Best hotels in Cornwall: The best rooms for value, luxury, romance and adventure
Natural beauty, rugged coastline and ample pasties – here’s our pick of the best hotels in Cornwall for a staycation
Ask anyone to reel off the most beautiful parts of the UK and Cornwall will top most lists. The best hotels in Cornwall will give you access to craggy coves, crystal-clear waters, cosy pubs and award-winning seafood restaurants. But which one should you pick? We’ve trawled through the best options in this must-do staycation destination so you can find one that suits your taste, budget and interests.
When it comes to the best hotels in Cornwall, navigating the sheer range on offer can be an overwhelming prospect. The good news is that there’s something out there for everyone, whether you’re a lovebird looking for an intimate hideaway or an eco-conscious traveller looking for scenic sustainability.
Read on for our pick of the best hotels in Cornwall, whatever kind of staycation you’re after.
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The best hotels in Cornwall 2022
1. St Enodoc Hotel in Rock: The best boutique hotel in Cornwall
Prices: From £201 per night for two people | Book now at Booking.com 
Nestled in favourite-of-the-royals Rock on the north coast of Cornwall, St Enodoc Hotel offers storybook-worthy views over the Camel Estuary. Originally built in the 1920s, a turn-of-the-century remodelling cast it as one of Cornwall’s chicest boutique offerings.
Clean lines, crisp linens and bursts of Farrow & Ball hues adorn rooms, imbuing this hotel with an elegant look and feel. The hotel’s brasserie serves modern classics (and a children’s menu), with a Saturday BBQ option in high season, plus a cream tea and sandwiches menu from 12pm to 9pm. If you fancy something, er, fancy, the hotel’s Karrek restaurant offers a nine-course tasting menu showcasing some of the best of Cornish cuisine.
If you get bored of lounging by the outdoor swimming pool, there’s an on-site spa and a staggering range of things to do nearby: Wavehunters for marine spotting trips and surfing lessons (0.5 miles away), Camel Valley Vineyard (12 miles), Tintagel Castle (15 miles) and the Eden Project (22 miles) are but a few.
2. Tremarne Hotel in Mevagissey: The best budget hotel in Cornwall
Prices: From £116 per night for two people | Book now at Booking.com
Situated on Cornwall’s more sheltered southern coast, the Tremarne Hotel is a rare gem: an affordable hotel with sea views and a genuinely lovely pool. You won’t be getting seven-star luxury for this price, but what you will get is altogether more charming: warm hospitality that guests rave about, delightfully cosy bedrooms and sunny views of Mevagissey Bay.
Mevagissey village is located in a UNESCO Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: take in its quaint local harbour, sip a post-walk pint at The Fountain Inn and tuck into some cracking locally caught fish at Salamander, although be prepared to book in advance.
3. Boskerris Hotel in St Ives: The best hotel in Cornwall for couples
Price: From £225 per night for two people | Book now at Booking.com
Located just outside of St Ives on the far western side of Cornwall, the Boskerris Hotel is a quiet, tasteful haven for couples (the hotel doesn’t allow children under the age of 16). With expansive ocean views from glass-encased viewing decks and bright, white, airy interiors, this clifftop haven feels not dissimilar to the kind of boutique hotel you’d find in Turkey or the Greek islands. Couples can preorder flower bouquets and champagne to their room for arrival, lending a suitably luxe touch for a special occasion.
The hotel is a short walk from the tranquil Carbis Bay, fringed with golden sands and a lapping blue tide, or for full Famous Five vibes, there’s a three-minute train you can take into St Ives for a day of gallery-wandering and seal-spotting.
4. Watergate Bay in Newquay: The best hotel in Cornwall for families
Prices: From £360 per night for two adults and two children | Book your room now
Watergate Bay’s Ofsted-registered Kids’ Zone cements the hotel’s family-friendly credentials as some of the best in the region. Offering supervised activity sessions for six-month-olds to 12-year-olds, early dinner options, games room access and registered babysitting services, the Kids’ Zone offering is a lifesaver for parents looking for a bit of respite and kids looking for a bit of fun. The XA Club caters specifically to eight-to-12-year-olds, with a wealth of activities laid on, including film nights, craft workshops, quizzes and beach sessions.
There’s an indoor heated pool while adventurous types will love the surfing lessons at Wavehunters at the Extreme Academy. Kids will adore the children’s menu at laidback eatery The Living Space, while the more refined Zacrys restaurant offers simplified versions of adult meals and is happy to puree food for tots. Family suites sleep up to six, including a cot, and you don’t need to worry about a dogsitter, either – most family suites are pup-friendly.
5. Scarlet in Mawgan Porth: The best hotel in Cornwall for eco-friendliness
Prices: From £440 per night for two people | Book your room now
Nestled between Newquay and Padstow, eco-hotel Scarlet seamlessly combines luxury and sustainability. Parts of the hotel were constructed using reclaimed or upcycled materials – the wooden posts punctuating Scarlet’s garden, for example, were once coastal erosion barriers.
In a touch of foresight worthy of Grand Designs, the hotel was also built with future dismantlement in mind: its wooden frame and aluminium roof can be pulled apart and recycled with relative ease. Air conditioning is shunned in favour of the natural sea breeze, while reeds and algae are used to cleanse the outdoor pool rather than chemicals.
Scarlet even offers an eco-discount: travel to its site by bus, rail, electric vehicle, bike or on foot and you’ll get 5% off your first night’s stay.
