Newquay
Being Cornwall’s most popular holiday destination, Newquay has been providing holidays for a range of visitors for generations. From families looking for a beach holiday, surfers looking to catch some waves, couples looking for a romantic weekend, mates looking for a weekend break or stag and hen parties looking for lively nightlife, Newquay has it all.
Occupying a superb location on the North Cornwall Coast, Newquay boasts towering cliffs, eleven beautiful sandy beaches, a relaxed seaside atmosphere and friendly locals, making it the perfect destination for a fun packed weekend for six iknow staff members!
Blue Chip Vacations
The streets are lined with quaint guesthouses, hotels, surf hostels and self catering flats, some with impressive views over Fistral and Crantock beaches, others of the town which retains all of its fishing village charm. Courtesy of Blue Chip Vacations we enjoyed luxury surroundings in our very own 2 bedroom apartment in the Pentire area of the town which was just a short walk from Fistral Beach and the Golf Club as well as being only a short taxi ride into the buzzing town centre which enjoys an excellent choice of bars and clubs.
This one time fishing village is now known as the West Countries beach paradise and the UK’s major centre for surfing. The warm climate means the town is ideal all year round and even in the middle of April we all sported sunburnt faces after just an hour or two of Frisbee on the beach on our first afternoon!
Courtesy of Blue Chip vacations we were invited to enjoy the ZapCat experience. The opening races of the ZapCat Grand Prix kicked off at Fistral Beach, a beautiful stretch of golden sand alongside crystal clear waters, what a perfect way to spend our weekend.
ZapCat Grand Prix
As we walked towards the VIP area, we passed the ZapCat power boats lined up in the sea ready for powering through the waves. The PA speaker announced GO and six boats powered their engines. As the boats took off at rapid speed the co-pilot jumped in as they raced towards the first buoy.
With all the boats having the same engines all ten teams were on a level par, as they cornered the buoy it was clear that pure skill from the pilots would ensure a win. We watched on amazed as the boats fought to take the turn first, cutting each other up and some close to tipping over.
As the leader head back towards the beach another turn appeared accompanied by a 2ft wave sending the boat soaring to the sky. This sport is definitely not for the faint hearted. The race was very entertaining and such an adrenalin rush that it provided us all with a much need energy boost which would come in handy later on when we hit the Newquay bars.
After a sun and surf fuelled day on the famous Fistral Beach, what better way to soothe sun kissed faces and aching muscles than to spend a night sipping Callestock Cider and hitting the dance floor in one of the many Newquay bars and clubs.
We began our evening at a local venue close by to our apartments, claiming to have the best beer garden in the whole of Newquay. From the outset it looked more like somebody’s family home than a bustling seaside bar and the interior wasn’t much different. A local band played with an audience of two in the living room whilst a couple in their late twenty’s and their younger children sat in the self proclaimed beer garden, well disguised as a heated decking area. After finishing our round in a record time, we fled the scene for something a little more upbeat.
Following a couple of busy ‘weatherspoon’ like pubs, lady Gaga music and the inevitable dads-at-wedding dance moves we made our way to Chi Bar, a chic vodka bar situated on the cusp of Crantock beach. Though quiet to begin with, the venue was quickly filled with young locals and travellers alike, some lounging on the comfortable sofas whilst others hit the small but ample dancing area to throw some killer dance moves that even JT would be proud of. A local up and coming band stole the limelight with covers of chart hits and original classics, followed by a spritely young funk band with an excellent lead female artisit who managed to get even the people with two left feet up dancing. Overall the night out in Newquay was an enjoyable and surprisingly inexpensive night, making even our raging hangovers a worthwhile experience.
Hitting the Newquay Bars
Unfortunately Sunday arrived and we did not have time to explore all the attractions that Newquay has to offer which include the Blue Reef Aquarium where you can meet the local marine life, Newquay Zoo where you can learn about animals from across the world and Tunnels Through Time which recreates Cornish stories and legends. For a sunny day, Waterworld offers two pools, water flumes and waterfalls or the Boating Lake is a great place to breathe in some seaside air!
There are plenty of tourist shops selling everything from Cornish rock and fudge to Life Guard hoodies and postcards, high street stores, tea rooms selling Cornish Cream Teas and sweet shops. The aroma of traditional Cornish Pasties fills the streets and fish and chip shops were aplenty as well as relaxed cafes and more formal restaurants and bistros.
Newquay has something to offer everyone whether you want to relax, party, sightsee or explore, so why not give it a go? For a fantastic range of accommodation please visit iknow-cornwall
The iknow team
Tags: holiday experiences, reviews
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 2:50 pm and is filed under Where have you been?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
