The Perfect Getaway

 Boats in Padstow harbour.

Having not had a holiday this year my husband and I decided it was time to get away for a few days to relax and forget about work. The answer to our prayers came in the form of a 2 night break at the St Austell Brewery owned Old Custom House in Padstow. Like many other establishments, the Old Custom House offers some fantastic off-season deals meaning you can have a luxury break without the luxury price tag. The 4 star rated 'Enjoy England' Old Custom House seemed particularly attractive to us due to its Michelin Star Fish restaurant and its bar with real ales!

Padstow harbour (the view from our room)

In true Remmer tradition we couldn't just have a holiday without some element of work so on Sunday we travelled to Padstow for a Muay Thai Interclub hosted by Higher Level Gym. My husband brought many of his University of Plymouth fighters for the event and they did him proud. it was a fab afternoon with some great bouts and a lovely friendly atmosphere. Thanks to Steve from Higher level for hosting the event.

  Sid and his University of Plymouth Muay Thai fighters.

It was so nice to finish the interclub and not have to think about the drive back to Plymouth, instead we had just a 3 minute drive to our Hotel in Padstow harbour. The Old Custom house is situated next door to Rick Steins renowned seafood restaurant which we had originally looked at staying at, but we couldn't justify the inflated prices and had read several reviews stating that the Pescadou restaurant was just as good as Stein's. We even looked at some sample menus which confirmed the Old Custom House as our preferred choice.

The Old Custom House and narrow Padstow streets.

The interior of the Pescadou Restaurant.

The Pescadou Restaurant in Padstow.

After checking out our fabulous double room with sea view we ventured down to the bar to start sampling the beers before setting of to the restaurant for meal number 1. I opted for the salmon and dill balls to start and then the hake and gnocchi for the main with a side serving of purple sprouting broccolli and pine nuts. I think I would have been happy with just the pine nuts as they were gorgeous, the hake was perfectly cooked too. After the meal it was straight back to the bar to test some more beers  to round of the end of the evening.

Me sampling the St Austell Tribute.

If we thought the evening meal was nice we weren't about to be disappointed by the breakfast: My husbands full Cornish breakfast looked divine and my Smoked haddock, mushrooms and poached eggs were truly scrumptious. I even had a little Greek yoghurt and grapefruit to freshen the palate and then washed everything down with some Orange juice and a pot of Twinnings Earl Grey. Feeling rather full I then left my husband to lie in bed for 2 hours reading the day's papers whilst I opted for a 2 hour Beauty treatment in the studio adjacent to our room. The facial and paraffin pedicure were amazing and I floated out fo the treatment rooms with one very shiny face and slippery velvet like hands. My husband did find my shiny face very amusing!

Sid enjoying the day's papers.

The afternoon was spent meandering around the tiny streets of Padstow with a brief stop for a Cornish pasty for lunch, unfortunately my husbands northern roots seriously kicked in when we were charged £5 per pasty! it took him some time to get over the shock.

Sid paying £5 for a Cornish Pasty.

I have to admit to a bit of people watching as being one of my favourite past times and the award for most interesting  was two gentlemen in their early 70's who seemed to have a talent for synchronised dining. I have never seen such precision and timing as both gentlemen ordered their beers at the same time, drank at exactly the same moment, placed their glass back on the table at the same time and then carefully loaded their bar meal of spaghetti bolognese onto their forks and chewed and swallowed in perfect unison, it is a talent I have never witnessed before but it impressed me, my husband and the bar lady immensely.

A Seagull perusing Padstow harbour.

Peace and tranquility were restored in the evening as we returned to the bar and then to the restaurant for meal number 2, this time I opted for the mushroom soup to start, which I have to say is the best mushroom soup I have ever tasted, followed by a personal favourite of sea bass, cockles, lemon beurre blanc and more purple sprouting broccoli. My husbands sirloin steak was one of the largest steaks I have ever seen and was so filling he even skipped breakfast the following day. I however had no intention of skipping breakfast and this time opted for the vegetarian option with beans, mushrooms, toast, hash browns & free range poached eggs.

Another view of Padstow Harbour.

After breakfast it was time to head back to Plymouth to get back to work. We squeezed in a quick visit to Stein's delicatessen to buy some freshly baked bread to bring home. The drive back, or should I say aquaplane back, involved torrential rain but I didn't care, I was chilled, rested and refreshed. I would highly recommend the Old Custom House to anyone wanting a short break, it is amazing value for money and has everything you could want for 2 days of heaven. The staff were fantastic, the service was excellent, what more can I say. I am currently one very contented little bunny!

Stay Healthy,

Sam x