Press Coverage Round-Up

100 Best Trips For 2021: Beach Breaks

1. Summer in St Ives Bay

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the appearance of 15 luxury beach houses – bleached wood, barrel saunas, wine cellars and log-burners – three minutes across the dunes from Gwithian Beach in St Ives Bay was a response to the Covid-driven rise in staycations. Actually the project by Craig Burkinshaw, the founder of Audley Travel, has been four years in the making. So it’s either extraordinary prescience or pure luck that he’s opening Three Mile Beach at Easter in what could be a record season for the British seaside. There’s a choice of two, three and four-bedroom houses and, while spring is filling fast, there’s still summer availability.

Three Mile Beach – Gwithian

Opening in May, these 15 colourful beach houses – created by Audley Travel founder Craig Burkinshaw and his partner Joanne Le Bon – are scattered among the sand dunes behind Gwithian Beach.

Each of the three- and four­-bedroom cabins features open-plan kitchen-lounge-diners, log burners and wrap-around terraces with sunken cedar hot tubs, barrel saunas and barbecues. Wetsuits and surfboards can be hired and delivered straight to your door, and surf lessons can be arranged with the nearby surf school.

BESIDE THE SEASIDE

All set for another bumper summer season, Cornwall is filling up fast. Luckily, there is a raft of new accommodation for 2021 including: Three Mile Beach, a collection of three- and four-bedroom houses a stone’s throw from Gwithian Beach.

THANKS TO THE G7 SUMMIT IN JUNE, THE WORLD’S SPOTLIGHT WILL SHINE ON ONE OF ENGLAND’S SUNNIEST COUNTIES. LAURA MILLAR ROUNDS UP THE BEST NEW HAPPENINGS IN CORNWALL...

SURFERS’ DELIGHT

When it comes to a slick beach stay, Cornwall has a host of hot new spots to choose from. Not least Three Mile Beach, a collection of 15 bright and airy self-contained properties right by the Atlantic, sleeping between four and ten people, not far from St Ives.

Eight of the Best Beach Huts for a UK Staycation

Fifteen self-catered beach huts scattered along the endless stretch of white Cornish sand – these homes come in all shapes and sizes. The largest sleeps 10 guests, while the smallest are perfect for couples. What they all have in common is their own private sunken cedar hot tubs, barrel saunas and access to the turquoise Cornish sea. The interiors are whitewashed with flashes of seaside colour. The location also couldn’t be better; it’s an easy walk to the artists’ town of St Ives, where pubs, surf schools and independent shops await.

SIX HOLIDAY VILLAGES THAT ARE GETTING IT RIGHT

On a knockout stretch of north Cornwall coast outside St Ives, this lo-fi luxury resort opening in June is a collection of 15 chic beach houses, created by the founder of Audley Travel Craig Burkinshaw and partner Joanne Le Bon, and decorated with souvenir artworks from their travels. It‘s family- and dog-friendly, and promises a return to childhood seaside holidays, but the kit is tastefully 21st century. Supper comes from a street–food truck or the resort can draft in private chefs, should guests need a break from chores.

Luxe

Where: Three Mile Beach, St Ives Bay, Cornwall

The Lowdown: Opening this month, this collection of 15 stylish self-catering beach houses is designed to evoke the carefree fun and nostalgia of childhood seaside holidays. Hidden among sand dunes, coastal grasses and palms, each of the three and four-bedroom cabins has an open-plan kitchen-lounge-diner, a log burner and wraparound terrace with sunken cedar hot tub, sauna and barbecue.

The Details: Rates for a three-bedroom house start from £1,200 a week in low season and £3,100 for a week in high season, including a welcome hamper.

Staycay in Style: Three Mile Beach

15 Cornish beach houses to continue the staycation love affair. 

You could be forgiven, by now, for finding the word “staycation” a little queasy. All those traffic lights, travel bans and overbooked Airbnbs could, understandably, have ruined your appetite for the Great British holiday. But there is one hot new opening capable of reigniting your interest and charming your staycation-saturated bones: Three Mile Beach, St Ives Bay. The story here is 15 luxe self-catering beach houses amid the pleasingly wild dunes of Gwithian Towans on the North Coast of Cornwall, an irresistibly scenic stretch of golden sand lapped by surfer’s paradise waves.

Pure Cornish Magic At Three Mile Beach, St Ives

Land in the lap of windswept Cornish luxury at this new staycation hotspot.

Three Mile Beach, a selection of 15 self-catering beach houses in Cornwall, has been a long time in the making. It all started when Audley Travel Founder, Craig Burkinshaw and his partner, Joanne Le Bon fell in love with Gwithian Towans, a stretch of golden beach near St Ives. The pair decided to create luxury accommodation here while preserving the wildness and whimsy of the landscape, and the result is a staycation spot that feels imbued with a touch of magic, bolstered by a fresh beachy aesthetic, carefully curated experiences, and upscale foodie touches.

Pure Shores: A Scenic Stay at Three Mile Beach, Cornwall

Found on one of Cornwall’s best-loved beaches, this new collection of beach houses is elevating the self-catered homestay to chic new heights.

Unlike other rental properties – often too twee or chintzy in this part of the world – these wood-clad homes are contemporary and unique. Each omits a joyful holiday vibe with brightly painted exteriors – sky blue, bubble-gum pink, mint green – and their names giving nods to famous pop songs – Purple Rain, for instance, or Careless Whisper.

Podcast:

Giovanna has been travelling since a very young age as her dad is Italian, so she tells us about her annual trips to visit her family in Italy, she and Tom are a kind of obsessed with Disney and she brings to life the magic and joy of holidays at the Disney parks, and much of her new book is inspired by travel, by the country of Peru. We also chat about her love of trekking; her advice about travelling with three young kids; and what is was like to interview Kate Middleton and the whirlwind of press that came after.