CHAPEL HOUSE: PENZANCE

19/03/19

*AD: Gifted - this was a press visit and I was given a complimentary stay by Chapel House in return for an honest review*

Why you should visit:

For the calm and home away from home atmosphere
Stay right where its at on cool Chapel Street
Take in the stylish interiors
Indulge in a delicious and relaxed breakfast

DESTINATION:

Chapel House is situated right in the centre of the Cornish town of Penzance. The name ties into the street it’s on, Chapel Street, which is Penzance’s most historic street and is a cool hub of boutique shops, local galleries and cute pubs. It’s also a short stroll to the sea front, which can be seen from the windows of some of the rooms at Chapel House.

Penzance feels a little like a town of two halves, which I’ve found is often the case with seaside towns (as mentioned in my Margate guide here), whereby some of the town has been renovated and other parts are still quite run down. There are many charms to Penzance though, such as the Jubilee Pool which is an art deco lido gem (it was unfortunately closed for renovation during our visit as they’re heating part of the pool with geothermal energy and it re-opens on 6th July), the many historic buildings, the boats dotted around the harbour and of course, the picturesque Chapel Street itself.

DECOR:

The whole interior of Chapel House is just stunning. Originally the Penzance Arts Club before it became the boutique hotel it is today, it was lovingly restored and renovated over two years and the mix of original Georgian features and contemporary decor is a heavenly match.

Steve and I were very lucky that we were visiting out of season, meaning the hotel was largely unoccupied so we could have a full tour and glimpse into every bedroom. There was not one room I didn’t like and every little detail has really been thought about, particularly making sure every room has a wow factor bathroom with rainfall showers or roll top baths.

There are two large sitting rooms for guests to relax in, and even though the decor was minimal for my usual tastes, I really did fall in love with the pared-back tones, classic period styling and pure sophistication of the interior design of both spaces.

We were staying in one of the newly built apartments situated off the garden at the back of main house, which are spread across two floors. The top floor has an open plan living/dining/kitchen area, with two balconies either looking out to sea or over the garden, and a bedroom and bathroom on the ground floor.

I loved the minimal feel of the bedroom, with its exposed wood and subtle colour scheme, juxtaposed with the colour pop of the living space, which had a retro feel with pops of oranges and blues and 1960’s style furniture.

The little details really added to our stay, such as locally made toiletries (from a store on Chapel Street itself) and fresh milk in our kitchen for tea & coffee. I was also impressed that the bathroom mirror had a built-in bluetooth speaker and we connected our Spotify to it whilst enjoying a cuppa.

DINING:

A big perk of Chapel House is the dining. Susan, the helpful and friendly owner, is very passionate about food and drink and every Friday and Saturday evening she cooks a Kitchen Supper for guests who would like to dine in the hotel. As we were staying midweek, we weren’t able to indulge in dinner but we did get to enjoy breakfast.

I liked the fact that as soon as we arrived, we were asked what time we’d like breakfast, rather than told what time it was served from and until. It’s things like this that make Chapel House such as relaxed place and give you that home away from home feel throughout your stay.

Breakfast, like the Kitchen Suppers, are served in the kitchen at the big communal dining table. The kitchen was filled with fruits, yoghurt, local honey, homemade smoothies and juices and cereals and we were told to help ourselves whilst some fresh tea was made for us. You could easily be content with the breakfast already on offer but there is also a breakfast menu to choose from. We decided to go for breakfast sandwiches - bacon & egg for me and sausages for Steve. The majority of the produce used is sourced locally and the bacon, from a butcher’s on Chapel Street itself, was lip-smackingly delicious. Steve said the same of the sausages.

One thing I loved over breakfast was perusing the cookbooks on Susan’s vast bookshelves. When I sit down to relax it is often with a cookbook in hand and a pot of tea at my side, so it was the perfect way to start the day.

DEBRIEF:

Chapel House is truly one of a kind. It is such a lovely place to stay and the perfect spot to whole up for a few days, switch your phone off and take some time out.