At To The Lighthouse we care about two things. Firstly that you have a truly brilliant time on holiday in Cornwall so that you go home smiling and tell your friends, and secondly that together we leave the smallest environmental footprint we can so that this beautiful peninsular is preserved (along with our home planet, come to that!). To us, those two aims are inseparable because sustainability is happiness.
Luckily we are small — so we can work closely with cottage and chalet owners to make sure that standards are not only set high, but are constantly improving. Read on to find out what your holiday experience will be like, when you book your self-catering accommodation with To The Lighthouse.
Before your holiday
First things first. You can expect a friendly and personal response to your booking enquiry. You won’t find a database or an auto-response behind our website, but instead human beings who know each cottage or chalet inside out. So we can answer questions, arrange a cot or a high chair. We’ll tell you all about how to book when you email us, or you can find out in the ‘terms’ section of the website.
What to expect when you arrive
So. You’ve booked, looked forward to your stay in Cornwall for months. Maybe you’ve made a restaurant reservation, planned a trip to the Tate, the Minnack Theatre or the Eden Project. You’ve followed our ‘how to find’ instructions without getting lost (damn that sat-nav). And finally you arrive. You’ve driven for hours, the kids are fractious… so what happens next?
Well, for a start it’s easy to get in to to all of our cottages and chalets. You will have written down a simple code that lets you in to the (non-electronic) key-box, so you don’t have to hunt for a key in a hidden location, or rendezvous with a key-holder.
A duvet and two pillows per person are provided. One bath towel is provided per person, and two separate hand towels per booking. We ask that these are only used in the accommodation and that you bring your own beach towels.
A welcome pack is provided for you with some basics like tea bags, milk, and eco-friendly washing up liquid.
Eco-friendly holidays
Our cottages and chalets are all independently owned, and we work closely to take progressive steps towards sustainability.Sustainable features vary form cottage to cottage, but we try to ensure that all have one or more key eco-features, and we have a principal that each year every owner will take at least one more significant step. This year, for instance, three of our cottages have switched to green tariff electricity, one has switched to organic bed-linen (so much nicer for you, as well as better for the planet), and we have installed carbon-neutral wood-burners in two. All accommodation has organic bed linen and towels, all have locally sourced welcome packs, and all have composting and recycling facilities. Finally, we urge you to offset your travel carbon (see details at the bottom of each cottage page).
Problems during your stay
If you encounter any problems during your stay you can phone us and we will do our best to help (we’ll let you have the number when you book). Similarly if there are any breakages pleases let us know straight away by phone so we can arrange for replacements/repairs before our next guest arrive.
