When my friend asked me to be his best man, I had the unenviable task of deciding quite what to do…read morefor his stag do. In the end, we went to Cornwall, and stayed at Whitesands Lodge. In a tee-pee.
This place is fantastic, if you need to get away for a long weekend or even an extended break - because while they have standard accommodation in student, backpacker style dorm rooms with powershowers and fully fitted kitchens, they also provide a camping area for tents, and more importantly they have several authentic tee-pees. These things are not just for show, they are real, and built in almost the same way as native americans build theirs.
There were 5 of us staying in one of the tee-pees, and it's fantastic. They are large, with comfortable sleep mats for your sleeping bags, and plenty of room. If you need the loo in the middle of the night, that can be tricky since you have to walk back into the main building, but if you're lucky and it's a clear night with a full moon, you'll have no problems finding your way.
It was so much fun - and that was just the tee-pees. On saturday nights the lodge organises a barbeque for all the guests, with a selection of meat and fresh fish, often caught that day from the local town, Sennen. There are loads of things to do - Sennen Beach is a long, beautiful sandy beach with some of the best surfing in the UK. Land's End, the west-most point of England, is only a half hour walk away from the camping ground, and passing back through Sennen on the return leg you can stop for some authentic Cornish Cream Tea.
There is a good pub a short distance south from the Lodge, with live music and great company. Everyone is so friendly and everything feels so fresh.
Check out the photos for this place, the description that I've given hardly does it justice. I highly recommend that if you're looking for some way of relaxing for a few days, get down to Whitesands Lodge, take your sleeping bag and a few friends, and leave everything else behind.