With the peak season now a distant memory, it’s a wonderful time to explore Cornwall’s coast with a winter staycation at The Godolphin, in Marazion.
Where you’ll find The Godolphin
You’ll find The Godolphin in West Cornwall, in the lovely traditional market town of Marazion. Aside from being the home of this refined contemporary coastal hotel, Marazion is also where you’ll find the popular St Michael’s Mount and the sweeping 2 mile strip of sand that is Mounts Bay.
Marazion is a great location for a Cornish getaway. It’s just over 5 miles from Penzance, where you’ll find the nearest station and connecting buses. It’s also just under 10 miles from St Ives. From The Godolphin you can definitely explore the best of west Cornwall, and believe me, there’s so much to discover.
On a windy Saturday in November, myself and my school friend, Sam, made our way to The Godolphin to experience the hotel for ourselves. After spending a few hours strolling around Penzance – which is a great town for discovering local, independent retailers – we checked into The Godolphin for a night of child-free coastal relaxation.
Inside The Godolphin
Taken over by Taskin Muzaffer and Tim Moore in 2020, The Godolphin is a 10 bedroom hotel that oozes contemporary, tasteful beach style. It’s dog friendly too and welcomes man’s best friend to join you for your Cornish getaway.
There are thoughtful and interesting touches throughout the hotel. These include interesting coffee table books, stop and stare artwork and the details that make up the tropical themed reception. Of course, there’s also the seemingly infinite views of St Michaels Mount and Mounts Bay.
Chapel Rock Room
Once checked in, myself and Sam enjoyed a glass of local bubbles from nearby Polgoon Vineyard. It was so delicious we had more later, with our dinner.
We stayed in the Chapel Rock room, on the lower ground floor. As soon as we walked in, we made our way to the window and took in the view of the beach and St Michael’s Mount. Two seats were perfectly positioned by the window, luring us to sit and watch the sea ebb and flow throughout their stay.
The room has all the comforts to be expected from a top coastal hotel. Muted, Farrow and Ball-esque tones afforded a calm environment, with tasteful art and prints on the wall. The room smelt wonderful too, thanks to the subtle Bay and Rosemary scent from the St Eval reed diffuser. The bed was huge and incredibly comfortable. We had complimentary tea and coffee in our room, along with 2 brownies (they didn’t last long).
The bathroom’s a good size as well – light and airy, with a roomy walk in shower. The shower head was bigger than a dinner plate! Natural bathroom products are supplied by British brand, Bramley, and I enjoyed using them all.
Myself and Sam relaxed in our room, sipping our Cornish bubbles and soaking up the changing view of St Michael’s Mount as the light started to fade. We also perused the menu, trying to work out what we would eat for dinner before getting ready and making our way upstairs to Shutters.
Dinner at Shutters
Shutters is the beachside restaurant at The Godolphin, and is open to non-residents from breakfast time to night fall. It has an excellent reputation, not only for its food but also for the service and attentive staff. I really liked the decor and vibe here, it oozes contemporary coastal style. I kept seeing accessories and homeware I’d like for myself, such as the cushions and various plants.
It was dark by the time we ate. Even though the moon was rising, St Michael’s Mount was illuminated purple for the evening. Apparently, it happens every Saturday to signify family day when it’s closed to visitors.
Sam and me were definitely ready for a 3 course dinner. For starters, Sam chose the Seared Green Goan Monkfish. It was a generous portion of fish with a delicious warming sauce. As for me, I had the Crab, Beetroot and Chilli Dumpling with pink onion and garlic emulsion and wheat beer loaf. I love fish and seafood but rarely cook it at home. It’s usually something I go for when dining out. Both dishes were beautifully presented and flavoursome.
For mains, I went for the Wagyu Burger with caramelised onions, bacon jam, gerk-onions, buttered brioche, fennel, apple and blue cheese slaw and farmhouse fries. Now, I love a good burger and this one certainly hit the spot. It was plump and delicious, and I could’ve eaten a mountain of the slaw!
Sam had the Bubble Battered Day Boat Fish, farmhouse fries, citrus and mint pea mash, caper mayonnaise and balsamic pearls. She was presented with a decent piece of fish in crispy batter. Both our main courses were absolutely delicious.
We decided to have a little break before deciding dessert. We took some time to choose a cocktail as well. I find it hard to resist an Aperol Spritz; it’s light and refreshing and I like the slight citrusy bitterness. Sam had a Pretty In Pink – a cocktail made from Tarquins Rhubarb and Raspberry Gin, rosé bubbles, lemon, and Fever Tree raspberry and orange blossom soda.
For dessert, Sam went for the Orange Drizzle Cake with mango sorbet, and after taking ages to decide, I opted for the British Isle Cheeses with crackers, quince paste, celery, grapes and crostini. When the desserts arrived, I had 3 cheeses on my plate including Cornish Smugglers which I don’t think I’ve tried before. Sam spotted it straight away as it’s her favourite. Apparently, not many places sell it and it’s hard to get hold of. I also had Cornish stilton and goats cheese. As a proper cheese fan, I was happy with this selection.
Sam’s cake was generous too and was light and fluffy. As she was eating it, she kept saying how good it was and then she tasted the sorbet, which was amazing! By the time we had our desserts, we felt content and like we had totally indulged.
We thoroughly enjoyed having the time to savour 3 very palatable courses. We made our way back to our room for another cup of tea. I’m not going to lie, despite our full tummies, we actually looked over the breakfast menu and thought about what we might have in the morning!
Breakfast with a view
After a very comfortable nights sleep, we woke to the sound of the waves gently lapping on the sand and rocks. To make the most of the view, we opened the curtains before we even put the kettle on. St Michael’s Mount looked even better in the morning light.
We headed back to Shutters for breakfast. You don’t have to be staying at The Golphin to enjoy a leisurely breakfast here (or any meal). People were wandering in with their dogs, and stayed for coffee and something to eat. To me, it seems like the perfect place to start your Sunday.
Much like dinner, there was an excellent selection of breakfasts available. There were light options, like fruit, as well as established favourites, such as Eggs Benedict and a Full English.
We both had a strong coffee and Sam decided to have the fruit platter and a croissant with jam. I found it hard to not have Eggs Benedict. It’s hands-down my favourite brekkie or brunch option, but in the end, I chose the Sweet Potato Hotcakes. These are sweet potato, kale, onion and mushroom cakes with wilted spinach, sweet onion jam and pesto. They were good, and I’m guessing they’re a meat-free take on bubble and squeak. The sweet onion jam was absolutely divine. It had a sharpness to it which was complemented by the pesto and smooth sweet potato.
Sam’s fruit platter was so colourful and varied. She had passionfruit, pineapple, orange, melon and kiwi, all of her 5 a day on one plate. It’s fair to say that breakfast at Shutters is a laid back, leisurely affair. Afterwards, we took a stroll around Marazion, which was still asleep. It was so quiet, just like Sundays used to be.
We had a fabulous night at The Godolphin. Both myself and Sam enjoyed our much needed pause (much needed, thank you), and were well looked after by the team at the hotel. Not only is The Godolphin in a perfect position for a coastal staycation, it’s a wonderful place to eat, whatever time of the day.
We were invited to stay at The Godolphin in exchange for this review. All thoughts and views are my own. What can I say? It’s beautiful and we had a great time!
