ALTHOUGH perched on a headland overlooking Newquay’s finest surfing beach, the watersports weren’t what brought me and my partner to Cornwall in January.

For her 40th birthday I wanted to do something special. So I thought two nights in a spa hotel would to do the trick. It did – and then some.

The Bay Hotel is an Edwardian building on the fringe of Newquay. Much re-worked and modernised, there's much that is modish about this four star bolt-hole.

When frantically going through my options for this all-important present, I had a few must-haves.

The trip should involve maximum pampering – a top notch spa, good and distinctive food, scenic, hopefully seaside location and THE most important but hardest to define and hardest to spot as the day rapidly approached, was the specialness, the X factor to make this a memorable stay.

In this regard it didn’t disappoint.

The signs were good at check in. The stylishly purple decor, a colour denoting luxury and warmth, hinted that I’d made the right choice.

My partner’s reaction at the treatments on offer left me in no doubt.

Exfoliating salt and oil scrub, detoxifying algae wrap and the intriguingly named ‘Oshadi envelopment’ were among the luxuries on offer alongside hot stones, facials and more.

So while my partner was luxuriating in the treatment room, I had gone for a run along a very wind-swept beach and then indulged myself slightly in the jacuzzi and steam room.

She was having a much better time, opting for the aromatherapy body massage, a treatment that promised to ‘ease away tension and relieve stress’ and that it certainly did.

Smelling sweetly of essential oils as she sat in the relaxation room, I knew she’d had a delightful, relaxing time and I had chosen well.

The next day my partner went for the manicure and facial, proving that in the pampering stakes you can’t have too much of a good thing.

Choosing your treatment from the long list of options can seem bewildering at first, but the cheerful staff at this family-run hotel were eager to help and what they don’t know about treatments ain’t worth knowing.

Being pampered to within an inch of your life can build an appetite, and happily, The Bay can take care of that too.

Their food naturally doesn’t feature lots of creamy sauces, but it doesn’t skimp on quality.

Luscious natural ingredients combine with delicate artistry to produce dishes to savour.

Chargrilled Cornish pilchards with a lime dressing, Cornish sirloin steak with homemade chips and coffee pannacotta with shortbread were stand-outs for us, but the list of outstanding dishes could be longer.

All this is served in the Bay View Restaurant, which does what it says on the tin. Its wraparound windows give a stunning panoramic view of Fistral Beach and the wild Cornish coast beyond.

And feeling sufficiently soothed and having eaten our fill, we ambled back to our well-appointed room with a sea view and fell asleep to the gentle sound of the rolling waves. Staff at the Bay perhaps don’t need thanking for the waves, but I salute them for creating such a wonderful hotel in such a breathtaking place and for giving my partner a fortieth she’ll never forget.