Cornwall!!

[P0larexpress]

why do people pay stupid amounts to holiday here?
I nearly spat my coffee out in work today. A co worker has paid £1600 for a week in st Ives, last week of June!

she showed me it! It’s a pretty basic, one bedroomed cottage. Wtf!!

i have booked flights and an Airbnb in greece for just over £1000. I’ll admit I never holiday in the uk, because it just doesn’t feel like a proper holiday to me, but if I do it’s always a deal/ bargain Airbnb type thing.

what’s the attraction of Cornwall?
By all accounts it’s overcrowded cost a fortune to park , and eat out, and a pretty mediocre experience all round!

The Sunday Times had a property for sale in Salcombe Devon - terraced house with 3 beds. Ok it looked pretty but on the street no obvious parking. 900,000 pounds - craaaaaaazy.

I loathe Cornwall with a passion but have to spend a week in st mawes every year as its DHs family holiday. St mawes is worse than st Ives which at least has a lovely beach.

I spend all week thinking of things to do well away from st mawes.

Pre covid i made sure we (me Dd and DH) holidayed elsewhere in the uk earlier in the summer but post covid prices are too high still so back to bloody st mawes we go.

Omg @mogtheexcellent I used to think St Mawes was a big meh full
Of second holes urgh - does your family have one?). But last September I visited and was bowled over. The beach was like the med! Clear water perfect for swimming. Lobster rolls for lunch from the harbour kiosk, and a trip to the gorgeously underrated Lamorran gardens.
I've spent the intervening months telling my west cornwall friends to visit!

Only locals can use the public loos?

That isn't true, St Ives council are introducing a scheme where people who actually live in the town won't have to pay to use the toilets but everyone else will. Doesn't particularly bother me as every seaside place up here charges 40p to use the toilet, so we are used to it.

I’m amazed at how many of you think that a foreign holiday = sitting around a pool 😂.

you not interested in culture, food, languages, stone and bones? I have never set foot inside a resort myself and can’t believe on the only one here saying that

foreign holiday totally wasted on some

I’ve always avoided Cornwall on the basis it’s a long drive, insanely busy, overpriced etc.

But we went in the Easter holidays this year for the first time and I am a convert.

I am sure it helped a LOT that we (deliberately) picked the week before Easter when a lot of schools hadn’t broken up, though ours had. Clearly the place was just gearing up for the tourist season, some places hadn’t opened for the season yet.

We stayed in a very nice 3 bed cottage for £80 a night. Locals we encountered were all very friendly, great service in restaurants etc. Ate some lovely meals. Nothing over priced. No issues with traffic either getting there or around. Nowhere was particularly busy.

Some beaches that were absolutely stunning - proper white sand and turquoise water beautiful. We had many of them almost to ourselves.

@interferringma

St mawes beaches are awfully stoney and not comfortable at all. There are better places to visit. Its location is quite cut off in a waywhich makes it so much worse.

Plus the whole place is over run with people blithering about how amazing it is.

@mogtheexcellent why on Earth do you keep going if you hate it so much?! Is it bc you DH's family have 'invested' in a second home and you all feel chained to it?
This thread is bonkers
Go to cornwall if you want. If you hate it, don't!

Sorry. Should have said 'only locals can use toilets for free, yes visitors have to pay. Not locals.

We’re going to Thassos.you have to get a ferry there from the mainland. My friend has been twice and we booked the same accommodation that she stayed in.
it’s close to the beach, has a small pool and surrounded by tavernas.
I can’t wait.
went to Corfu in 2019 and had a wonderful holiday also.

I love Cornwall, many happy memories from when the kids were little (and we camped, before prices got £££ or stayed at my aunt's house for free).

But it's 450 miles from my house, and less than half of the time of the journey is on motorways. In 8+ hours that it takes to drive there I can set off from my house, drive to the airport, wait 3 hours, fly to Spain, get luggage and transfer to a hotel. Guaranteed sun, the real 'actually away somewhere where they talk different and the money/food/roads are different' holiday experience. And usually for less than a week in a damp hut in Cornwall.

I can start a thread about anything I like. Did you not know that?

Have to admit though, I do think your friend is paying a lot for a one bed, at that time, unless it is in an amazing location ? or has parking or comes with a free puppy ?

Horses for courses. I’m going to cornwall this summer. About £2k for the house then The Middle East later in the year to stay with family. Costing a lot more than £2k just for flights.

And I’d love a cheap European break but stuck with school holidays so anything under £5k is a bargain

Is it true about the toilet thing. Is this serious??
I can’t believe holidaymakers put up with this shit!! Peak season will be interesting!

I remember vividly having a small child about to pee themselves because we couldn’t find any toilets.

We eventually went in to a packed cafe (they all were) to use the loo. We were told that in order to use the toilet we would have to order and pay for food/drink. We had fully intended to buy tea and cake, but my dc was in a state and needed the toilet ASAP!

I’ve never got over how unfriendly and unsympathetic they were!

We are massive fans of a a UK coastal holiday, we are driving back from a mon-fri break on the North Yorkshire coast today in fact. We have been to Cornwall twice, and it is absolutely beautiful, but I do agree with you OP that it has become unrealistically expensive, so we will be giving it the swerve going forward, as there are places just as beautiful but much more reasonably priced, with loads to do and nor as crowded in the UK to visit.

Can it not just be OK that people like different things?

Had a little google at Thasos and I admit I am jealous, it does look gorgeous.

You should all come to Northern Ireland for your holidays, there's sea view air bnbs plenty & since I moved back here 10 years ago, I don't think I've been stuck in traffic for more than 20 minutes behind a tractor.

I hate the sound of overcrowded little streets & difficult to park, although would like to see Cornwall sometime.

The stress of paying so much more for mediocre stuff would seriously piss me off. I just can't imagine it would that much nicer than the many beaches I can get to within 30-40 minutes of my own house

Cornwall is beautiful but I've vowed never to go in school hols as last time we did it was just gridlocked everywhere.
We fine Dorset just as nice and not as congested. Also Northumberland is stunning.

Yep. Took our van on a mini tour in NI a few years ago. Beautiful!
I also love the west of Ireland. Stunning!

‘They’ weren’t, ‘they’ were desperately missing the tourist trade.

Don’t believe everything that the papers tell you.

Cornwall is expensive, you should try living here!

But I love that I have beautiful scenery on my doorstop. Obviously more sunshine would be nice!

I don’t think you can compare Cornwall to Greece, two completely different places.

Enjoy your holiday @P0larexpress

That does sound v expensive for 1 bedroom.
We pay similar amount for 4 bed rental.

I’d love to go to Greece ( although think it’s v hot for doing much other than relaxing close to the sea) but it’s not practical for us to travel abroad at the moment for medical reasons.

Even in summer we manage to find quiet places in Cornwall . Get up early to walk when beaches are quiet . Stunning coastline and beautiful swimming.

Living nowhere near the coast it’s all a treat for us.

Have been many times and always had plenty of sunshine and lovely holiday. Mostly relaxing outside/ coastal paths/ swimming/ coffee / wine with a view. Tend to cook our own food .

Of course people enjoy different places , just depends what your personal situation and expectations are.