The digital nomad’s guide to Newquay, Cornwall
Heading down to Cornwall to work remotely? Great choice, it’s perfect for digital nomads.
Over the last few years there have been so many brilliant additions to Newquay - new places to stay, coworking spaces, cafes and restaurants, and I know you’d love your stay here.
If you’d like to explore the whole county, I’ve created a Digital Nomad’s Guide to Cornwall which will take you from the north to the south coast, but if you’re looking for a base which is packed full of things to do: the best beaches, brilliant places to stay and delicious food and drink - Newquay is your spot.
What do you need to know about Newquay?
Stretching from Crantock beach - which is just south of the town centre to Mawgan Porth in the north, Newquay has 11 sandy beaches to its name (and in my opinion, they’re some of the best in the country) - through to lots of cute surrounding villages and towns. Because of that there’s so much to eat, drink, explore and do here; I’ve travelled down to Cornwall on five separate occasions now to work and I’ve loved it every single time.
If you’re travelling from London, other spots around the UK or further afield, getting down to Newquay is pretty simple. From London Paddington you can get a direct train to Newquay, so that’s a dream (the journey takes around 4 hours 45 minutes overall and as it doesn’t stop between Paddington - Exeter, it’s easy going) and Newquay also has it’s own airport, and you can take a flight from London Stansted, Dublin, Malaga and Alicante all year round and at certain times of the year, you can also fly from London Gatwick, Edinburgh, Manchester and the Algarve too.
I must admit, I love jumping in my car and driving down to Cornwall, but as Newquay is one of the few areas of Cornwall that’s connected by a good bus route too (you can find out more about this here) - you do have lots of options!
One of my favourite things about Newquay are the beaches. This is Watergate Bay in March!
Where to stay
For me, there’s one clear winner here: Seaspace.
Seaspace
When I say Seaspace has everything, I mean it! It’s Cornwall’s first apartment hotel, and as well as having the option of either studios, 1 or 2 bedroom apartments, you get access to all of their facilities too, including:
Co-working cafe, restaurant and bar
Gym (and they have fitness classes - need to try these next time I stay!)
Swimming pool
The apartments are perfection - lots of space, great kitchen, and I stayed in one on the second floor that had an amazing sea view. Outside of the room this place feels sociable too - locals come here to work as well as those who have travelled down to Cornwall, so there’s a really nice vibe in all of the common areas.
It’s also in a really great location - Watergate Bay is under a five minute drive away (one of my favourite beaches in Cornwall) and to drive into the centre of Newquay, it’ll only take you between 5-10 minutes. Porth beach is a 10 minute walk down the hill too so you don’t always need your car, and one of the main local bus routes drives directly past the hotel.
Other accomodation options
Watergate Bay have a solo traveller discount of 25% - which is really handy for digital nomads who are travelling on their own (like I was). I find it’s really rare that hotels offer incentives like this, so I really rate the ones who do!
Headland Hotel have their own cottages, so if you’re after a spa + work break on Fistral beach, this could be an option for you. I’ve stayed in the cottages at Headland twice, and being able to pop out to the spa whenever you like is a huge bonus - especially with the AquaClub.
Beach Retreats have apartments in Newquay too, the Waves apartment block is great.
Places to work
The Beach Hut, Watergate Bay - tucked away alongside Watergate Bay beach, the Beach Hut is the perfect place to take your laptop for an hour or two during the day. It has more of a restaurant vibe later in the afternoon, but come here about 11am for a coffee and a pastry, and it’s spot on. (Bonus, you can head out on a beach walk immediately after you’ve finished your work too)
Wild Cafe - Bedruthan Hotel - now this spot has one of the best views in Cornwall. Come during the day off-season, and you’ll be able to nab a table by the window. I’ve been here a few different times now and the vegan cakes are some of my favourite I’ve had anywhere and the staff are lovely. Just be considerate about how long you’re there (I usually stay 90 minutes-ish) if you’re in a prime spot with a view.
Box and Barber, central Newquay - warning, it can get very busy here during peak times but in off-season after lunch, it was quiet and the coffee was delicious!
The Stables, Fistral - pizza, a view, big tables, a nice vibe - what more could you ask for? (The sunset pictured here is from The Stables in February - I know!). They also serve good beer and often have live music on in the evenings too.
Cafe at Seaspace - it has a co-working vibe: sofas, tables, long farmhouse tables. This is the sort of place you can stay as long you want - and the gazillionaire slices are incredible. Trust me, you must haha. The wifi is also really fast here too, so it’s a great shout.
Co-working spaces
And there are some co-working spaces I’m yet to try but have great reviews on Google: The Pentire, The Hangar, CSpace and Newquay Orchard (for one town, there’s so much choice)
Things to do
And if you’re a digital nomad like me, chances are you’re looking for some work-life balance too. Before or after work, you have lots of options:
Watergate Bay have an early morning ‘swim and breakfast’ offer, where you can access their infinity pool and sauna that looks out on the beach, plus have a full english breakfast, for £30
Cornwall’s largest padel club is at Seaspace (I told you it had everything!). They have solo courts and socials here too.
You have 11 beaches to choose from - I love an early morning beach walk before work
Rock climbing at The Tide Climbing Centre (just outside of Newquay) has been on my list for a long time
The city centre has so many food and drink options too
My favourite restaurant in Cornwall - Four Boys is in Rock - further up the north coast (if you’re looking for a recommendation!)
I couldn’t recommend visiting Cornwall and using it as a base to work from enough. There’s so much to do and it’s such a chilled place to work!
If you’d like to read my other Digital Nomad guides - including Lisbon, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, you can just here.