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 We first discovered Mousehole, Cornwall in 1999 and immediately fell in love with this gorgeous little fishing village.
Mousehole is a tiny, picturesque village clustered around a harbour, almost untouched by time, with a higgledy-piggledy maze of granite and slate cottages, narrow windy streets and a tight tangle of cobbled lanes.
The immediate and surrounding coastline is extremely beautiful being designated an ‘Area of Outstanding Beauty’ by The National Trust.
We are less then 9 miles away from the world-famous Minack Theatre (www.minack.com), an open-air theatre constructed above a gully with a rocky granite outcrop jutting into the sea, if you go to a production the local dolphins may also put on a display for you!
Within the harbour there are two small sandy beaches, perfect for families with young children (they can’t run away!) and ideal for older children who spend hour after hour jumping into the water off the quay! The village also has two larger pebble beaches with rocks and rock-pools (perfect for crabbing). Mousehole has several small shops including a newsagents/grocers and post office.
Since 1999 we have spent loads of holidays in Mousehole, always staying in self-catering holiday cottages, whilst looking for a property to buy. We were quite specific (some would say fussy!) in what we wanted, it had to be very close to the harbour and, preferably, have somewhere to sit outside. In 2001 we were lucky enough to discover 'Trelawney Cottage' a 19th Century Fisherman’s cottage that we subsequently renamed ‘Kolossi Cottage’ - only 15 yds from the harbour.
Since December 2001 we have spent as much time there as possible making it as comfortable as we can.
Because we had stayed in a variety of holiday cottages in the village we had a fairly good idea of what we wanted, and, more importantly, what we didn't want, in our cottage. At one property, for example, we arrived to find only one threadbare hand-towel (the size of a face cloth) and 2 sheets of toilet paper! This is why at Kolossi Cottage you will find a good supply of big fluffy towels and loads of loo paper!! You will need to supply your own beach towels.
The second bedroom has bunk beds. We also have a Winnie The Pooh travel cot with bedding, one less thing for Mum and Dad to have to pack!  With little people in mind the cottage also has a high chair/booster seat suitable for ages 6 months/4 years and electric socket covers. We must add that, although Kolossi Cottage is fully equipped for kids it is not obligatory for our guests to have any!
One more thing that might make your packing easier is that Tesco have finally begun home deliveries to Mousehole so you could always do your shopping on-line and then arrange for it to be delivered the day after you arrive!
Also, just off the A30, near Newquay, there is a great shopping venue called Kingsley Village (you can see it from the A30), their food hall is well worth a visit on your way to the cottage, it is full of fabulous local Cornish produce, meat, fish, vegetables, bread etc and they often have freshly cooked samples on the go so you can try before you buy, take a look at their web-site -
www.kingsleyvillage.com'
 Downstairs there is a lounge/diner with the original beamed ceiling. We have a colour TV with DVD and the full Sky package including Sky Sports 1, 2 and 3 and Sky Movies 1, 2 and Premier. We also subscribe to ESPN which is the sports channel that took over from Setanta.
There is a cd player, radio and an iPod dock & player together with a well-stocked 'library' of DVD’s, books and cd's and for those of you who can't live without the information superhighway, the cottage has full broadband and wireless internet access together with a lap-top for the use of our guests.
We realise that most people have mobiles nowadays however, getting a signal in the village can be a bit hit-and-miss so we have had a telephone installed (01736 732404) to take incoming  calls, meaning guests can always keep in touch with their families at home. We also have the 1571 facility which will take messages for you when you’re out and about.
The kitchen in the cottage is very well-equipped. You will find everything you need: fridge/freezer, microwave, washer/dryer (cold-fill only so you don’t need a full tank of hot water), electric cooker, ironing board and iron together with a cold bag and ice packs should our guests fancy a picnic. All tea-towels, J cloths and cleaning materials are supplied. There are a selection of pans, roasting tins, utensils and many serving dishes, plates, bowls, jugs, cutlery and glassware. I used to be a professional cook and do a lot of cooking when I'm down there, (dinner parties as well!) so have tried to make sure that everything I need is there.
We had a new kitchen designed and installed in January 2010 which includes a dishwasher.
The bathroom has a bath with an overhead shower, underfloor heating, lots of candles around for that relaxing soak at the end of a busy sightseeing day and is stocked full of Molton Brown goodies!
 One thing we discovered on our many sojourns to Mousehole was how few cottages that were close to the harbour had a seating area outside, we were determined that our perfect cottage would have somewhere outside. We only have a small semi-walled area at the back of the cottage but it is peaceful and private and is furnished with a small table and some tubs of seasonal flowers.
It also has 2 sturdy hooks for drying wet-suits and is a large enough area to dry clothes on the clothes horse that is provided in the cottage.
We are anxious that anyone who stays at Kolossi Cottage is 100% comfortable, so should you think of anything that the cottage lacks we would be delighted to hear from you.
Apart from having a wonderful holiday the only other thing we would ask of our guests is that they help to maintain our hanging baskets and outside tubs. We would be hugely grateful if you could water them for us when required.
Download a quicktime walk-through of the cottage here.
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