The Jewel in Hotel Meudon’s Crown

Though there are several awe-inspiring gardens within 2 miles of Hotel Meudon, the 9-acre, subtropical valley garden that the hotel is nestled in is a fine example of a stunning, beautifully designed, and painstakingly maintained space where hours, or whole days, can be spent discovering new plants and trees or just being still and soaking in the atmosphere. Each day the secluded Bream Cove beach can be accessed from the hotel by strolling down the winding path through the gardens, though it’s always tempting to stop and admire the sights and smells en route (after all, it’s not all about the destination but the journey too…).


It would be easy to assume that the layout of the flora and landscape in the grounds at Hotel Meudon were purely a natural phenomenon as when ambling along the meandering pathway, it feels…well, natural. Like walking through an ancient tropical forest. However, a lot of design, planning, patience and hard work has gone into creating and maintaining the gardens since its inception in the early 1800s by the famous Fox brothers.

Interestingly, the first Australian tree ferns planted in the gardens were originally brought over by Falmouth ‘Packet’ ships where they were used as ballast and thrown overboard in Falmouth bay when finished with! There is a dazzling range of shrubs, plants and trees and if you seek them out you may find Chilean Flame Trees, Lantern Bushes, Giant Gunnera, Mimosa, Eucalyptus, Magnolia, Camellias, Fruiting Bananas, azaleas and rhododendrons (including Meudon and Meudon Vean types– developed on the estate). Most of the huge flowering shrubs are at their best between March and June, then the more traditional summer flowers provide a rainbow of contrasting colours.


With Springtime now in full swing and the valley gardens flooded with warm morning sunshine each day, there is no better time to book a visit and see for yourself why we are Cornwall’s best kept secret…

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