A couple weeks before Christmas, James whisked me away for a cosy winter break at the charming Blue Bee cottage in St. Columb Major, Cornwall. The beautifully renovated Blue Bee cottage is a grade ll listed building thats oozing with charm and character. Every room in the house has been lovingly restored, then decorated with calming neutral tones, natural textures and coastal touches.
The Airbnb hosts had even draped some festive bunting across the fireplace mantle, and there was an adorable little Christmas tree twinkling away in the corner of the room. All of which made the space feel extra cosy and I couldn’t wait to celebrate my birthday here.
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Where is St. Columb Major?
The Blue Bee Cottage can be found in the South-West of England on the North Cornish coast, in the small medieval town of St. Columb Major. Which is only a quick 15 minute drive away from the popular long sandy surf beaches of Newquay.
Things to do near the Blue Bee Cottage in St. Columb Major
As mentioned above, the near-by beach of Newquay is a top choice for any keen surfers. We actually ended up heading in the opposite direction to a place called St. Austell. As we wanted to explore the lost gardens of Heligan, which was roughly a 30 minute drive from the cottage.
The following day we headed 40 minutes north to Tintagel Castle, which is somewhere that’s been on our bucket list for quite a while. Unfortunately, we visited on possibly the windiest day imaginable! Which made crossing the almost 70 meter long bridge, with strong winds blowing in your face was pretty wild – but it was a lovely place to explore and I recommend a visit.
Blue Bee cottage provided the perfect base to allow us to see both of these places over the weekend. It’s in a great location to explore lots of Cornwall, including The Eden Project which is only 20 minutes away.
St. Columb Major itself has local pubs and takeaways, so there’s a few options when it comes to food. There is also a post office, supermarket and some craft & antique shops for you to explore.
Does the Blue Bee Cottage have parking?
Sadly theres no designated parking space at the cottage. There is however, a place you can pull in briefly to quickly unload all your things which was helpful.
The lack of parking space is no biggie though, as there is free parking dotted all around the town. All of which is fairly close to the cottage, and only requires a short walk. Just don’t do what we did and accidentally park in the butchers space late at night, in the dark! Let’s just say, he wasn’t best pleased with us when we went to move our car Saturday morning…oops!
Alternatively there is a small pay and display carpark which is only a few minutes walk away from the cottage. So we parked there on Saturday as it was free over the weekend (or at least it was for the time’s that we parked there)
Cook something tasty in the beautiful kitchen
The cosy cottage was incredibly well equipped and provided everything you’d need for a weekend away, or longer. The kitchen had all your pots and pans, crockery and cutlery ready to go. There was plenty of tea and coffee, and the hosts even provided us with a delicious welcome gift of fresh scones, thick clotted cream and strawberry jam. How very Cornish!
The kitchen was also a great size for a small cottage. You would have no issues cooking up a hearty meal in here, then tucking in at the convenient breakfast nook/ dining table.
There is also a dishwasher and a washing machine/dryer in the kitchen, which is forever a welcome bonus on holiday.
Cosy up in the living room
The real showstopper in the lounge was a lovely log-burner, which actually happened to be a Dimplex Optimyst fire. It impressed us so much with its realist flame effect, that we chose to buy one for our living room back at home. Ready for when we built our false chimney breast.
There was a deep snuggly sofa to curl up and watch TV on, perfect for cosying up and enjoying a glass of your favourite tipple. Plus they had this really cool drinks cabinet / cocktail bar which was a fabulous bit of up-cycled furniture!
Exposed beams in the Blue Bee bedroom
Can we just take a minute to appreciate those exposed wooden beams!
How amazing are they!
The gorgeous vaulted ceiling in the Blue Bee Cottage bedroom added so much character, and created a lovely spacious feel to the room. Even though the cottage sits right on a typically narrow Cornish road, thats only a 1 minute walk from the centre of the town. We didn’t hear any noise and both slept really well.
There was a wardrobe and chest of drawers in the bedroom which was perfect to unpack on longer stays, and the double bed was really comfortable. If I was to pick fault at all, the only thing I would say is that the metal bed frame didn’t match the aesthetic of the rest of the house.
We were provided with soft fluffy towels, and there was a hair dryer neatly tucked away in a little basket.
I recommend The Blue Bee Cottage for a cosy Cornish getaway with your someone special. The location is great with lots of near-by places to explore, and the cottage has been renovated to a high standard. We had such a peaceful weekend away here celebrating my birthday.
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