£10 million swimming and wellbeing centre opens on the north Cornwall coast

A new £10 million swimming and wellbeing centre has opened at Cornwall’s only double five-star hotel.

The Headland, which overlooks Fistral Beach on the north Cornwall coast, opened The Aqua Club to hotel and cottage guests for the first time on Saturday 25 July, following news from the UK government that swimming pools could reopen.

In the same month as The Headland celebrated its 120th anniversary, guests were the first to enjoy The Aqua Club’s brand new facilities, which include six pools, a sun terrace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant named The Deck.

Carolyn Armstrong, owner, said: “It was a great pleasure to introduce our hotel and cottage guests to The Aqua Club on 25 July.

“Combined with our five-star facilities and enviable location on the north Cornwall coast, The Aqua Club will provide our guests with some much-needed relaxation – and a place to escape and recharge – following a turbulent few months in lockdown.”

She continued: “The summer marks the 120th anniversary of The Headland first opening its doors to the public. While COVID-19 has brought an incredibly challenging start to the season, the opening of The Aqua Club is a brilliant way to celebrate our rich and interesting history, whilst looking forward to the future.”

The opening of the new centre marks the end of a further phase of investment for The Headland’s owners, John and Carolyn Armstrong, who have spent in excess of £40 million renovating and improving the destination over a 40 year period.

Three pools are housed inside The Aqua Club, including a 25-metre swimming pool, a children’s splash pool, and a hydrotherapy pool.

Outside on the sun terrace there is a heated sunset spa encircled by an oceanfront edge pool, and a vitality pool with a Cornish granite menhir as a central focal point.

The new sun terrace also features stunning oceanfront views and connects to The Deck, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant which serves homemade flatbreads, fresh salads, coffees, and cocktails.

Situated between the hotel and self-catering cottages, The Aqua Club makes use of natural stone, and features a living roof and natural planting on stone hedging to provide a habitat for the flora and fauna found around The Headland’s peninsula.

Awarded five stars by both the AA and Quality in Tourism in 2019, The Headland’s facilities also include luxury bedrooms and suites, self-catering cottages, two award-winning restaurants, a five-bubble rated spa and gym, and a surf school.

Complimentary use of The Aqua Club and The Headland Spa is included for hotel and cottage guests as part of their stay, with details about membership options for non-residents being released in autumn.