Treloen Holiday Apartments

With the ever-changing blue of the English Channel stretching as far as the eye can see, the view from Treloen Holiday Apartments speaks for itself. Situated on a clifftop next to the popular Cornish village of Mevagissey, it’s no wonder guests use words such as ‘spectacular’ and ‘exceptional’ to describe it.

“I love watching people coming round the corner for the first time and seeing that expression of ‘wow’ on their faces,” says Fiona Martin, who runs Treloen with her husband Phil. “We’re right on the cliff and there’s just nothing but the sea in front of you…”

Fiona and Phil fell under Mevagissey’s spell many years ago. They bought a house there so that they could visit regularly for family holidays and “dabbled” in letting this out when they weren’t using it themselves. This proved to be useful experience: “I enjoyed managing the bookings, so when we discovered Treloen and loved it, we just decided to go for it,” says Fiona.

Treloen came to the market in 2015 with a healthy number of bookings in the calendar. However, the Martins could see that the “tired-looking” apartments would need upgrading if they were to continue to attract visitors.

They began a programme to update the properties gradually, working mainly out of season. Their most recent project has been to combine two of the twelve apartments to create a larger, three-bed option and Fiona is proud of the improvements they have made over the years.

The Impact of COVID

Treloen was able to reopen to visitors in April 2021 and demand for bookings has skyrocketed since then. With uncertainty around the rules for travelling abroad, it seems that many holidaymakers are planning a ‘staycation’ this summer, in what will hopefully be a welcome boost for tourism businesses around the country.

“Everything has just gone manic this year!” says Fiona. “Usually we have got a buffer for last minute bookings but that’s not there for the next few months.”

She feels that they were in a good position to weather the winter lockdown, which took place during their quietest months, so they were able to use the downtime to carry out maintenance.

Of course, things were different in 2020, when a larger portion of their usual holiday season was affected by restrictions. However, as Treloen is just one element of the family business, A. L. Martin & Son Limited, they have been able to withstand the effects of the pandemic.

The main arm of the business is a butcher’s shop, with branches in Okehampton and Chagford.

Established by Phil’s grandfather in the 1950s, the family has navigated many changes over the years, including relocating the original shop from Okehampton high street. It is now opposite the big supermarkets in the town, which has proved a smart move as customers can easily combine a trip to both. Their latest development is Dot’s, a coffee hut next door to the butchers, named after Phil’s grandmother, Dorothy.

Getting the Right Support

Diversifying their offerings – and ensuring these are continually moving forward – has been a successful strategy for this family business. Simpkins Edwards has been with them every step of the way, providing advice since the early days of the butchers.

With an office in Okehampton, Fiona says that they have found Simpkins Edwards to be very accessible, both in terms of location and service: “They are very easy to talk to and down to earth. The terminology could go over your head but they make it all straightforward.”

As the business has expanded, Simpkins Edwards has supported their changing needs with guidance on a range of issues. “When we changed to the Xero accounting system, they were very helpful and patient, always happy to answer our questions,” says Fiona. “They help us to understand our options, so the decision making is much easier.”

Building a trusted team around them has been essential for all elements of their business. With Treloen in a different location to their other ventures, they have a manager, Imogen, in Mevagissey, who deals with the day-to-day aspects of the holiday lets. “We’re very lucky to have her and her husband, they’re amazing,” says Fiona. “I don’t think we could do it without them.”

Many visitors return to them year after year and hearing from happy guests is a definite highlight: “Our oldest guest is in her nineties; she visits with her son twice a year and always says she’ll see us next time.”

Fiona reflects that it’s not so surprising that so many of their visitors fall in love with Treloen and that view: “It’s just got a calm, chilled feel about it. You can forget all your worries.”

After the last eighteen months, we can probably all agree that sounds more than a little tempting!

https://treloen.co.uk

07971 233275