Roald Dahl’s The Witches was always a childhood favourite of mine, with the film bringing to life the grotesque child-hating creatures among a grand and somewhat eerily terrifying hotel. My childhood self could never have imagined that hotel would be my home for a windy weekend in June.

The Headland – and not the Hotel Excelsior as it is known in the film – occupies a solitary and dominant position on the blustery headland above Fistral Beach, arguably Newquay’s most beautiful and popular among surfers and families alike.

It’s far enough away from the notorious centre of Newquay famed for being rammed full of hedonistic hen and stag parties but also just a ten-minute walk should you wish to indulge in classic seaside pastimes like twopence machines, fish and chips and ice cream cones.

The Headland has been delighting guests for over 20 years with its unique mix of contemporary elegance mixed with home comforts, amid quirky décor proudly stating the family’s stamp and taste, with large greyhound statues relaxing by the fireplace and a horse’s head above the wooden revolving entrance doors. It remains one of the largest privately run hotels in the country.

Our spotlessly clean room offered spectacular views over Fistral Beach.

The Headland provides a fantastic base to explore the Cornish coasts and countryside nearby, with a day trip to Padstow an absolute must for us secret foodies, being the spiritual home of celebrity chef Rick Stein.

In fact, upon arrival, we were keen to hunt out Stein’s fish and chip shop to see what twist Rick had to offer on this British seaside classic and we certainly weren’t disappointed.

In fact, Padstow could arguably be renamed Steinstow with the celebrity chef seemingly owning 90 per cent of the food shops there, from Stein’s deli, to a bakery, shop and café as well as his Seafood Restaurant.

Alas, the latter was not for us today, instead we were treated to a slap-up meal back at The Headland’s main restaurant.

Even though the sun had decided to show itself, we couldn’t bring our meek city selves to brave the cold and don a wet suit to try our hands at surfing (although did manage a sunset paddle), instead opting to sample the delights of The Headland’s newly renovated spa area.

Our aquatic adventures – although somewhat of a cop-out when in Newquay – included indulging ourselves in a bit of pre-dinner swimming, sauna-ing and steaming as well as sampling ‘tropical rain’ from the hotel’s aromatherapy showers.

The hotel’s main restaurant oozes classic elegance. Utilising fresh, local ingredients, the restaurant was obviously keen to show off the delights that Cornish produce has to offer, highlights being the perfectly pink cutlets of Cornish lamb as well as the carpaccio of marinated Cornish beef fillet – a true meat festival then.

We managed to squeeze in a selection of mini desserts, accompanied by a spectacular evening fireworks display through the grand window overlooking the beach and waves.

This was to celebrate the end of the night-time surf competition for the maniacs next door – surfers who had been competing until 2am under floodlight waves. Somewhat showing up our sunset paddle then!

Breakfast offered up an equally superb menu of perfectly poached Eggs Benedict along with an array of buffet items to choose from, with plump sausages, freshly baked croissants, muffins, freshly squeezed fruit juices and local Cornish cheese.

Needless to say, a break at The Headland resulted in a very happy, if not very rotund pair of bellies, as well as ensuring we were suitably relaxed. And definitely not a witch in sight!

ESSENTIALS

The Headland Hotel Fistral Beach Newquay Cornwall TR7 1EW 01637 872211

Email: reception@ headlandhotel.co.uk

Web: headlandhotel. co.uk

Fistral View Room £159 to £299 per night B&B.