I don't know whether it is just a coincidence, but the room at Celtic Haven,
Pembrokeshire, where I am about to have my Thalgo Pregnancy Pamper
Treatment, looks exactly like a delivery suite, with rather too much plastic
sheeting for my liking. But I soon find myself drifting off while my swollen
limbs are first exfoliated and then glossed with an array of
relaxation-inducing gunk.
When it is finished, I decide to have my eyelashes tinted, too, before
rejoining my husband David at the pool next door with our daughter Peggy, 4,
and friends Fiona and Ade and their three children, Sebastian, 12,
Gillespie, 5, and baby Alice. Peggy wants me to come in, but there is no way
I am going to risk my eyelashes running. Instead we dash back to our holiday
home through driving Welsh rain for huge plates of spaghetti plus apple
strudel and custard, ballast for a brisk afternoon walk.
Tomorrow, the weather having changed — as it seems to do every five minutes in
West Wales — we will mess about on Tenby beach with its rock pools and wide
shortbread sands before adjourning to the nearest grockle shop (there are
many) to buy Tenby fudge and steer the children away from the novelty candy
genitalia that makes them giggle.
But today we are heading for Manorbier beach, where a formidable old fortress
stands guard over the deserted bay. The waves, whipped into a frenzy by
strong winds, are snatching angrily at the shore. One almost gets Alice so,
after letting the older ones do battle with the elements, we haul them in
and head for home and Wales v All Blacks in the on-site Marquee restaurant .
It is all unexpected bliss — and quite unlike any of our previous holiday
cottage experiences which, to my mind, have meant nothing more than shifting
childcare, cooking and washing up somewhere more cramped, less convenient,
and rainier than home. But a new breed of complexes such as Celtic Haven
seems to be changing that.
Typically, the complexes are a group of converted outbuildings or labourers’
cottages on an old farm or estate (Celtic Haven was, rather unromantically,
a turkey farm) built around a centre with rather grand hotel-style
facilities such as an indoor pool, business centre, gym, spa and restaurant.
And we’re not talking Butlins here — the cottages are usually nicely
decorated (if rather chintzily, in the case of Celtic Haven); some with the
sort of contemporary style that would not embarrass Tyler Brûlé (see The
Valley, far right).
All this makes it possible to create a real break out of a cottage stay — even
for mothers who, with facilities on tap, need not spend the entire trip
chained to the sink or poring over a local guide and Ordnance Survey map
coming up with ideas of things to do. It also opens up the way for
year-round visits because there is enough to keep everyone occupied when it
rains.
NEED TO KNOW
Chloë Bryan-Brown and family stayed at Celtic
Haven - three nights in a two-bedroom cottage sleeping four costs from
£383. The Thalgo Pregnancy Pamper Treatment is £40.
Classic Cottages
has several cottages on the Maenporth Estate near Falmouth in Cornwall, with
use of tennis courts, sauna, gym and heated indoor pool. Three nights at
Woodland View cottage (sleeps four) is £276 (March price).
Heart of the
Lakes has 25 cottages sleeping two to eight on the lower slopes
of Skiddaw Fell, near Keswick, offering use of health spa with indoor heated
pool and bistro. Prices from £500 to £1,490 a week.
Helpful Holidays has
a selection of contemporary apartments, sleeping four to seven, with a
leisure club and bar/restaurant on the mainland side of the sandy causeway
from Burgh Island at Bigbury on Sea. From £369 to £1,574 for a week’s stay.
Rural Retreats
has Long Barn Cottages in Devon, four cottages sleeping two to eight, near
Dartmoor and the South Hams beaches Three nights in a cottage for two costs
from £236.
SELF-CATERING PLUS
Beacon Hill Farm,
Northumberland: 14ha (35 acre) farm with beech woods and views
of the Cheviot Hills and Northumberland coast. It has an indoor pool, spa
with steam room, sauna and laconium (therapy room with heated beds). Three
nights from £360.
Vere Lodge, Norfolk:14
cottages in 3ha of woodland; beaches are a short drive away. Leisure centre
with pool, sauna, solarium and games room. Children are encouraged to help
to feed the hens, goats, rabbits and donkey. Three nights from £189 to £363.
The Valley, Cornwall:
architect-designed cottages in a valley. The Eden Project and National
Maritime Museum are near by. Gardens, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness
classes, gym, outdoor games. Three-night break from £305
Tredethick
Cottages, Cornwall : a working farm aimed at the young end of
the family market. Play barn with sandpit, table tennis and table football,
soft play area for toddlers, indoor pool. Two nights from £155 to £460
Got a question about family travel? Email our trio of experts at yoursay@timesonline.co.uk
- Chloe Bryan-Brown takes care of questions for the 0-6 year olds, Emma
Mahony handles the 7-12 age group and Jane Owen the teenage and single
mother groups.
Only 2 hours drive from London, stunning contemporary houses overlooking lakes in a 500 acre private nature reserve. Located near Cirencester in the Cotswolds. Access to the wonderful Artspa is free to guests. Indoor and outdoor heated pools sauna, gym, steam room, library, treatment rooms for massage and pampering etc. Family friendly.
Please see www.cotswoldlakehouses.com for details.
Nick Plummer, London,