Penzance! We were so excited to come to this place, after hearing it’s name so many times at Paddington Station when commuting home from work – the train on Platform 1 is calling at Reading, Swindon, Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Par, Truro and Penzance. It sounded so far away, I was always dreaming of this land called Cornwall, what it would be like to just jump on the train and end up hundreds of miles away. What did this place called Penzance look like, on the furthest edge of the UK on the map? Here is our story of when we finally went to Penzance back in 2013.
We had just spent a day in St Ives, and in the afternoon drove 20 minutes to Penzance. Again the roads in town were narrow, and parking was on street – thank goodness I had a mini. We found a space on Chapel Street, outside the cutest little shop called The Chocolate House.
We stayed at The Artist Residence, the funkiest hotel I have ever stayed at. Here is the building from the outside, its red door really standing out. (By the way, they have now opened in Brighton and London)
Inside was so colourful, full of art, quirky furniture and each room was painted by a different artist. So cool! Downstairs was the large breakfast/chillout area for guests, and then the rooms were over 3 floors, the top floor being an attic conversion called the Sky Rooms. This is where we stayed, in Room 7.
As you can see, the room was so cool! With waves painted on all the walls, modern furnishings and the most comfy bed, there was a little ensuite and skylight windows with views of the sea (admittedly we had to tiptoe to see the view!). We set up Tyler’s travel cot by the bed and then set to exploring the town.
I don’t know what I expected from Penzance, but I think we were unlucky as the weather had turned a bit grey, which in turn made the buildings look grey. It was 4pm-ish on a Sunday afternoon and there were hardly any people around. We got a view of the sea though a car park though!
We found a shopping centre on Wharf Road, and was closed anyway being late-afternoon on a Sunday. There were a few eateries on the outside, so we ate at a deli that served pasta. We then walked around the high street, trying to guess which store was the old Woolies, and then walked back to the hotel to get Tyler ready for bed. The highlight of our walk was watching this bus trying to squeeze through the narrow streets! Seriously, it was scary, I don’t know how these drivers manage it!
Then next day we had breakfast in the hotel, admiring the cool decor. Even the bowls were colourful!
After breakfast we packed up and set off on a short drive to Lands End, Tyler having his 9.30am nap in the car. It was there that I read that Penzance was where the train line from London was built to end at, so in the olden days, Londoners could be brought to Cornwall and then travel on to other destinations from Penzance. So I can conclude that Penzance is the Slough of Cornwall (no offence locals, I live in Slough so often joke about commuter towns ;-))
Now I’m SURE there are nice things to see and do in Penzance, perhaps not on a Sunday, so if any locals are reading this, please do comment and let us know where we should have visited! I have also been told that nearby Mousehole is a lovely place to visit.
In next week’s Toddler Trips post, I will tell you all about our visit to Lands End 🙂
Sabrina x
Other Toddler Trips:
Bude – Salisbury – Dawlish – St Ives
I remember seeing the Brighton branch of The Artists Residence on Hotel Inspector – it looks fab and so unique!
I’m so disappointed that Penzance wasn’t great for you. I have so many happy memories of the town from going to Cornwall every year as a child. I haven’t been for about 7 years so it may well have changed, but I remember walking along the dry docks across the bridge that lifts up, and being terrified of the rusty ships! We also used to walk further along to where there is (or was, whether it is still there I don’t know) a big outdoor swimming pool. There were lots of rockpools for us to play in and explore. In the town centre there are some great little pasty shops! Whether there’s much to do for a child I don’t know – I went before kids so never thought that way, but we went every year as a child and loved it.
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Oh I loved the Artist Residence, really such a unique hotel, I totally recommend it! Such a chilled-out vibe there too. Aw, I’m not giving up on Penzance, I think it truly was just because it was a Sunday and the weather was grey! Your memories sound just as I imagined Penzance would be. I think with hindsight, we should have chosen a seaside location for the Sunday of our roadtrip, so at least if everything was closed, we would have the beach! I still feel excited when I hear Penzance called out at Paddington Station! xx
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Wow, what an amazing hotel room! Sounds like you had a great time.
Amanda #SummerDays.
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Oh yes it was so different from any other hotel I stayed at, I totally can recommend them 🙂 xx
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That hotel looks really cool! I love those rooms. I’ve never been to Cornwall but it’s definitely another one on my list! Glad you had a great time and look forward to reading about some other toddler trips! X
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It was soooo cool, it was such a chance from the usual hotels, I can totally recommend them. Oh and you must visit Cornwall one day, it’s so beautiful there 🙂 xx
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Oh wow, that hotel room looks rather cool! Love the pic of Tyler in his travel cot with his little head peeking up! I’ve not been to Penzance but we did spend a lovely weekend in St Ive, back in the days when we didn’t have a toddler and could just have a weekend away on a whim! x #sundaystars
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It was such a cool hotel, I totally recommend them if you ever go to Penzance. Ha ha, I miss the days of Tyler being in a cot, he would always peek his head up like that! And I do miss those weekends away on a whim, it’s like another life. Although it is fun having a toddler to take, I love seeing his reaction to new places 🙂 xx
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What an amazing place to stay, that looks worth a trip to Penzance alone. It’s not somewhere I’ve visited either although I do love Cornwall #mondayescapes
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Yeah it was, so so colourful, we loved staying there! I would definitely stay again if I was to visit Penzance again (and this time not on a Sunday!) xx
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That hotel looks fantastic. It’s quirkiness is going to be something that you will all think back on when you remember this trip I am sure! Thanks for linking up with #SummerDays again. Hope you can join in again next week!
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Exactly, I still remember that hotel like yesterday, it was so different! Definitely will go back one day, and maybe not on a Sunday! xx
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That shop must have bee seriously tiny, it makes your mini look huge!!! Thanks for linking up with the #summerdays linky, hope to see you again xxx
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Ha ha you’ve really made me laugh with that comment! 😀 Yes it was tiny, and the door looked like it was made for little people. Shame that it was Sunday and closed, we couldn’t go in. Next time! Xx
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Oh I do love Cornwall – you just can’t go wrong staying in any town there. We’ve not been to Penzance, however, but absolutely love th Artist Residence, what a fab hotel. Look forward to reading your Lands End post – we had a blast there last year! Thanks so much for linking up with #MondayEscapes
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It so true, it’s such a buzz being in Cornwall, I could be in any little town there! The Artist Residence was so cool, definitely worth a visit. I do want to go back to Penzance on a weekday, I feel we didn’t get the whole experience as most places were shut the day we were there. I’ll have to do an update! Lands End was breath-taking – will write that up very soon! xx
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