15 Best places to stay in Cornwall

Hovering over Porthminster beach and within easy reach of all the region’s delights, the St Ives Harbour Hotel occupies the perfect spot along the rugged Cornish coastline.

Spend evenings enjoying the sunset from the al fresco terrace or rejuvenating at the award-winning, luxury spa. There’s also a state-of-the-art fitness suite.

Cobbled streets, fishermen’s cottages and boutique art shops all sit at your doorstep, while enchanting scenery will stop you in your tracks.

It’s the perfect location for absorbing the unique charm of this picturesque fishing village. It’s also right on Porthminster Beach, one of Europe’s best beaches.

From the moment you step foot into the welcoming interiors of this iconic beachfront hotel, you know you are in for a treat. The decor is elegant yet cosy, staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, and there’s attention to detail at every turn.

Rooms are tasteful, high-spec and present in a range of configurations – including family suites, beach lofts and apartments, some with self-catering. Ideal for groups and families. Amenities include an on-site cardio room and an indoor ocean-view pool.

Children are made extra welcome, and there’s a relaxed, family-friendly vibe throughout. The hotel offers a variety of activities for them, including a kids’ club and a ‘Kids Zone’ play area, and there are three family-friendly restaurants.

The Extreme Academy on the iconic Watergate Bay beach and is on your doorstep, offering surfing, stand-up paddlesurfing, traction kiting and more.

If you’re wanting to stay on the southern end of Cornwall, this 17th-century coaching inn, with spectacular views across to St Michael’s Mount, is a good choice. It sits right above Marazion’s beach, and at low tide, you can walk across the famous cobbled causeway to the Mount.

With just 10 rooms – 6 with sea views – it’s intimate and personal, with friendly staff who welcome you by name. The restaurant serves an all-day menu inspired by locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients, notably delicious fresh seafood. In good weather, means are served on the al fresco terrace, overlooking the beach and sea.

Given its location, it’s exceptionally good value, and good for all comers. It’s welcoming of families with children; there are two family suites, one with bunk beds. There’s also an adapted suite for disabled guests.

A breathtaking cliff-top setting on the Lizard Peninsula isn’t the only thing this Edwardian hotel has going for it: the South West Coast Path weaves through the gardens, with another path leading to a private cove and beach.

The 40 rooms include a 3-bed stand-alone suite incorporating a fitted kitchenette, and a private terrace with a hot tub, as well as magnificent ocean views looking out over Mount’s Bay and Mullion Island. Guests also have exclusive and complimentary use of an electric Mini Moke for at least one day during their stay. There are also six, three-bedroom self-catering villas on the road behind the hotel – each sleeps six and comes with a kitchen and terrace.

It’s definitely a hotel for active types. There are facilities and activities for families, including a creche, games room, cinema and an Elemis spa. In summer, surfing, kayaking and coasteering are close by, and the hotel provides blankets, buckets, spades and crab lines for days out at the nearby, glorious beaches.

Offering quiet sophistication in the yacht-filled harbour town of St Mawes, this waterfront family hotel on the magical Roseland Peninsula – a Cornish, if not world, classic.

Designer Olga Polizzi has filled the elegant rooms and suites with antiques, Cornish art, nautical stripes and wicker furniture. All rooms have sea views; some have terraces

Waterfront restaurant has a candlelit outdoor terrace overlooking the harbour, and there’s a plethora of activities for the kids. During the summer holidays, the hotel has a full-time member of staff to look after the children and take them crabbing on the small beach opposite the hotel. The alternative is to join in yourself.

It’s near a host of South Cornwall’s most popular attractions – from Falmouth and Fowey to the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Eden Project.

This charming 17th-century inn in the south-coast fishing village of Portloe was once a favourite haunt of French brandy smugglers; one landlord, Black Dunstan, ended up on the gallows.

It’s now a much brighter prospect: a 22-bedroom hideaway in white paint and bleached woods, with a sunny terrace serving crab and lobster fresh off the boat, and bijou spa offering aromatherapy, reflexology and Reiki treatments.

There’s also a delightful Cottage Suite – housed in a little fisherman’s cottage up the path from the main building, with a log burner, kitchen and ocean views from its own patio.

There’s easy access to the sub-tropical gardens and salty creeks of the lovely Roseland Peninsula, and the South West Coast Path is right in front of you, with pretty Megavissey to the east and upscale St Mawes to the west.

Chic St Mawes is often called the St Tropez of Cornwall, and this delightful, 18-room Edwardian Inn in the heart of the town, fits right in.

The beautifully appointed and tasteful rooms, is natural tones with subtle colours, are the kind you feel cosy and comfortable in. The whole place has a relaxed, welcoming feel.

It’s set in on the mini-harbour – the lounger, bar and terrace all overlook the sea – in a south-facing, sheltered spot that makes al fresco drinking and dining a treat. Food is excellent, cooked by a Cornishman with a stellar pedigree.

Ferries depart from right by the inn to various points on the Roseland Peninsula, including a passenger ferry to buzzy Falmouth across the water, so despite its secluded location, it’s easy to access nearby attractions.

They welcome families with children of all ages; there’s a family room with bunk beds and a couple of interconnecting rooms.

This heritage Georgian home was originally built by an Admiral at the time of the battle of Trafalgar, but has since been converted into a stylish and welcoming 6-room guesthouse.

Owner Susan Stuart is the perfect host who really cares about her guests – so much so that you feel like you’re visiting a relative. She cooks for you (very well), advises on and books restaurants, and loves welcoming kids and pets, who are specially catered for.

Many of the beautifully decorated rooms have sea views across St Michael’s Bay.

This 1930s-built, chic, boutique hotel outside St Ives is a stunner, with glittering ocean views from most of the rooms, public areas and glass-fronted decking that make the heart soar.

Inside, pleasantly gentle seaside hues in the living room and bar, contrast with more vibrant Designers Guild wallpapers and fabrics in the individually decorated bedrooms.

It’s family-owned and run by Catherine, who is known for her attention for detail. There’s a mouthwateringly good breakfast and a supper menu, both of which champion local, seasonal produce.

It takes time to get there, but it’s a great base for exploring St Ives and the Penwith peninsula.

This luxury boutique hotel, ideally located on the edge of Fowey’s town, overlooks its stunning estuary, with heart-stopping views from front rooms and all the common areas.

The Victorian building has been beautifully restored, preserving many original features – including a fantastic old-fashioned steel lift – but it’s bright, welcoming and comfortable with a modern contemporary design.

It’s in a great location for accessing the town, you wander down some steps and you start to wind your way through the character-filled street filled with boutique shops, cafes and restaurants. The Eden Project and Poldark’s Charlestown are a short taxi ride away.

Families with children and made welcome – there’s a kids’ menu – but it’s more for couples.

Owned by the Luxury Family Hotels group, this lovely country house hotel, located in the beautiful town of Fowey, is unsurprisingly one of Cornwall’s best family specialist hotels. It sits within five acres of landscaped gardens and woodlands, with views of the Fowey estuary.

There are 36 individually decorated rooms, including family suites, all of which are elegantly furnished and equipped with modern amenities.

Amenities include a spa, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, and a children’s play area. The restaurant offers fine dining with a focus on locally sourced ingredients, and the brasserie which serves more casual fare.

For the kids, there’s a kids’ club, a cinema room, and an outdoor adventure playground.

Clinging to the cliff in Mawgan Porth, this glamorous, 37-room luxury hotel ticks all the boxes: golden sand and surf, stunning eco-friendly glass-fronted architecture, great seasonal food, interesting wines, and a convenient location near Newquay airport.

The Scarlet’s crowning glory, though, is its Ayurvedic spa with tented treatment rooms, swinging relaxation pods, and log-fired outdoor hot tubs. As well as a cloister garden and yoga by the reed pool, the spa can organise wild swimming in a nearby lagoon and Nordic walking.

All rooms have ocean views and outside space.

The first things you notice when you pull up outside this boutique gem are the view – over bustling fishing boats and charming coastal cottages, and out to sea – and the fresh, sea air.
Inside, it’s a welcoming, comfortable place with colourful artwork, contemporary decor and helpful staff. Rooms are spacious, tasteful and newly renovated, and all come with marble bathrooms and free decanters of Gin and Sherry. The light-filled restaurant serves a decent made including many local specialities, and has sea views.

It’s ideally set a few minutes’ walk up the hill from Padstow’s picturesque harbour, in the ideal location to explore one of Cornwall’s most charismatic towns, and the delights of the beautiful north Cornish coast.

Great for all comers – there’s a sense of privacy for couples, and they’re very welcoming of children.

A gleaming white, art deco-inspired boutique in a cracking location between the boating haven of Rock and the surfing hotspot of Polzeath.

It’s set back from the beach, but the upper rooms have fantastic views over the yachts and windsurfers on the beautiful Camel Estuary.

The 63 doubles, suites and apartments have oak floors and shimmery fabrics. Sea-facing suites and apartments are flooded with light, interiors are stylish, high-spec and flawlessly finished.

there’s a Cowshed spa and two pools, and the food is excellent. The open-plan bar-restaurant-kitchen doubles as a deli/showcase for top Cornish brands, the daily changing menu is strong on locally caught fish, and the presentation is beautiful.

You can walk along the seashore to Polzeath and Rock, then get the ferry over to Padstow. Constantine Bay, Mawgan Porth and Watergate Bay are further south, Port Isaac and Tintagel Castle to the north.

It’s great for families. There are multi-bed apartments, and the hotel runs a Mini Moritz holiday club for children in season, which includes activities organised by the Wavehunters Surf School on Polzeath Beach.

This country house, in the vibrant seaside town of Falmouth, has been renovated to create a welcoming, relaxing atmosphere. It sits on a raised vantage point, affording sea views across Falmouth Bay.

Many come here specifically for the food – the in-house Rastella restaurant is excellent and winner of 3 Rosettes. There’s also an emphasis on wellness; the spa features a gym, heated pool, steam room, sauna and hydrotherapy tub, and there are peaceful gardens for relaxing and yoga classes.

If you want a spacious, but relaxing and comfortable base to explore the best of the town, and Cornwall’s southern coastline – this is it. Children over 12 are welcome.