In November the Parent Friendly Stays clan were lucky enough to spend a long weekend at Court Farm Cottages in Cornwall – a child friendly complex of Cornish cottages, converted barns and stylish houses in the village of Marhamchurch near Bude.
Here’s our write-up of the holiday – and don’t forget you can also read our full listing for Court Farm Holidays.
Our accommodation at Court Farm
Some of the self-catering cottages at Court Farm Holidays near Bude in Cornwall
Our group consisted of four adults, two children and two babies and we therefore chose to stay in three bedroom Sycamore for our two night stay with the two adult couples each taking a double bedroom (plus cot) and the two older children sharing the third twin bedroom. The property was spacious, light and modern, with oak floors throughout and a fantastic wood-burning stove in the lounge which we made regular use of throughout our stay. Sycamore also happens to be one of several properties at Court Farm which comes with their own private hot tub in the garden – a perfect way to unwind at the end of a long day of travelling with the children!
The PFS baby enjoys the warmth from our wood burning stove in Sycamore Cottage
We found the house was in great condition: very clean, and superbly equipped for a travelling family like ours – we were able to borrow everything from cots and high chairs to baby monitors and towels, and it was noticeable that all the equipment – like the cots – were high quality wooden versions, unlike the cheaper equivalents you often find elsewhere. There was even a box of children’s toys provided which meant the kids barely used the ones we’d travelled all the way to Cornwall with! We also really appreciated the welcoming touch of a tea tray, milk and a bottle of Prosecco which were awaiting us in the kitchen on our arrival, and we soon felt even more at home when Kevin the owner showed us round the facilities on-site and encouraged us to make the most of our time at Court Farm.
Child friendly features at Court Farm
The outdoor play area at Court Farm
The child friendly facilities on site at Court Farm were just as good as we’d hoped, though being winter the weather wasn’t always well suited to allow us to take advantage of them all. The children loved the outdoor play area with swings, climbing equipment, play sheds and ride-on toys, and we also enjoyed putting on some wellies (which, helpfully, can be borrowed free of charge) to feed the resident animals. Our young children aren’t the bravest and so they were a bit scared of some of the goats who enthusiastically jumped up at us as we arrived at the gate of the field, but I’m sure if we’d stayed at Court Farm for a longer stay they’d have soon adjusted to it!
But the highlight of our holiday for the kids was undoubtedly Court Farm’s fantastic indoor swimming pool. The pool is heated to a tempting 30°c – much warmer than some of the similar pools we’ve previously used – and has a slide-back roof for outdoor fun in the summer. The pool had some attractive fairy lights which lit up when the night started drawing in from about 4pm. We made use of the pool every day – sometimes twice! – and the kids had a great time jumping in from the safe wide steps at the shallow end. Thanks to our out-of-season visit, we had exclusive use of the pool for most of our visits but we imagine it’s immensely popular during warmer months.
The fantastic indoor swimming pool (with retractable roof!) at Court Farm
Next to the pool is the indoor play room with soft play area for younger children and a pool table for older kids. Having said that, our three year old had a great time putting the pool balls down the pockets and watching them reappear in the rack at the side – he could have spent hours doing that! This area is also stocked full to the rafters with leaflets, tourist information and other items you might wish to borrow during your stay (like wetsuits) – very helpful and undoubtedly a space saver if you’re running short of room in the car.
We didn’t have a huge amount of spare time to explore the local area, but we did of course make time for a quick visit into the popular seaside resort of Bude, which is less than two miles away. It’s possible to walk into Bude from the complex though we decided to drive given time constraints and the young age of our children. Bude is a great day out and there are plenty of child friendly cafes, pubs and restaurants to visit, in addition to the sweeping beaches and beautiful scenery.
And was it parent friendly too?
The indoor soft play area at Court Farm
Being Parent Friendly Stays we’re always interested in what’s on offer to help keep mum and dad relaxed too, and we’re pleased to say that Court Farm did not disappoint! Most importantly of all, the fantastic child friendly facilities and our safe, cosy cottage meant that the children had a really fun and enjoyable trip, and that’s always the easiest way to keep us happy. But for the times when we felt like treating ourselves, Court Farm had plenty to offer.
We’ve already mentioned our top notch hot tub, which was clean, hot and always ready for us to take a dip at the end of the day (we even took the kids in one afternoon too!). The dads on the trip were delighted to find the village’s welcoming pub only a short stroll away – it’s right across the road from the complex – and a couple of relaxing pints were greatly enjoyed on Saturday afternoon. In return, the mums spoiled themselves with a luxury treatment at the on-site beauty treatment room on Sunday morning; they both greatly enjoyed their messages and came back looking more relaxed than we’ve seen them in a long time!
Summary
Scenic Bude as seen from the cliff tops
So would we go back? Of course we would! Court Farm had everything we were hoping for and it’s a shame we only had three days to enjoy it. Our stay wasn’t without a minor hiccup – the boiler packed up on our first evening and we had to do a bit of fiddling around behind the washing machine to get the heating back on! – but this was a very minor quibble which we easily resolved with Kevin’s help.
Overall, we had a brilliant time and we’re already planning our next stay; this time for the summer so we can make full use of all Court Farm’s brilliant family friendly facilities!
Here’s a link to our full listing for Court Farm Holidays.
The Parent Friendly Stays team