Breathtaking beauty at Rural Retreats ‘Captain’s House’, Cornwall

Written by Sarah Cooper

Captain’s House managed to encompass everything you could possibly want from a holiday home and so much more.   Our time there was unforgettable and here’s why...

We encountered every magical moment possible at Captain’sHousein the coastal town of Marazion, Cornwall.  Walking in to the house we were instantly dumbfounded as it was even better than what it appeared in the Rural Retreats brochure (which was a hard feat as it looked fantastic in the brochure). We were met with massive sumptuous rooms with each individual room offering views to die for of St Michael’s Mount.  The aspect of beauty in every single room was simply breathtaking from domed lampshades to a beautiful giant dressing room.  Subtle colours used throughout emphasised the massive amount of airy space and recliners and sofas added to the ambient atmosphere.  Accompany this with the many outstanding home comforts such as a dedicated children’s room with a 65 inch TV, home cinema system and comfy beanbags, a spa bath, a sun terrace where you could eat your food looking straight across to the island and we quite simply thought we were in heaven.  Nothing disappointed!

My parents accompanied us so that we could unwind on the holiday and enjoy a helping hand with the children.  We started our journey down to Marazion in Cornwall around two hours earlier than my parents, but half way down we took a wrong turning thanks to our Sat Nav failing and they ended up beating us down there.  When my mother phoned me sounding shaky voiced I thought something terrible had happened but she reassured me that the reason she was crying was because they were inside the house and she had never stayed anywhere so beautiful in all her life with such luxury and splendour!

All our meals were accompanied by the wonderful music of Andrea Bocelli (a collection of CD’s and DVD’s which were left for our perusal) looking over the mount.  My mother said that these songs will always evoke her memories of this house and seeing our faces on arrival newly delighted at the scenery around us. 

The house was big, warm, luxurious and simply perfect.  You could feast your eyes on nature and hear the tranquil sounds of the waves lapping up against the pebbles.  So powerful was the environment that it felt healing somehow.  And with the sun that shone in from every window and the sea air I am positive that it was!  I left the Captains house feeling totally revived, even if we did feel quite sad at the prospect of leaving.  When we came home we really, really missed it.  It was the nearest thing to being in paradise for us.  If the weather was bad then that just added to the mystique of the island.  And if the sun shone then it enhanced the beauty of the beautiful blue sea. 

Further to the beauty of the house, they even catered for us with a wonderful hamper containing such luxuries as strawberries, scones, wine, clotted cream and much more.  Every aspect of our lives was covered by them; there was nothing we wanted for.  The first thing I did when I woke up the next morning was to blink my eyes to ensure the vast white room around me (which was like something out of a movie)and island was still there, because I wanted to ensure that I wasn’t dreaming.  Never before had I encountered this feeling when on holiday.

Even the housekeeper was fantastic!  I had to telephone her the week before we were due to arrive at Captain’s House to arrange key collection and she couldn’t do enough to help me.  From talking me through where to find the thoughtful little touches such as the frisbees, buckets and spades and fishing nets in the house to informing me of the prices of boat trips and where to find the indoor table tennis there was nothing that she didn’t want to help with.  She seemed in no hurry to put the phone down and it was lovely because it was just like talking to an old friend.   Her love for the Captain’s House and area clearly shone through and just from what she said I couldn’t wait to arrive.  I’m just disappointed that I didn’t get to see the seal that she said was a regular visitor to the bay. 

Alas, we didn’t see the seal but we did get our own taste of nature when my husband felt something hit him hard on the back. My husband turned around ready to scold my son thinking that he must have thrown something at him before he realised the bird had pooed on him.  We were weak with laughter as he complained how much it hurt!  I guess the seagulls wanted to get their own back on us for abiding by the sign and not feeding them!

What was fantastic about the situation of the house was the fact that you didn’t need to travel for miles to go to local attractions.  We were separated from the beach only by a garden wall and it was like having a beach for a garden.  We spent one sunny blissful day on the beach building sandcastles with our two boys.  I read somewhere that the beach overlooking St Michaels Mount is one of the best in the UK for building sandcastles and that was really true as the sandcastles came out of the bucket with the details of windows and doors which I have never seen happen before.  We also made a boat trip over to St Michael’s Mount and after going up to the castle we enjoyed a Cornish pasty looking over the sea, which was an experience we will never ever forget.  It was also very interesting to encounter the community spirit of the villagers. 

It’s hard to say what was my favourite bit about the Captain’s house but I will say the Master bedroom in the Captain’s House was out of this world.  With the massive windows we were able to observe the daily routines of the island, the soothing presence of the sea and an island which would from time to time disappear in to the mist.   It’s hard to imagine that you could gain much more from a holiday home but team the views with the lavish rooms and you truly have perfection.  Captain’s House has given us so many precious memories of family time at a truly unique place! If you want to feel like a queen of a castle with a magical island in your garden then Captains House is most certainly the place for you.  We WILL be back!

Rural Retreats is the UK's specialist in luxury self-catering properties and has over 400 cottages available to rent throughout the UK.

Rural Retreats offers three nights at Captain’s House from £561 and seven nights from £886. The property sleeps seven.

For more information or to book, visit www.ruralretreats.co.uk or call 01386 701177