Duchy Holidays Self-Catering Holidays on Cornwall’s North Coast

Duchy Holidays provide a range of self-catering holidays in and around the beautiful seaside town of Perranporth in North Cornwall. Many of the Duchy properties are dog friendly, so we headed there for a 5 night stay with Puggy Smalls, Pugyay, Pops and Pomegranate!

We packed all four pooches in the car and arrived in Perranporth at lunch time. Key collection is from 4pm, but that wasn’t a problem as we spend the afternoon stretching our legs on the beach and getting to know our gorgeous new surroundings.

Our holiday home, Crest View (1 Waves), was perfect. It had everything we could possibly need, and we all felt at home immediately. It had parking for two cars with electric charging point, four great sized bedrooms (2 with ensuite), a fully enclosed patio garden, utility room, fully equipped kitchen, and the most gorgeous sea view imaginable.

The whole place was chic, spacious and spotless, with a few special touches including a welcome pack with local tea, coffee and biscuits, fresh milk in the fridge, dog treats, dog blankets and even body boards to borrow for the beach! We felt so welcome and so comfortable from the moment we arrived. The linen and towels were all included as well as cleaning products, bin bags, loo rolls, tea towels etc… You can literally turn up and enjoy yourself without worrying too much about what to pack.

We ate out most evenings as there were so many dog friendly options just a few minutes’ walk away.

Our favourite place for lunch and dinner was The Summer House, which served incredible fresh food including gorgeous steaks, burgers, and locally caught lobster, all with a panoramic sea view that was the perfect spot for sunset dining – not to mention the irresistible frozen pina coladas! We also loved the waterfront, for some very naughty American food including mucky chips, nachos, and hot dogs!

The beach was less than a 5-minute flat walk from Crest View, so we really made the most of it and went every single day.

The morning walks were bliss, as the beach was very quiet, and we always stopped off at Alcatraz coffee for some pastries and coffee! Day times were busier, but it never felt overcrowded as the space was vast and you could choose whether to sunbathe, splash around or go exploring in the caves and rock pools.

We were lucky with the weather, except for one evening, but we remedied this with a local takeaway in the house, as we watched the sunset over the beach from the comfort of the top floor living space, wrapped in super soft blankets on the balcony.

The town is small, yet bustling, with plenty to see and do. There’s lots of shopping options, and plenty of places to grab fish and chips, Cornish pasties cream teas and, ice creams for humans and dogs! There’s also two conveniently located co-op stores so it’s easy to grab some essentials, or stock up if you’re planning to cook!

After busy days at the beach, it was so refreshing to bring the four sandy dogs in through the back gate and wash them off in the warm outdoor shower. There’s a washing machine and tumble drier, which was very handy for dog towels and blankets!

The paved garden was small but completely enclosed and safe for the dogs. It became an absolute sun trap in the afternoons and evenings, and we would spend hours just soaking up the rays and sounds of the seaside on the comfy outdoor sofa and dining table.

We were so amazed at how dog friendly the entire area was. In fact, we didn’t find one shop, pub, café, or restaurant that didn’t allow dogs. It was so refreshing to see dog bowls and beds in venues, and we even found a local pet shop called Perran pooch Wear, where you can pick up any forgotten essentials including Grooming stuff, toys, food, treats etc…. We just had to buy Puggy a Cornwall Lifeguard hoodie as the cutest keepsake!

Another shop we totally fell in love with was Atlantic blankets, moments away from the beach, selling stunning Cornish blankets. We bought one made of recycled cotton as a souvenir and it’s so beautiful we wish we bought another! The perfect, super soft, ethically made blanket, big enough to fit both humans and all four pooches for a snuggle!

It’s also worth mentioning that there’s a local vets situated on the Highstreet. Pops sustained a small injury on the beach, but my mind was put at ease as the friendly vets managed to fit her in for an appointment and gave her a thorough check over, giving us peace of mind to continue with the good times!

Although Duchy Holidays was a gorgeous break for us, we sadly had to do a little work from our laptops, but the speedy internet connection meant that we could get our jobs done quickly whilst enjoying the breeze on the balcony, so nothing felt stressful or like too much work.

We only spent 5 days in Perrnaporth, but we really did make the most of it. I wish we were there longer as there was so much more to see and do, but it really is the perfect place with something for everyone. It’s unusual for us to not get in the car and go further afield while we are away, but everywhere was so conveniently situated, the car wasn’t used once! This is particularly impressive for me, as an ex-Londoner who didn’t own a car for years, its perfect to just turn up and know you won’t need to travel too far to have a wonderful time.

it’s so difficult to pinpoint our favourite part of the week as it was all so perfect, but the after-dinner walks on the 3-mile-long beach and sand dunes were bliss, with the most incredible sunsets I’ve ever experienced.! I honestly feel like we could have spent two or three weeks here and still found fun and exciting things to do and places to eat, not to mention wasting lazy days in the gorgeous house, recharging in style with all the creature comforts you could possibly need!

We were sad to leave on the Friday morning, so we decided to stretch out our stay and headed to the Smugglers Den Inn for a quick lunch before we set of on our journey back to Kent. The place was highly recommended by the staff over at Duchy head offices, and I can see why! There are loads of space to eat and drink indoors or out, and of course, the whole pub is dog friendly. Its super rural with gorgeous landscapes and the sounds of sheep surrounding you! We had a perfect ploughman’s lunch with local cheddar and cured ham, which set us up nicely for our journey ahead.

Duchy Holidays, thanks for looking after us and making us feel so welcome. It’s one of the best UK breaks we have ever been on, and we can’t wait to come back for more!

To book the same house for yourself click here.