Eco mini break in Cornwall, Jenny’s review

Wedding season is well and truly underway which means my work-life balance is far from equal. As with any job, it is important to take some time out from it, not only for your own sanity but also for your customers sake. You are no good to anyone burnt out and you tend to be at your best after you are refreshed from a break. With this in mind my fiancé and I scheduled in a little mini break between weddings.

We both love where we live and do not seem to get enough time to appreciate our home county, so we decided to keep it local. We booked into The Emerald a luxury zero carbon holiday retreat in a secluded location in Cornwall, perfect for us to hide away for a few days!

We wanted peace, quiet and relaxation for some quality time together. Booking during ½ term week we thought this may be unlikely with the mass of families descending on Cornwall at that time, but at The Emerald we could not have been more wrong. Even though the resort was fully booked, we hardly saw another sole, most of the time we felt like the only ones there.

I had previously coordinated a styled wedding shoot here so I knew the site fairly well, however when we pulled into the driveway, lined with rhododendrons popping colour all the way in, it was even more beautiful than I remembered. Perhaps being here in a non-work capacity allowed me to appreciate and notice everything a little more.

Tim and Brigitte are the owners, they are honestly two of the loveliest people I have ever met and hospitality runs through their veins. We were greeted with open arms and a personal tour along with dog Pippin who we made good friends with. We instantly felt looked after and chilled…

We opted to stay in a shepherds hut, a relatively new addition to the resort and I am so glad we did, it was perfect for us. ‘Jasmine’ was set within our own private garden, surrounded by trees and nature. There’s something about waking up to bird song each morning (instead of an iphone alarm) that’s good for the soul…

We didn’t leave once, there was no need to. We spent our days leisurely swimming in the indoor pool, walking the beautiful grounds, loosing ourselves in our books and playing tennis. They have a fantastic court there framed by trees.

One afternoon after a game in the hot sun, Tim greeted us with two glasses of refreshing pink bubbles as we walked back to enjoy on the sun deck which over looks the lake.  We sat there for a couple of hours enjoying the peace that we came for, with no binging of emails, ringing of the phone, just the sound of nature, our own voices and the fizz of the champagne. What a thoughtful thing for him to do we thought. I am a firm believer that customer service can really make or break a place and here Tim, Brigitte and their team have the balance just perfect.

We came away from The Emerald not wanting to leave but so thankful for the time we had there. My balance felt restored and I was ready to go back to work. Thank you Tim & Brigitte for allowing us to share your haven with you for a few days, it was absolute bliss and there is nowhere in the world we would have rather been.

Find out more about The Emerald here

Top Wedding Planning Tip

Planning your wedding can put a strain on your relationship, the engagement period can be a mine field of hot topics which can trigger conflicts- sometimes a seating plan is not just a seating plan! According to theknot.com many common pre-wedding blowouts include : Family involvement, partner involvement, money, religion, aesthetics, territory, prenups, the past, pressure of pleasing everyone, the list goes on…
With this in mind it is really important to take a break from wedding planning and give yourselves time to enjoy each other’s companionship away from seating plans, colour pallets and budgets, you are likely to come back to it feeling refreshed and excited to get stuck in again.

Breaks like Jenny’s are perfect for this, talk to us about booking your wedding planning break or mini moon in Cornwall.
Written by Jenny Granlund of Jenny Wren Wedding & Event Planning.