her little hands. The setting on a sunny day for animal feeding is special, looking over a valley into the distance. For Sophia, there was also the crowning glory of collecting her very own egg from the hard-working chickens. We of course looked after that for her… Cracked egg is hard to get out of kiddie’s clothes after all!
Her first pony ride
Ahhh, they grow up so fast! Her first pony ride… Assisted by her mum, she popped that little helmet on and disappeared up the drive with Farmer Paul leading the way. Now, I’ll admit, I’ve never been a massive fan of horses, or ponies for that matter (we didn’t have them on our family farm – show me a lamb any day!) but something I took away from the pony ride was that the ponies (as well as Paul) were incredibly good with children. Calm, collected and cool as cucumbers.
And of course, the most important thing, Sophia now loves a pony!
Summary
The most important thing to say is that we all had a fantastic time. This short break wasn’t just for Sophia, it was for all of us. We loved it and we’re pretty happy with this new world of holiday planning. Here’s to many more Cornwall kids holidays!
