Three of our favourite hotels in Cornwall.
We LOVE Cornwall, having family down there and spent most summers camping there with the children when they were small we have some very happy memories of lazy days, sandy beaches and long coastal walks. Whilst most tourists flock to the north coast hotspots around Newquay we have always had a soft spot for the less populated southern coast, particularly the Roseland Peninsula. The campsite we always stayed on when the children were young was a short walk from lovely Porthcurnick beach, and every day as we made our way down to the beach we passed a hotel called Driftwood, where Rich and I would slow down our pace and look at each other in an unspoken way as if to say, one day (when the kids have all left home) we’ll come back and stay here.
Beautiful Porthcunick beach.
Driftwood is situated near the tiny coastal village of Porthscatho on the beautiful Roseland Peninsula, and sits in seven acres of land atop Gerrans bay, with stunning sea views and its very own beach at the end of a woodland pathway. The South West Coastal path, offering magnificent coastal walks along the Roseland Peninsula cuts through the end of the hotels gardens with a private path back up to the hotel. But if you do decide to stay there, don’t expect to get anywhere quickly - one of the things we love the most about the Roseland Peninsula is its remoteness, the others being the beautiful (often deserted) beaches, the coastal walks and the stunning sea views.
Beautiful Driftwood Hotel.
The hotel itself houses 14 rooms, most with a seaview, in either the main whitewashed seaside house or the newer blue shiplapped extension. For those that really want to get away from it all there is even a ‘rustic cabin’ set on its own piece of land part way down the clifftop. We stayed in room 1, a standard seaview room, which is in the main house and though not as large as the superior rooms, has the most stunning views over this heavenly coastline and out to sea. Although the room doesn’t include any tea of coffee making facilities you only have to phone down and they will bring you up a coffee/tea tray as well as an early morning tray for when you wake up.
The amazing view from Room 1.
The hotel is decorated in keeping with its name with lots of nods to both the nautical and the ocean, with many of the ornaments made from driftwood. All of the public areas are in the main house and it has a very homely feel throughout, so much so that you really don’t want to leave. Renowned for its dining the Driftwood has a large light and airy dining room, which extends into a delightful conservatory, with a bar and seating area surrounded by picture windows so guests can enjoy a pre-dinner drink while looking out to sea. Next door to the dining area and bar is the cosiest of lounge rooms with a real wood fire and lots of comfy chairs and sofas, plentifully adorned with sumptuous cushions.
Surrounding the ground floor of the house is a lovely wooden terrace which guests can use to relax on or take their breakfast on warmer summer days. Leading down from the terrace are the wonderful gardens which slope down to the beach path, hidden away in the garden, are secluded little spots for sitting and gazing out at the mesmerising view of the Cornish coast.
For our one night stay we arrived early hoping to take a walk along the coast before checking into our room. But before we had a chance to head off for a walk the amazing staff had arranged for us to have a cafetière of coffee in the lounge with time to take in the awesome views and start to relax. Fuelled with caffeine we headed off on the coast path to Porthcunick beach and the adjoining village of Portscatho, killing a couple of hours on the Roseland peninsula in the best way possible.
Back at the hotel we checked into our room then headed back down to the gardens to have a cup of tea on the terrace before heading back to our room to get ready for dinner. As it was a special occasion and we know how wonderful the dining experience is at Driftwood, we decided to splash out and have the 7 course tasting menu. We started the evening in the lounge with the signature cocktail of the evening, a delicious Berry Bellini. Without going into detail, the dinner was amazing. Although the hotel had lost its Michelin Star chef the previous year (and thus its Michelin Star), the new chef, Olly Pierrepont, and his team have kept up the high standards and i’m sure it won’t be long before Driftwood is rewarded a Michelin star again. Service was attentive yet casual and Rich was treated to a birthday plate of truffles to finish off a rather delicious meal.
Having eaten seven courses the night before we had to start the day with a little walk on the beach to build up an appetite before heading off to breakfast. And we were so pleased we did as breakfast was equally as delicious as dinner the night before. With new covid restrictions in place for breakfast buffets, Driftwood have designed a wonderful 3 courses breakfast with fruit, yoghurt and granola to start; pastries, cold cuts and breads for the second course; and a large choice of hot dishes to finish with. Whilst we lingered over our breakfast coffee on the terrace for as long as we could, we eventually had to leave this delightful little hidden haven and head further south to St. Mawes.
St Mawes is a quant little fishing village squashed into a piece of land right at the tip of the peninsula looking out over the River Fal towards Falmouth. The heart of the village is packed into the small area next to the harbour with many of the residential houses scattered over the hillside above the village itself. There are a small number of restaurants, cafes, shops and hotels in this area and some beautiful walks around the area. St. Mawes is a perfect base to explore this area of south Cornwall with a short drive west taking you to the King Harry chain ferry which links the peninsula with Truro or take the wonderful boat ride across the harbour from the hotel to visit the lovely town of Falmouth. One of the disadvantages (or some might say the biggest advantage) of this village is the amount of time it takes to get anywhere, with the long drive back up through the peninsula before you reach the heart of Cornwall - but that’s what we love about it!
The quaint fishing village of St Mawes.
Our ‘go to’ hotel in St Mawes is the 19 room Idle Rocks hotel, which has an imposing position along the harbour wall with a wonderful terrace looking directly over the water. Most of the public areas, the restaurant and the rooms also have a view over the water, making it the perfect location to just sit and enjoy the gorgeous scenery of the Roseland Peninsula.
Arriving at the hotel is just like coming home with the staff greeting you warmly before showing you up to your room which displays your first names on a door hanger outside your room. Most of the rooms face out to the harbour and all are decorated in light and airy colours with a coastal theme. One of the things we love about staying here is the attention to detail and the interior design of the bedrooms, all individual and all with gorgeous, large bathrooms.
Even though the rooms are lovely we don’t tend to spend much time in them, instead choosing to enjoy the lovely public areas in the hotel. Just off of the reception area is the cosiest lounge area adorned with gorgeous sofas and chairs, a wood burning fire which is lit if the temperature even hints that it might drop to cool, and the adjacent fireplace packed with family photographs and memorabilia, making it feel like you really are at home (except for that fact that our lounge doesn’t have such mesmerising views over this lovely little harbour village).
Next door to the lounge area is the large dining room which runs the whole length of the back of the hotel, again making the most of the views, with all of the tables facing out towards the terrace and the harbour beyond. But if the weather is fine you’ll nearly always find me sitting on the south facing terrace enjoying one of the Idle Rocks signature gin and tonics watching the world go by in this buzzing harbour and village high street.
We had booked to stay two nights here on a dinner, bed and breakfast rate - we know how good the food is here! And though we chose to stay in the Idle Rocks restaurant for both of our evenings stay, there is the option to walk the few hundred yards along the main road to their sister hotel, The St Mawes hotel. Breakfast is usually a lavish affair at the Idle Rocks with a large rustic buffet table set out to graze from and a hot dish made to order. However, due to covid restrictions the food was all served to the table, with fruit, salad and pastries waiting for you when you sat down, and other hot food available to order. Breakfast at the Idle Rocks tends to be a rather long and leisurely affair for us, as we linger over coffees and pastries taking in the morning sun and the magnificent views.
But leave we must, so after two wonderfully relaxing days we headed away from the Roseland peninsula towards the north coast and the stunning coastal bay town of Mawgan Porth, home to the Scarlet Hotel and Spa, a five star luxury eco resort set on the clifftops looking over this glorious bay. With 37 rooms the Scarlet is the largest of these three hotels in Cornwall which also boasts the most facilities.
Beautiful Mawgan Porth bay.
We were staying in a ‘Just Right’ room, the most basic of the five rooms types on offer, but don’t be fooled by this, the rooms are amazing, beautifully contemporary and sleek with wonderful balconies taking in the amazing view from the hotel over the bay. The open plan bathroom means you can even enjoy the view while cleaning your teeth. Our only criticism of the room is that we really just wish they would use more comfortable chairs, both in the room and on the terrace. The lack of comfortable seating is made even more frustrating because you really won’t want to leave the room, especially given that the hotels policy of not including tea/coffee making facilities but instead offering a complimentary room service hot drinks service means you only have to pick up the phone and with a few minutes you can be enjoying a lovely cup of tea on your balcony.
This isn’t the only thing this hotel does differently to other hotels. Everything about the hotel is designed to make its guests feel relaxed and like they really have got away from their day to day life. As soon as you drive into the hotel car park you are greeted by someone who tells you where to park (no decision making needed) and guides you into the hotel ‘lobby’. This is like no other hotel lobby you’ve seen with no desks or staff in sight, you are told simply to take a seat and the cameras will pick up your presence and alert a member of staff to come out and help you with your enquiry.
Upon check in we were offered a complimentary glass of fizz to enjoy while the host booked us in for our dinner, breakfast and spa treatments. We were delighted that even though we had arrived very early our room was ready for us so we were able to go straight there and make the most of our time at the hotel (although it is hotel policy to allow guests to enjoy the facilities for as long as they like on any day they are staying there, both before and after check in/out). The hotel boasts three different lounges for guests to relax in, all of which have lovely wood burning fires for those cosy winters days on the Cornish coast. And if simply relaxing in front of a fire isn’t your thing there are plenty of things to while your time, such as the pool table, board games or hotel library. For us early access to our room meant we could enjoy a quick cup of tea before getting ready for our allotted spa time in the indoor pool and the clifftop hot tub.
The hotel has two amazing pools, a large heated indoor infinity pool facing out to sea, and a natural, reed-filtered outdoor pool especially for the exceptionally brave that can bear the extreme cold on a cloudy day in September. Connected to both pools is the light relaxation room which was a great place to go and chill after our swim while we waited to be collected by the spa host who would show us to our hot tub. The hot tub experience is at an additional cost but really is a USP of the hotel and something not to be missed if you are staying there. On this occasion the weather was rather cloudy and cold but it still is rather romantic to share a hot tub with the one you love whilst enjoying a glass of fizz and admiring the view (of the beach or your other half, whichever takes your fancy!) - even better if you can book a sunset slot and are lucky enough to get a clear day to watch the sun go down over the sea. If the hot tub doesn’t take your fancy there are still some gorgeous gardens to wander round with little relaxation pods dotted around little hidden areas of the garden, all of them looking out over the bay. For the more energetic the gardens lead directly onto the coast path which takes you down to the vast expanse of beach which is popular with surf boarders and horse riders alike.
Our spa experience over we headed back to our room to get changed for the evening and dinner in the restaurant, starting our evening in the cosy bar for a pre-dinner drink before heading to the restaurant for our 3 course meal. The weather was not brilliant for our stay so we stayed inside the restaurant seated beside the huge floor to ceiling windows overlooking the dining terrace, where on warmer days we would be able to eat our dinner whilst watching the sun set over the bay.
The next day we rose early, delighted that the weather gods were being kinder to us today with blue skies, to make the most of the day and weather by exploring some off the area around the hotel. We wandered down the garden to join the coast path and followed this round to the other side of the bay for a panoramic view of the hotel from the cliff top across the bay. After our walk on the coast path we headed back down to the beach to stroll the large expanse of sand while the tide was out. Having built up a hunger we headed back to the restaurant for breakfast before taking our coffee out on to the sun terrace adjacent to the one of the hotel lounges, a perfect spot for sunbathing and taking in the view, making the most of our time left before we had to pack up and leave.
And so the end of our Cornish mini-break came to an end, four nights in three of our favourite hotels in Cornwall. So, you may ask which is the best of the three, a question we really can’t answer definitively. For me the serenity and remoteness of Driftwood, along with the beautiful coastal views, relaxed yet highly attentive service and the homeliness of this small hotel make it my favourite. But not far behind and Rich’s favourite is the Idle Rocks which he loves because of the amazing, personable service and comfort of the hotel, as well as its situation in this quant and vibrant village. For us both The Scarlet misses the comfortable homely feel but it does offer the most outstanding location and if the weather is kind is one of the most romantic and luxurious places you could stay. In short, try them all, you won’t be disappointed!
All of our stays were self-funded and took place at the end of September 2020. Driftwood cost £385 on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis (£20pp supplement for 7 course tasting menu) for a one night stay on a Friday night in a standard seaview double. Idle rocks cost £745 for dinner, bed and breakfast for a two night weekend stay (Saturday and Sunday) in a village cosy room. The Scarlet was the most expensive of the hotels, costing £435 for dinner, bed and breakfast in a Just Right double room for a one night stay on a Monday night (the hot tub was an additional cost of £25 for 30 minutes).
If you enjoyed this review why not take a look at our review of our three night stay at the amazing Bukela Lodge on the Amakhala Game Reserve in South Africa.
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