The Dutchy Barn in Tregoose, West Cornwall offers a luxurious Cornish hideaway thats perfect for couples who want to switch off and enjoy a romantic retreat together. Nestled between the beautiful Cornish countryside and the surf capital of England, the Dutchy Barn is a great bolthole to explore some of Cornwall’s best bits.
Originally serving as the old grain store to the ginormous Mill House that sits next door. This charming Dutchy Barn has been lovingly restored into a surprisingly spacious one bed stay for two. The inside is bursting with character and the attention to detail throughout makes it this place feel like a fancy boutique hotel. Although, I would argue that this is actually better as you get the entire place to yourselves!
Admiring this barn from the outside you already know you’re in for a treat, with its sandy stone walls and pretty stable door. But step over the threshold and you’ll be wowed by the colourful decor and luxurious touches – we will get to those later.
So if you’re searching for a romantic Cornish getaway for two, here’s why you should book a stay at The Dutchy Barn in Tregoose near Newquay.
In this article...
The renovation
When the owners (Stephen and Dean) bought this place in 2017, this hidden barn was barely discoverable from being encased in a complete mess of tangled brambles.
There was a photo-book displayed on the coffee table, showing the stages of The Dutchy Barns renovation which I enjoyed flicking through during our stay. I love a before and after when it comes to restoration projects, so it was fascinating to see how they transformed this crumbling stone building in to the boutique stay that stands today. What was even more impressive, was how they achieved this in a speedy 6 month turn-around. Its quite the transformation.
The kitchen at The Dutchy Barn
There is a fully equipped open plan kitchen inside The Dutchy Barn, which was surprisingly practical. You would have enough space and equipment to rustle up a traditional Sunday lunch in here if you wished! To be fair, that would be dreamy on a cold winters day whilst the fire is crackling away behind you and the record player spins in the corner.
Anything you need, this kitchen probably has; pots, crockery, utensils – it even had a peeler that you could rotate to change the type of blade! I told you it had it all.
Running along the wall, an open kitchen shelf beautifully displayed all the crockery, rustic looking hand-thrown mugs and selection of glasses in various shapes and sizes. We also loved the amusing egg bowl which read ‘I got laid at Tregoose’. You will probably see the resident hens during your stay. I said to James, ‘look a chicken is crossing the road’ but he just thought it was the start of a terrible joke.
There was a full sized oven, microwave and toaster, along with a fridge and separate wine cooler too. But the cherry on the cake was the slimline dishwasher, which meant neither of us had to do the washing up whilst on holiday. What’s not to love.
Lounge area and entertainment at The Dutchy Barn
The lounge area was situated beneath a veil of hanging bulbs that were suspended from the Dutchy Barns vaulted ceiling. Right in the middle was a good sized sofa, not partially squishy, but comfortable enough. The addition of the two enormous feather stuffed cushions made it feel more snuggly.
Either end of the sofa had a barrel shaped side table, whilst a wooden coffee table stretched the length of the sofa. Beyond that was a smallish smart TV which we watched the Michael Mcintyre’s Big Show, and to the left was the impressive wood burner.
It was surprisingly warm during our stay (which was nice for the very beginning of March) so we didn’t end up using the fire. Although we had been provided with plenty of logs, natural fire starters and matches, so we had everything we needed had we of wanted to light it up. There was also the option to pay £5 for additional wood if you burnt your way through all the provided logs.
A minimalist Cuckoo clock was hung on the wall in the living room, but goodness me, we jumped a mile the first time it went off! It’s programmed to work with a light sensor, so once it’s dark it stops going off. However, we did notice it started up again at 5am as the sun began to peek through the Velux windows in the morning. You can ask the hosts to switch it onto silent mode though if you find it annoying.
As for entertainment, they had a Cornish edition of Monopoly which we were going to play. But after our busy day of exploring Cornwall we just wanted to chill on the sofa, have a natter and unwind with a chilled glass of rose cider and slab of Tony’s chocolate. (Plus James is the unrivalled Monopoly champion in our household, so I knew he would just make me bankrupt anyway!) There was also the smart TV, so you could log into your own Netflix account and continue your current series binge and a Crosley record player with a selection of vinyls.
Dining area
Right behind the lounge area of this open plan room was a decent sized table for two. In fact it was probably big enough to seat 4 people fairly comfortably. Cornish themed coasters and placemats were stacked in the centre of the table, whilst two grey velvet chairs were neatly tucked underneath.
Double shower in the barn’s bathroom
We loved The Dutchy Barn’s bathroom, it was quirky and the layout was well thought-out. I also loved this goldfish painting that was hung up in here. So much so, that i’m very tempted to buy one and put it in our home!
A heated towel rail kept our fluffy white towels nice and toasty, whilst the heated floor tiles did the same for our toes. The hosts had provided Noble Isle toiletries too, and the hand wash was in the Whisky and Water scent which smelt completely edible! They also had Who Gives A Crap tissues and toilet rolls which is actually what we use at home too.
The star of the show in this bathroom though, is obviously the twin shower. Half hidden behind a partial wall and crittall style shower door, the double shower was a right head turner. Two gold rainfall showers protruded from the beautiful greeny-blue hexagon tiles, with each shower having it’s own industrial looking shower power dial. There was also a handheld shower hose on the left shower if you’re not keen on rainfall showers.
Bedroom with a free-standing bath tub
Heading into the bedroom, you will instantly be wowed by the imposing free standing bath tub. This epic bath sits on a raised platform thats covered in a fun mix of patterned hexagon tiles and gold taps emerge from the wall behind. It’s a real statement piece of furniture within this room, and whats even better is; it’s roomy enough for two! There was good water pressure too, so it didn’t take forever to fill this super deep tub, and the accent lighting behind it made this space extra cosy and relaxing.
Right beside the gorgeous white bath tub you’ll find the bed, which must be a super king as it was so spacious. The bed sits in front of an orange painted wall and It came fully dressed in white cotton sheets. All the feather bedding felt premium and kept us cosy throughout the night. The only thing I would say is that the metal bed frame easily creaked, every wriggle was rather noisy – but we still slept really well.
Two Velux windows flooded this bedroom with natural light and they could be operated from a selection of buttons on the wall. One was used for opening and closing the windows, while the other switch was for controlling the electric blinds. The blackout blinds were very effective too.
Tucked around the corner was a small dressing table and mirror, which was perfect to sit and do your makeup. There was a handy plug socket here too, and a hairdryer (along with an iron) was provided in the wardrobe.
Designated parking space
The Dutchy Barn doesn’t have parking right beside the property, nor can you pull up out the front as its on a single track country lane. But there is a designated parking space thats only a stones throw away from the barn.
It’s super easy to find too, as its just around the corner from the ford crossing. Simply go through the metal gate and the allocated parking space sits right in front of their tin barn/workshop. From here it was only a short 1 minute walk (if that) back up to The Dutchy Barn. Dean met us upon arrival and helped carry our stuff in, along with guiding the way in the dark with a torch. There is also a torch in the barn for you to use during your stay if you need it.
Outdoor space
Although you don’t have your own private outdoor space connected to the Dutchy Barn, there was a designated garden space opposite. To get to it, you needed to cross the lane and head through the small grey wooden gate thats beneath a rose arch.
It’s a fairly exposed garden with a low hedge, so anyone passing by can look straight in. If you’re wanting a private and secluded garden then this probably isn’t ideal for you. Although, it’s hardly busy here as it’s only the owners and potentially a few other guests staying in their other properties that could perhaps walk past.
You could see the chickens roaming in here, and right at the back was a picnic table situated beside the rushing river and ford crossing. It’s a lovely place to enjoy a glass of wine together or maybe even a spot of alfresco dining in the sunshine.
Location
One word. Rural.
No matter which direction you come into the Dutchy Barn you will need to navigate narrow country lanes. Coming from Somerset, we’re pretty used to these single lane roads with high banks. However if you aren’t, then just go slow and take your time in case you need to try and pull over or reverse for any oncoming traffic.
It’s only a short way though, and one direction takes you across a ford. This wouldn’t be passable after heavy rain flow and it was surprisingly fast flowing. Thankfully It wasn’t too deep when we visited so we did drive through it once – but made sure to enter Tregoose from the other direction during the rest of our stay. The hosts do provide directions on how to avoid going over the ford, but we missed a turning and then google maps took over!
The Dutchy Barn is detached, but there are a couple other properties around. The owners Mill House sits next door and there was another holiday home to the other side of the barn. (One of Tregoose Old Mill’s other properties that they manage) they also have a shepherds hut here, but we didn’t hear or see any other guests during our stay. It was super peaceful.
Provisions and goodies
Upon arrival we found a pint of milk in the fridge, along with a packet of ground coffee. There was also tea bags, a couple of Grind coffee pods and some sugar sachets.
The following day, we returned back to The Dutchy Barn to see that Dean had delivered some homemade triple chocolate cookies. We thought that was so lovely, and they were very moreish too. It was a very thoughtful delivery and we loved it.
Things to do near Tregoose Old Mill
The Dutchy Barn is in a really great location to see lots of great Cornish sites, attractions and beaches. Although its rural, its not long until you’re back on the main roads ready to explore more of Cornwall.
One of the closest beaches is Watergate bay in Newquay which is around 12 minutes drive away. We visited the next cove along from Watergate bay called Porth Beach, where we caught such a vibrant sunset. The sky turned candy-floss pink, before transforming in to fiery red and yellow a couple minutes later.
The Eden Project is only around 15 miles away, and is one of Cornwalls most popular tourist attractions. We visited last summer and had a great day, check out my Eden Project article for more information on visiting. Also The Lost Gardens of Heligan is around 35 minutes drive away, and makes for a fun day out. Especially crossing the Burmese rope bridge!
During our stay, we headed a little further down into Cornwall and visited the beautiful Trebah gardens (we got in for free with our Newt membership) We also went to Kew Gardens and found two stunning waterfall walks near Tintagel the following day. All of which I will be writing about soon!
Another popular thing to do near here is to visit Bedruthan steps, although we decided against that as Google told us that path down to the beach was closed due to being unsafe. However, if you’re just after a gorgeous vantage point, it’s worth visiting simply for that.
How much does it cost to stay at The Dutchy Barn?
Obviously prices vary throughout the year (depending on whether its peak season or not) plus the minimum night stay lengthens during peak season. We visited in March and there was only a 2-night stay requirement, however June changes to a 3-night stay and both July and August jump up to a 4 night minimum stay.
Meaning off-season you’ll be able to book two nights for around £300, whereas peak will set you back anywhere between £500-£900 for 3-4 nights.
To check The Dutch Barns availability, or to book your romantic getaway, take a look here.
Conclusion
We absolutely loved our stay at The Dutchy Barn, and would love to return to one of the other properties at Tregoose Old Mill as they all look gorgeous.
The Dutchy Barn was the perfect place for a romantic weekend getaway. It was comfortable, luxurious, and had everything we needed and more! I loved popping a record on in the morning whilst making a cuppa, relaxing in the bath and just enjoying having this gorgeous barn conversion as our idyllic base for the weekend. The hosts were super helpful and attentive, and the location was perfect for exploring and discovering more of beautiful Cornwall; a county that I can never get too much of.
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