Travel // Joules x Watergate Bay, Cornwall
March 13, 2018Last week, Joules Clothing whisked my Mother in law Julie & I away to Cornwall for a couple of days for a Mother's Day treat. It was such a tonic and we both came back feeling completely rested after a really relaxing but fun few days with a really lovely group of other bloggers & their Mama's. I'm lucky to travel for work occasionally but this Joules trip felt completely different, it was so indulgent & we were spoilt rotten. But most of all, it was really wonderful to spend time with Ben's Mum & breath in that Cornish sea air.
When I'd got the email inviting us to join Joules on a trip a few weeks prior, I was literally jumping around in excitement. I've loved Joules for years and years {in fact just recently I've started wearing some wellies again that I bought back in 2007 {!}} and their recognisable floral & bright prints are so perfect for this time of year as we start to enjoy Spring. It was an invite for myself & my Mum, although my Mum was booked on a pre-arranged trip away with her friends so I asked Ben's Mum if she'd like to join me instead. She jumped at the chance, and she's a huge lover of both Cornwall & Joules so it was actually a really perfect match for us both. And a really lovely opportunity for us to take a trip together. She'd had a knee replacement a few weeks prior so this was just the tonic too.
Joules hosted us at the Watergate Bay hotel, a hotel that they have a partnership with and oh my gosh we all fell head over heels with it. Set right on Watergate Bay {one of the best surf & sunset beaches in Cornwall and home to Jamie's famous 15 restaurant}, the resort focused around the sea with huge glass windows to make you feel connected as well as tasteful nautical touches. Refurbished, I'm guessing fairly recently, it was filled with style but also a real warmth and was welcoming for all of us bloggers but also lots of families & couples. It's definitely somewhere I'd want to return to with Ben in the future.
We drove down last Tuesday morning and were shown to our rooms that Joules had dressed with lots of treats for us. We were seriously spoilt for the whole trip from beautiful weekend bags with personalised luggage tags left on the pretty floral Joules bedding, wellies & slippers, chocolates, champagne, wash bags & even an Instax mini printer which let us print our Instagram snaps directly from our phones.
They'd thought of everything to make our trip even more special. And Julie & I were so excited to see what was in our bag of treats.
Top of my list were these gorgeous new wellies for Spring. I chose a classic green to add to my ever-growing colour collection, I really like the updated version with the pink details.
The room itself was such a treat too, with a free-standing rolltop bath looking out over the sea along with white-washed panelling and a stylish bathroom.
We were asked to pick a few bits from the new collection before arriving & I was SO excited to receive this floral rain-coat to match the wellies along with some classic harbour stripes and a floral embroidered sweatshirt. All with the classic Joules Hare emblem. I also love this soft pink jumper - now in the sale. It was fun to see everybody in their different outfits & all the bright rain coats together.
Everybody arrived at different times by plane from all around the country & so we were excited to all meet up over lunch on the first day. Joules picked such a gorgeous group of girls & considering we'd never met before, we all got on so well and laughed SO much. I think it was really nice having such a mix of ages too with the Mum's & even the Joules PR's themselves Holly & Nikita felt like true friends by the end.
We were given a sneak-peek at some new pieces for late Spring/early Summer. How gorgeous are these colours.
After lunch we were all desperate to get down to the beach. And the rain arrived at just the right time to test our new waterproofs out ;)
Whatever the weather, there's no place like the beach. Especially one as beautiful as Watergate Bay.
That afternoon we re-grouped for Yoga overlooking the beach, all matching in our new Joules activewear.
That evening, before dinner, we all enjoyed cocktails & canapes whilst learning from the Joules Print Design team. It was such an insight learning more about their inspiration & translating that into their trademark floral patterns. We were each given a sketchbook & some paints to get creative, which a lot of us hadn't really touched since our schooldays.
Before dinner in Zachary's restaurant in the hotel which was rather special. I really love late dinner chats getting to know new friends.
I think I'd go back to Watergate Bay just for the breakfasts & tiles alone. There was a huge choice but probably the best part was the waffle station where you can make your own! We all went a little crazy each morning, trying to balance it out with fruit & bircher muesli ha.
We tried Nordic Walking along the beach & then relaxed with spa treatments and the dreamy hotel pool overlooking the waves.
I could have stayed forever!
The food in Cornwall is just so damn good. We ate lunch at the Beach Hut right on the sand on Watergate Bay. We joked that most of our trip focused around us all eating, we were SO well fed!
One of my favourite parts of the trip was a visit to Padstow, just up the coast, a quintessential fishing harbour & an old favourite for both Julie & I. It was strange seeing it so quiet, it gets packed in the summer but lovely to have it to ourselves.
Our first stop, of course, was Joules in a special after-hours visit so that we could have a look at some of the new collection on the shelves.
Pink and green, so pretty for Spring.
I fell in LOVE with this tan rucksack that can cleverly turn into a one strap cross body bag {you probably saw it on my Instagram half the weekend, I haven't stopped wearing it since}.
I fell in LOVE with this tan rucksack that can cleverly turn into a one strap cross body bag {you probably saw it on my Instagram half the weekend, I haven't stopped wearing it since}.
Padstow has some of the prettiest pastel coloured cottages.
Anna {Blossoming Birds} and I became each others 'insta-husbands' for the trip. Although she's so much more glam than I am!
I love this behinds the scenes shot she took of me.
We were all sad when Thursday rolled around so fast. It was one of those weeks where the trip felt like it had flown by but we'd all been there for ages if that makes sense?
I had such a wonderful time getting to know this gorgeous group;
Anna Blossoming Birds & her adorable funny Mum Stella,
Rachel The Ordinary Lovely & her Mum,
Emily BrickDust&Glitter with her Mum {who was also mother in law to Bunty on the trip!},
Bunty Living & her sister,
and Amber Rose Photography with her Mum.
Along with Holly & Nikita from Joules who were such a scream and the best hosts.
A group photo & a few last welly shots on our last morning.
I can't thank Joules enough for treating us to such a dream trip. I'm so excited for the summer range to drop soon, I had a sneak peek last November at a press breakfast & I know that you'll love it too - think bright colours, embroidered sun hats & cute straw bags! You can shop online at Joules here.
P.s. you can see more of the trip here with the hashtag Joules x Watergate Bay.
R <3 xx
P.s. you can see more of the trip here with the hashtag Joules x Watergate Bay.
R <3 xx
{A huge thank-you to Joules for spoiling us but all opinions are 100% my own & I was under no obligation to post anything from our trip. I just loved it all SO much}.
1 comments
Gorgeous photos, you must have had a lovely time away. I've only recently come across Joules. I now love their clothes. Is that bag from their range? Or did you have it before? Looks like a perfect overnight bag!x
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