Chapter 1 #2
I’ll be honest, aside from spending time with my favourites, the thing I’m most interested in is spa-ing the heck out of this break.
Swimming, massages, you name it, I’m doing it.
Well, sort of. I read on the website that they offer colonic irrigations but, much as I admire good digestive health, I do draw the line at having a tube stuck up my butt in the name of it.
Another message from Em (who no doubt will be all over the colonics) flashes up on my phone.
So excited to see you both later!
I’m on my way! In a cab now.
OMG yes Jessie!
I had a work thing this morning so plan to fly up later
Em, short for Emerald, was born into a family with obnoxious amounts of cash and my absolute favourite thing about her is that she’s managed not to be totally silly because of it.
A former wild child, Em had been kicked out of countless boarding schools by the time we met at uni.
Now she’s entered her businesswoman era (Em is one hundred per cent the kind of person who has eras) and has launched an incredibly successful jewellery line.
Or ‘selling gold trinkets to poshos’, as Stella calls it.
The three of us have been best mates since first year and I love them immensely.
What I don’t love is that Stella, Em and I scat-tered ourselves across the country after graduation.
Sometimes I find myself longing so hard to live in the same place as they do that my heart starts hurting and I worry that I’ve given myself some kind of cardiac problem.
Alas, Stella is in London being important and Em has one of those glamorous careers that involves a lot of jet-setting, so she’s never in the same place for more than five minutes.
Meanwhile, I moved back to little old Carpston where I could be close to my folks and maybe even afford a house one day.
Stella is typing . . .
Just got on a train, shouldn’t be too long.
Em is typing . . .
OK babes see you there.
Sending you both links to the app I was telling you about . . .
Download asap please!
We can’t go on a Saturn Return break without a guide from the zodiac.
Imagine LOL disaster!
‘Wow, she’s like a dog with a bone,’ I mutter as I open up the app store on something called Zodiac Girlie.
Oh dear. I can practically hear Stella tutting as she sees the name of Em’s app of choice.
Tutting and also firing out a whole heap of expletives.
Stella takes a zero-hostages approach to life and salty language is her calling card.
Zodiac Girlie promises daily horoscopes and astrological advice.
Sounds . . . acceptable? They also have a ‘no bs’ policy which suits me just fine.
Dutifully I type in my name, date of birth, time of birth (pretty sure Dad said I was born just after midnight) and away we go.
Immediately I get a notification, which apparently sums up what the stars think I can expect from today in brief.
In journalism, we call very short stories News in Brief, or NIBS for short, so I guess this is like my Stars in Brief.
A window opens, climb through it.
Hmm. Not sure Carl would appreciate me scrambling through the window here in the back of his alarmingly fast sports car. We’re travelling at speed, after all. Still, I open it as low as I can without my long brown hair whipping itself into a frenzy and breathe.
First thing to note: it smells much better outside this vehicle.
Yesterday’s sick and bleach have mingled with Carl’s aftershave and I’d been getting a bit of a headache.
Secondly: I am nailing this Saturn Return already!
Em will be thrilled that I have already achieved today’s astrological goal and also, who knew it would be so simple? Third thing to note: the view.
THE VIEW!
‘I can see the sea!’ I squawk excitedly until I remember that I’m a grown-ass woman.
‘Not far now,’ Carl calls back.
I feel another swell of excitement as we drive around through a pretty coastal town where bunting has been strung up around the town square.
‘Ooh, a bookshop,’ I coo. ‘This place looks cute!’
‘This is where I live,’ Carl says proudly.
‘What a nice place to call home,’ I reply.
‘Aye, it’s not too shabby. The local pub has a great whisky selection, too.’
‘My friends have banned me from drinking whisky,’ I confess. ‘Em says it makes me lairy.’
Carl laughs at this, turning the car onto a coastal road.
Fields roll by to our left and on our right, the sea.
It is stunning. Shards of sunlight light up the ocean and I’m so busy staring that I almost miss the very chic and understated sign for Gurnard Cove.
We turn onto a quiet road lined by trees and then I spot it.
An imposing country house built of white stone, flanked by enormous stone lions, stands majestic at the end of a sweeping drive.
Before it, a large circular pond with a fountain in the middle.
It’s the sort of home that would not go amiss in a Jane Austen novel.
I gasp.
‘Aye, I know,’ says Carl.
As we pull up two members of staff emerge out of nowhere and the next thing I know, my suitcase has been taken care of, I’ve been offered a hot towel ‘after the journey’ and I’m waving goodbye to dear old Carl.
Grand entrance. Marble floor. The smell of luxury and citrus in the air. As I step inside, it quickly becomes clear that things are a lot less Austen in here, and a lot more Le Corbusier. Shout-out to my architecture girlies!
There’s ultra-modern furniture at every turn.
And no reception desk because, I learn, guests have their own dedicated concierge service to cater for each and every whim.
Imagine! I try to keep my mouth closed as I’m shown through the main atrium, wondering if it’s high time I develop some whims of my own.
‘Welcome to Gurnard Cove,’ says the smiling woman who is currently walking me towards a large seating area filled with low tables and artfully arranged hardbacks.
She’s dressed in a stylish linen trouser suit and motions for me to sit on a sofa made from – best guess – cotton candy.
I blink and there’s a delicate cup of fresh herbal tea in my hand.
Ooh.
‘Our ethos here is simple,’ my guide tells me serenely.
‘We’re here to help you unplug from the outside world.
To cleanse. To connect mind, body, soul.
There’s plenty to keep you busy while you’re with us.
A private stretch of coastline. Our kitchen garden, orchard and vineyard are all available to stroll through and sample.
Maybe you’d like to take root in the woodland, or realign in our state-of-the-art gym . . . ’
‘Wow, there’s a lot to take on board.’
‘Don’t worry,’ she says. ‘We’re here to facilitate.
My name is Santi and I’m here whenever you need me.
If you follow this link,’ she seamlessly produces an iPad with a QR code, ‘we can get you set up on the hotel’s WhatsApp.
Each day we’ll tell you what’s going on and can book you into any activities you’d like.
And if there’s something else you’d like to try, please don’t hesitate to call me. ’
‘Thank you!’ I manage.
‘Your room isn’t quite ready just yet,’ Santi explains. I look at my phone. Still three hours until official check-in. ‘But perhaps you’d like to enjoy the gardens, or sit by our outdoor pool with a cocktail?’
Now that sounds up my street, I think gleefully.
‘Pool please!’
I’m trying not to walk around with my mouth remaining wide open, but it’s difficult.
We move outside to a terraced area studded by huge black trellis structures, which frame a stunning view out to the sea beyond.
The architecture’s amazing, the old building in stark contrast to the modern glass and timber one which stretches out to the right.
‘That’s the spa,’ Santi says, following my gaze. ‘You’ll be staying in one of our spa suites, which are beyond the spa. Breakfasts and dinners are back in the original building. But for now, our outdoor pool.’
I trot along after her, down some steps, drawing closer and closer to the cliff ’s edge.
There, built right into the edge of the cliff, is an infinity pool which knocks the breath right out of me.
Oh my days, it is beautiful! You can swim right up to the edge!
And it looks like I’ve got it all to myself.
‘It’s heated so even on cool days, of which we get many, you can enjoy a swim,’ says Santi.
She motions towards the sunloungers, each positioned with a view out across the coast, and I wonder if I should pinch myself to check this is actually happening.
Everywhere is so luxurious! I’ve only been here for a matter of minutes but already, I can feel my shoulders relax.
I listen to the seagulls call out in the distance.
The gentle sound of waves crashing below.
The glisten of the sea on this gorgeously sunny day.
And that’s when I spot something – someone – even more beautiful than the sea view.
It turns out that I’m not alone at this pool after all.