I've spent 40 years exploring Cornwall. Here are the best places to stay

Times

6 hours ago

I've spent the past three decades zipping around the world as a travel writer, but Cornwall is still where I call home. I grew up here, and it's where I've spent a good chunk of the past 40-odd years. There's just something about this granite peninsula I can't shake. It has an edge of wildness I find irresistible; a far-away feel, of being one step removed from England. It's beautiful too, of course, and ravishingly so: a rough land of white beaches, steep combes and gorse-fuzzed coves, where crumbling tin mines loom on the skyline, castles hunker on the clifftops, and strange stone monuments lurk in the hedgerows or at the bottom of farmers' fields.
For anyone who has lived here as long as me, it's easy to forget quite how much Cornwall has changed in that time. When I was a kid, back in the dim and distant Eighties, Cornwall's accommodation was an uninspiring prospect, mostly limited to boring B&Bs, camping on farms or staying in one of the big hotels by the coast. The merest idea of a Cornish staycation — especially outside July or August — would have been laughable.
Four decades on, however, Cornwall feels like a very different place. These days, the quantity and quality of places to stay is astonishing. There are modernist marvels perched on clifftops, old seaside inns turned into boutique B&Bs, renovated houses run by celebrity chefs, manors with world-class spas and Michelin-starred restaurants. As ever, summer is the busiest time — the season of packed beaches, short tempers and traffic jams — but these days Cornwall remains busy from Easter to September.
I've chosen 25 of my favourite places to stay here, all very personal picks, and all with some kind of connection to my life in Cornwall. They're full of memories: of spring weddings, autumn walks, hazy summer nights and blustery winter days on the beach.
My favourite time in Cornwall isn't summer. August can often be disappointing, with days of dreary mizzle and sudden sea frets appearing from nowhere. I prefer April (for the spring blossoms, and when the weather starts to warm up) and October (for crisp days and unexpected sunshine). I also love November and December, when winter storms often roll in off the Atlantic and batter the coast. For drama you can't beat it.
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This elegant little hotel is one of my off-the-radar favourites. It's in the beautiful Roseland, on the rural south coast a short walk uphill from Porthcurnick Beach (home of the popular Hidden Hut beach café; hiddenhut.co.uk). Set in lawns and groomed gardens, it has the tucked-away feel of Cornwall as it was before the flashy boutique hotels arrived. Originally a private villa, it now offers elegant self-contained apartments, some of which have views of the sea over the treetops. There's a small pool too, and the gardens are gorgeous. The perfect hideaway if you want to explore a corner of Cornwall as it was decades ago. Details B&B doubles from £204
Another of my top 'secret' Cornwall hotels, a red-brick manor house in a verdant valley near Falmouth, set in possibly the most glorious gardens of any Cornish hotel I know. The house originally belonged to a member of the Fox family, who also planted the magnificent gardens of Trebah and Glendurgan nearby. Wandering among the tropical ferns, gunnera-filled valleys, riotous rhododendrons and secret grottoes is a rare pleasure — and there's a beach at the bottom for morning swims. The best rooms have glass balconies or private patios overlooking either the gardens or the sea — or in many cases both.Details B&B doubles from £214
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The go-to hotel for Cornish coastal style. Standing on a grassy cliff above the golden beach of Mawgan Porth, it's a bold modern statement: a slinky spa, an infinity pool that seems to dissolve into the horizon, huge expanses of glass to maximise the views. Rooms blend retro and contemporary. Leather armchairs and flock curtains pop against Scandi minimalism and blond wood floors; living roofs and coastal grasses contrast intriguingly against stark white concrete. Nearly all rooms have widescreen sea views with a choice of balcony or terrace, but the Just Right rooms are small. Split-level Unique rooms have the most character. Outside there's a natural swimming pool, hot tubs and a cedar-clad sauna, and the restaurant is superb.Details B&B doubles from £389 (scarlethotel.co.uk)
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On the south coast in chichi Fowey, this is a Cornish manor turned family-friendly hotel. With its gables, cupolas and gardens, it's a grand Victorian affair ― Kenneth Grahame apparently modelled Toad Hall on it — but at heart this is a laid-back, easy-going place, ideal for those with children and dogs. Deluxe View rooms are the best value, overlooking town and river, but it's worth splurging on the Lantic Bay or Charles Hanson suites for views across the estuary. The Ofsted-rated Four Bears Den kids' club will keep the little ones entertained for free for two hours a day while you relax in the spa or enjoy a blessedly child-free lunch, while the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan are easily driveable, perfect for day trips.Details B&B doubles from £335
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This Falmouth landmark sits at the end of the town's grandest street, Dunstanville Terrace, lined by sea captains' houses built during the 18th century when Falmouth was still the home of the Packet Service, which carried goods and mail around the empire. There's been an inn on this site since the mid-1600s, and it's a wonderful spot, looking across the water to Flushing village and the Trefusis Estate. Sea-view rooms are obligatory here: I'd recommend a Deluxe with a bay window. Enjoy a cocktail as dusk sinks over the river in the Water's Edge bar, or head down to the hotel's pub, the Working Boat, for pints and grub, from the Cornish catch of the day to tacos. You can even moor up your own boat by the harbour wall, if you have one.Details B&B doubles from £299 (greenbank-hotel.co.uk)
Lord Falmouth owns vast chunks of land along the River Fal, along with much of the idyllic riverside village of Coombe, where my friends and I used to bunk off and wild camp when I was at school. Bethel Cottage is one of several charming cottages that can be rented around the village. Gaze out across the wild oak woods while you soak in the tub, listening to the hoots of curlews and tawny owls, walk along the waterside trails to Trelissick Gardens, or just sit out in the garden and daydream, like me, that one day you might own a patch of paradise like this.Details Four nights' self-catering for four from £1,080
For a family treat, nowhere compares with Watergate Bay. Over the past couple of decades the hotel has been reimagined by the owner Will Ashworth, a scion of Cornwall's oldest hotelier family. It's his idea of a 'ski resort on the beach': a fun, relaxed hotel with a strong focus on outdoor activities, ranging from surf lessons to stand-up paddleboarding. Sandy feet are very much encouraged here. The combo has proven massively popular and many families return summer after summer. There are three restaurants: fine-dining Zacry's, plus the chilled-out Living Space and Beach Hut. If you can afford them, the sumptuous Beach Lofts offer next-level style.Details B&B doubles from £220
This woodland hideaway has the architectural swagger of a magazine shoot: a modernist cabin tacked on to an old barn dating from the 1820s, built in solid Cornish stone. Glass doors open on to a natural swimming pool, deck and private sauna, and it's surrounded by beech woods, giving it a gloriously secluded feel. On summer nights you might spy pipistrelle bats darting around, and fall asleep to the hoot of barn owls. The cabin-cottage has two bedrooms, sleeping four people comfortably. It's a hop to the Helford, my favourite of Cornwall's three great rivers. Details Four nights' self-catering for two from £1,995 (uniquehomestays.com)
There are many holiday cottages with a view in Cornwall, but very few offer an outlook as spectacular as this. This 19th-century lodge is down on the rocks of Penlee Point, near Torpoint, and was built for the keepers who manned nearby Eddystone Lighthouse, nine miles south of Rame Head — the craggy promontory marking the mouth of the River Tamar that's been used as a sailors' navigation aid for centuries. It's now been converted into a three-bedroom apartment, with a Shaker-style kitchen, wooden floors, a private terrace and vistas through pretty much every window. It feels very private, but do note the only access down to the lodge is via a steep track — fine in sunshine, but watch your step when it rains. Details Three nights' self-catering for six from £780 (luxurycoastal.co.uk)
Cornwall's outpost of the Pig is in a honey-stoned medieval manor near Padstow. If you've stayed at another Pig, you'll know the score here: expect upcycled furniture, quirky antiques, old oil paintings and bric-a-brac galore, plus a working kitchen garden that supplies the restaurant with its produce (everything else is sourced within a 25-mile radius). All rooms are different: some have antique four-poster beds, freestanding tubs and Turkish rugs, others vintage radiators, original fireplaces and reclaimed sinks. There are a few posh garden wagons if you want to drink in Cornwall's starry night skies, and a Potting Shed for spa treatments.Details Room-only doubles from £395
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Daphne du Maurier spent much of her life dreaming up stories while gazing over the Fowey River in southern Cornwall, and this riverside house is just the place to seek artistic inspiration. It's been thoughtfully restored, retaining its essential Cornish character, with whitewashed walls, sash windows and country-chic interiors. The open-plan kitchen has folding doors that open out on to the riverside gardens, where you can lounge in hammocks or follow the path down to your private quay to paddleboard, or just mess about in rowboats. Access to the cottage is via a narrow lane.Details Seven nights' self-catering for six from £2,980 (classic.co.uk)
Many people overlook Bodmin Moor, the stark, craggy heath where Cornwall's granite bones poke through the crust. This 66-acre farm is a bucolic base from which to explore it. Owned and run by two chefs, Tom Adams and April Bloomfield, it's all about the Cornish good life: it has its own bakery, pig farm, veg garden, orchard and apiaries. B&B rooms in the old farmhouse are rustic, furnished simply with rough beams and wooden furniture. There's also a quaint farm cottage for rent. The restaurant is a big draw, and there are regular workshops too, from sourdough baking to jam-making, fermentation and lino printing.Details B&B doubles from £185 (coombesheadfarm.co.uk)
The National Trust has lots of cottages to rent around its various Cornish properties, from a turreted water tower in Trelissick Gardens to a clifftop castle near Port Quin. This titchy thatched woodland cabin is my choice: I can't count how many times I've walked past on the path along the banks of the Helford. It's tiny — barely enough space for two and a pocket-sized dog — but my goodness what a location this is. Walk along the river to Grebe beach and the old village of Durgan, or book into the excellent Ferryboat Inn for dinner. Details Three nights' self-catering for two from £877 ​​(nationaltrust.org.uk)
On the coast road between the salty working port of Newlyn and the living postcard of Mousehole on Cornwall's tip, this seaside hotel has an enviable setting, with gardens extending down to the rocks and sea. It's part of the EatDrinkSleep group, which also owns the Felin Fach Griffin, in Powys, and the Gurnard's Head, near Zennor. The hotel shares the same homely, lived-in vibe as its other pubs: slouchy sofas, Roberts radios in every room, books to borrow and wholesome food. There are some good deals outside summer: the Winter Escape includes a discounted dinner for two people plus bed and breakfast.Details B&B doubles from £183 (oldcoastguardhotel.co.uk)
Even by Cornish standards the wooded valley of Lamorna, in Penwith, Cornwall's far western corner, feels forgotten by the outside world — which is probably why many artists have been drawn here. This stone studio was the workplace of Samuel John 'Lamorna' Birch, a member of the Newlyn School of painters. It's a place to escape and completely switch off, shaded by trees and positioned by a tinkling stream. Access to the bedroom is via a loft-style ladder, and outside there's a hot tub and sauna. Write, paint, read or just sit back and think. Trust me: this is one spot you won't want to leave.Details Seven nights' self-catering for two from £1,260 (cornishsecrets.co.uk)
Chapel Street is Penzance's finest road, lined by Georgian and Victorian buildings. This red-brick townhouse is perhaps the handsomest of all. It was once the Penzance Arts Club, a hangout for local artists, but the present owner, Susan Stuart, has turned it into an extremely chic guesthouse, with six light-filled, uncluttered rooms, plus two sumptuous suites, which peep over Penzance's rooftops. With its clever modern-meets-period design, artworks and supper clubs, it's hard to think of a better boutique B&B in Cornwall. Two-night wellness breaks include a massage, a guided sea swim and a session in the geothermal section at Jubilee Pool, Penzance's art deco lido.Details B&B doubles from £200 (chapelhousepz.co.uk)
Southeast Cornwall has a dearth of good places to stay, which makes Talland Bay a special spot. On the coast between Polperro and Looe, this country hotel sits in lawned grounds that frame the coast like a Cornish landscape painting. It's a mix of the traditional and the boldly modern: the 20 rooms all have their own design, some pastel and floral, some decorated as sultry boudoirs. The best have patios on to the gardens, such as the Mayfair, or a coast-view balcony, such as the Soho. Don't miss afternoon tea, or chef Glen Merriott's indulgent, nine-course tasting menus.Details B&B doubles from £180
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With five inhabited islands and scores more deserted ones, the Isles of Scilly offer a proper refuge from the outside world. Most people stay on St Mary's or pricey Tresco, but, trust me, Bryher is the most beautiful. Hell Bay hotel sits on the edge of the island's wildest beach, surrounded by nothing but sea, sand and gorse. It's the ultimate island escape: a place for sea swims, wandering the coast path, sunrise yoga or relaxing in the coastal gardens. Rooms and suites have a down-beside-the-seaside feel, with blues, beiges, stripes and yellows echoing sea, sand and sky. For dinner there's the three AA rosette restaurant, or the Crab Shack for no-nonsense seafood. Dreamy is not overstating it.Details B&B doubles from £260
Nice as they are, Cornwall's fanciest hotels can feel a wee bit pretentious. No danger of that at Lower Barns: this is an eclectic B&B, in barns set among the patchwork fields to the southwest of St Austell. There are seven eye-poppingly colourful suites to choose from, including a couple with their own hot tubs and one with a sauna: the bright colours and junk shop chic won't be to everyone's taste, but it isn't boring. Truro, the Roseland's beaches, the Eden Project and the village of Mevagissey are within easy reach.Details B&B doubles from £100 (lowerbarns.co.uk)
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The coastline curving down the edge of the Rame peninsula, to the east of Looe, doesn't get the same attention as the surfy beaches and cliffs of the north coast — but it's equally stunning in its own way. With its black-wood cladding, coral-pink plaster and gleaming glass, this cliffside cabin looks as if it's been picked up from the Japanese wilderness and plonked down on the grassy clifftops above Whitsand Bay. An alfresco hot tub completes a very smart package.Details Four nights' self-catering for two from £2,550 (uniquehomestays.com)
If the idea of falling asleep to the swash of the sea sounds good, the Lugger is hard to top. This whitewashed village inn is right beside the slipway in Portloe, an old fishing village on Cornwall's south coast, 12 miles southeast of Truro. As you'd expect from such a venerable building, the rooms are small and a bit higgledy-piggledy, but many have windows opening right out on to the water. The two AA rosette restaurant is run with flair by head chef Michael Golez, with locally caught fish supplied straight to the kitchen door. For more space, the hotel also has three cottages around the village.Details B&B doubles from £189
I've stayed in nearly every one of this charming collection of wagons, cabins and tabernacles over the years, and I've loved it every time I've come here — and always wished I could stay longer. They're fun, imaginatively designed and stocked with quirky charity shop finds, from vintage French wood-burners to antique crockery. Of the wagons, my favourite is Hercules, a 1930s showman's trailer, but for more space the Old Potting Shed or Wisteria Cottage will do nicely. Each cabin comes with its own private garden area, with a fire pit for evening cookouts and a supply of wood. You're close to Bodmin Moor, super for walks and bike rides.Details Four nights' self-catering for two from £595 (quirky-holidays-cornwall.co.uk)
A classy option on Cornwall's windswept rooftop, this restored watermill opened this year, and it's a refuge from the overcrowded coast. In eight acres, including mill ponds, a kitchen garden and Cornish cider apple orchards, the house took two years to renovate. Traditional techniques were used throughout to retain the building's character, including Cornish stone, lime plaster and a felled ash tree for the wooden parts. For added luxury there's an outdoor hot tub and sauna, with a cold-water pool to plunge into after. There's lots to explore up on the moor: my suggestions include a picnic beside Golitha Falls, a walk around the National Trust house of Lanhydrock (nationaltrust.org), or a bike ride along the quieter part of the Camel Trail from Bodmin Parkway station (cameltrail.co.uk).Details Seven nights' self-catering for eight from £7,495 (uniquehomestays.com)
If you're looking for somewhere fancy to share with friends or family for a special occasion, then this amazing house has the wow factor you need. It's on Restronguet Point, in the Fal estuary, known locally as Cornwall's Millionaires' Row for its catwalk of lavish properties. The house sleeps ten, and with its studiously zen decor and panoramic windows framing the river, you'll have a tough time getting any of them to leave. The house has its own slipway and jetty for river jaunts. Details Four nights' self-catering for ten from £3,750 (uniquehomestays.com)
This lighthouse, splendidly isolated on the rocks of St Anthony's Head, the finger of land opposite Falmouth, has been a landmark for me as long as I can remember (it featured in the opening credits of Eighties TV show Fraggle Rock, and I've sailed past it scores of times since). You stay in the old lighthouse keeper's digs, which has two bedrooms and an observation room looking across the water to Falmouth. You're a long way from anywhere here; on a clear summer night the stars are out of this world. The only drawback is the steep walk down. The headland is owned by the National Trust, and you can visit several lovely, little-known beaches nearby, plus the remains of a 19th-century gun battery. Details Four nights' self-catering for four from £1,053
Where's your favourite place to stay in Cornwall? Let us know in the comments below