Watergate Bay Hotel has announced a host of winter events this December to spark that Christmas feeling.
Twelve Trees of Christmas
This year Watergate Bay’s Christmas trees will do more than just look beautiful; they’ll be telling stories as well.
The Twelve Trees of Christmas draws on friends, partners, suppliers and team members, who are all decorating a tree in their own unique way. These include:
• Beach Guardian’s beautifully repurposed decorations made from ghost fishing gear collected in the waters off the Cornish coast
• Flowers and natural decorations grown organically just seven miles from the hotel by Emily Talling at 3 Acre Blooms, including packets of wildflower seeds for guests to take home.
• Creatively repurposed packaging and baubles are made using old tasting cards from Origin Coffee Roasters
• Botanical aromas and an interactive element on the land&water tree
• Decorations made from old chocolate boxes from the hotel kitchens, brought to life by One Blue Eye, which uses plastics and microplastics that would otherwise be thrown away to remake useable items
• A Watergate Bay Hotel tree featuring strawflower baubles handmade by the team, and a special gingerbread house made by the chefs
• Plus sparkling imagination from vintage Champagne house Laurent-Perrier; mussel shell decorations in The Beach Hut to highlight its sustainability promise and circular impact focus; an E W Wines tree in the new Zacry’s on the sea wall restaurant; LEGO and beach school stories from the Kids’ Zone
The trees will be dotted around the hotel as well as on the Sea Lane for guests and visitors to find.
After Christmas, in January, the Beach Guardian team will be taking all the trees to use in a planting session on the dunes at Constantine Bay, a few miles north, to help with sea defence.
Workshops and music
There are lots of opportunities to get creative and make Christmas gifts and decorations guided by local artists, including: fresh and dried flower wreath making with Botanical Tales, calligraphy workshops with Wild Sea Calligraphy, and monoprinting with Natalie Day. All workshops include a festive drink and cake to help fuel your creativity.
Intimate live music sessions will fill the winter air beachside and in The Living Space snug. Listen to sea shanties with Oll an Gwella and all-female harmonies from Kana, plus acoustic sounds from Our Atlantic Roots and Charlie Scoble.
Zacry’s on the sea wall
On Friday 1 December, a new dining experience will open in a unique shoreside setting. Zacry’s on the sea wall will shine a spotlight on provenance, place and perspective, as the sea wall’s horizon-wide views set the scene for a masterclass in elegant simplicity. A seasonally changing three-course menu will bring the best of Cornish sea, sky and field to the table – all underpinned by the kitchen team’s creative flair. Guests to Festive Nights can be among the first to experience the reimagined Zacry’s.
Food and drink
Alongside the opening of Zacry’s are The Beach Hut Curry Fridays, where warm spices, local hero ingredients and Bengali flavours are served up every week, a celebration of The Beach Hut’s international chefs. There will also be Champagne tastings with Laurent-Perrier alongside a stellar Twelve drinks of Christmas cocktail list from Watergate Bay Hotel’s resident mixologist to savour in front of an Atlantic view in The Living Space.
Beach events and families
There’s lots going on for the whole family, including the dog. Watergate Bay Hotel is partnering with the local RSPCA rehoming centre for a festive dog meet-up and walk on the two-mile sandy beach. The aim is to raise awareness during the RSPCA’s busiest time of year, generating support for mistreated and unwanted animals.
There will also be drop in festive workshops for hotel guests including festive family pottery, wreath making and lantern making with the Ofsted-registered Kids’ Zone team.
Says Will Ashworth, founder and executive director of Watergate Bay Hotel: “Sustainable festive creativity, good food, drink, music and, most importantly, getting together with friends and family – there are so many experiences waiting after sunset this December at Watergate Bay. We can’t wait to turn on the Christmas lights, dial up the festive spirit and welcome everyone down to the Bay.”
Find out more at Watergate Bay Hotel.
