We could never have predicted how 2020 would turn out for us here at Pengelly Retreat and for everyone else round the country and the world. Sometimes it feels like everything’s been tipped upside and given a good shake. And we’re still not sure how it’s going to feel when we get turned the right way up again.
We’ve been closed to guests since the UK corona virus lockdown was made official back in the middle of March. It feels like a lifetime ago! The good news is that we are all keeping well and healthy – and feel so very lucky to have all this space and fresh air to play in during lockdown. This really is the perfect place to socially distance! We still aren’t sure when we can reopen our beautiful Boat House cabin and Sail House yurt to guests, but we have our fingers firmly crossed for July, following Boris’s latest update on how and when restrictions may start to slowly lift.
Meanwhile we’ve been keeping ourselves busy during lockdown with regular checks and updates to the our beautiful accommodation here. The biggest of which is this fantastic outdoor bath at the Boat House cabin. WOW we absolutely LOVE this and hope all our future guests will too. Clever Jim built the outdoor bathroom deck and we will get the bath plumbed in very shortly. So keep your eyes peeled for the classic bubble bath and fizz pictures coming your way very soon (I hope!).
While in the depths of lockdown we really enjoyed exploring more of the countryside around Pengelly Retreat and have a new favourite walk, following the course of the stream which runs along the boundary of our land, along a rather wild and overgrown footpath to the neighbouring hamlet of Trenwheal. The footpaths and lanes are so pretty at this time of year with all the campions, bluebells and cow parsley growing in abundance. We’ve also enjoyed exploring Crenver Grove, an ancient oasis of glorious woodland and bluebells, just up the road from us.
With the gentle lifting of restrictions this past week, we’ve ventured back to the beach too. It’s only a short 15 minute drive from Pengelly Retreat, but we felt we shouldn’t get in the car if we could help it during lockdown. Now that we know we’re ‘allowed’ to venture back to the coast again we’ve made the most this week! And honestly I don’t think we’ve ever appreciated the stunning beaches we have on our doorstep so much. We feel a bit like we’re on holiday ourselves being able to spend time here once more.
And meanwhile the bookings keep coming in – we are truly so grateful for the support of all our lovely guests who have decided to rebook their cancelled dates with us. And for those who haven’t been able to shift back their holidays we’ve refunded their payments in full. Because of the uncertainty we know everyone is facing this year, we are operating a fully flexible cancellation policy for all 2020 bookings made directly with us via our website or email. This means that if a guest who has booked direct with us needs to cancel their booking at any time, up till the day before they arrive, we will refund in full, no quibbles and no questions asked. We hope this gives everyone the reassurance they need to book their holidays and start dreaming about their next stay at Pengelly Retreat.
Much love from us and hope to see you all sooner than later. Meanwhile stay safe and keep well xx