Wanderlust: A seaside spa experience with soul

Cliff top hot tubs, a sensory spa garden and breath-taking sea views at every turn - sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?

Overlooking the golden sands of North Cornwall’s Mawgan Porth, I recently escaped to Bedruthan to try its new Wanderlust break; a luxurious adults-only stay which gives guests the opportunity to experience both Bedruthan (your home by the sea for two nights) and neighbouring sister hotel, Scarlet, and the chance to unwind in their two unique spas.

Unlike the uplifting, kaleidoscopic colour found throughout Bedruthan’s spacious interiors, the more muted tones and natural materials found in my soothing, Scandi-inspired bedroom made the space felt instantly serene, as did the breath-taking views across the beach and out to sea. As much as I could have happily spent hours gazing at the crashing waves from bed, I had not one, but two spas to discover…

The Wanderlust break includes a 30-minute session in one of Scarlet’s iconic clifftop hot tubs, so I decided to spend my first afternoon there. Just a five-minute amble downhill and I had arrived, and felt my shoulders immediately drop another inch or so.

In terms of contemporary design, there aren’t many places that can compete with Scarlet’s sleek, heavenly-scented spa. Whilst doing a few gentle laps of the streamlined indoor swimming pool, which is cleansed with low-dosage bromine, I was once again engulfed by sweeping views of both sea and sky.

Ayurveda-inspired treatments take place in tented, lantern-lit rooms; elsewhere there’s a mosaic steam room, a cocoon-like meditation space and a large, airy, laid-back lounge with plenty of beds, bean bags and hanging pods overlooking the swaying reeds of the outdoor pool and the undulating ocean beyond. Dotted around the spa’s pretty garden are two hot tubs alongside a brilliant barrel-shaped cedar wood sauna, which offers yet more heavenly sea views through its porthole-style windows.

Fresh towels and cosy robes are all in generous supply, and there’s no need to wear a watch or check your phone; if you’re booked in for a treatment, a member of the thoughtful and efficient team will simply come and find you when the time is right.

After enjoying all that the spa has to offer (I even braved a dip in the reed filtered outdoor pool – an incredibly invigorating 9 degrees when I took the plunge…), I was whisked off for my clifftop hot tub session. As I sank into the soothing warmth of the water, a glass of chilled Prosecco promptly arrived, and I then watched in awe as the sun set over the bay and lit the sky up in a blaze of hot pinks and oranges. It was, quite simply, breath-taking.

In the evening, Wanderlust guests are invited for a seven-course dinner with wine flight at Scarlet on one night, and a three-course dinner at Bedruthan on the other. The views, intimate interiors and delicious, locally focused, seasonal dishes were a total delight.

With various wellbeing classes on offer, I started the next day with a deeply relaxing yin yoga session in a glass fronted studio overlooking swaying coastal grasses and the white sandy beach below. Talk about Zen.

This was followed by a sumptuous artisan bakery breakfast accompanied by yet more expansive sea views, and then another trip to the spa, this time at Bedruthan. Here, I was spoiled for choice; there’s a large indoor swimming pool, eucalyptus steam room, Roman-style caldarium, sauna, and a vast hydro pool that overlooks the ocean. This serene, purple-hued spa space is wonderfully warm and soothing, with soft lighting, a feature fireplace, huge bifold doors and a wraparound balcony for warmer days.

Soon, it was time for a trip to Bedruthan’s Sensory Spa Garden. Billed as a back-to-nature spa experience with sea air, it is part Nordic thermal therapy, part Cornish coastal wellbeing. Taking place in a thoughtfully designed, beautifully planted garden tucked away next to the hotel’s outdoor pools, the 60-minute session involved fragrant scrubs, a sea view sauna, freezing cold plunge buckets (chilly, but great fun), bubbling hot tubs and more. There are seven stages in total, all at different temperatures, and I loved every single one. To complete the journey, a mug of herbal tea magically appeared, whilst I soaked my feet by a crackling firepit surrounding by aromatic herbs. It was heavenly, and one of the most nourishing hours I’ve ever spent.

My Wanderlust experience at Bedruthan was the epitome of restorative; this thoughtfully curated, laid-back break felt both nurturing and invigorating in equal measure. Thanks to the hotel’s creative, uniquely Cornish energy and the endless sea views, I left feeling both relaxed, recharged, and ready to take on the world. It’s rare to find a hotel with real soul, but Bedruthan has it bucket loads.