A stroll from the town centre, Rick and Jill Stein’s restaurant-with-rooms – ‘a foodie destination’ – opened as a modest bistro in 1975.

‘A charming place in a charming situation’, Fiona and Paul Robinson’s ‘stylish, informal’ New England-inspired hotel soaks in the spread of Gerrans Bay.

A spirit of fun flits about Teresa and Kevin O’Sullivan’s cliff-top hotel, from the sub-tropical sculpture garden full of surprises (‘you feel like Alice walking into Wonderland’) to the ‘delightfully humorous artwork scattered throughout’.

Close to heritage coast and sandy cove, this ‘delightful old mansion’, the Victorian pile that inspired Kenneth Grahame’s Toad Hall, is packed with ‘first-rate facilities’ for young and old.

Literary pilgrims follow narrow single-track lanes to this Victorian rectory in a ‘magical setting’ in the Valency valley, where Thomas Hardy met and courted his first wife, Emma Gifford.

The ‘wonderful sea views’ from this ‘fantastic’ hotel are but part of its charm: it is equally praised for its ‘pleasant, helpful staff’, ‘most delicious food’ and ‘great atmosphere’.

‘Our favourite pub-with-rooms, it truly lives up to its motto of “simple things done well”,’ say regular Guide correspondents in 2017 of the Inkin brothers’ ‘excellent’, family-friendly spot in rugged west Cornwall, minutes from the cliff edge.

On a hill above the beach at Carbis Bay, Marianne and Jonathan Bassett’s ‘well-situated’ 1930s hotel is a stylish, bright and breezy retreat with ‘stunning sea views’ across the water to Godrevy lighthouse.

Clean, contemporary design, eco credentials and ‘wonderful views’ attract guests to this voguish, adults-only hotel overlooking ‘a classic Cornish bay’.

An ‘enchanting, peaceful place’ surrounded by wild flower meadows, trees and wildlife, Hazel Billington and Ross Lewin’s ‘friendly’ hotel continues to charm Guide readers.

‘There is something Enid Blytonish about this place, romantically set just above the Coastal Path on the way out of Mevagissey. A big house (rather than a hotel) in feel, it has an endearing mixture of eccentricity and solid good taste.’

Exchange lace-ups for flip-flops and train times for tidal tables at this popular surfing spot on the Cornish coast.

Whether junior swimming enthusiast or mini film fanatic, pint-sized gourmand or budding artist, there’s a pursuit to suit children at this family-friendly clifftop hotel (Luxury Family Hotels).

Coastal trails, fishing villages, rock pools and sandy beaches are within reach of this ‘ideally located’ seafront B&B, up the riverside road from the centre.

Almost all the incoming calls come from the birds at Victoria and Nicholas Sanders’s ‘welcoming hotel’ on the Lizard peninsula.

The setting is rugged – the building stands on the edge of a rocky headland – but, inside, everything is sleek and stylish at this laid-back modern hotel.

At the end of a long driveway, this ‘magnificent, lovingly restored’ castellated mansion is now a grand country B&B surrounded by extensive grounds on the banks of the River Tamar.

Seaside style and modern Cornish plates attract locals and passers-by to this casual, buzzy hotel, bar and restaurant on the quay.

‘The beautiful location, wonderful service and excellent food keep us coming back.’

With a champagne- and cake-filled pantry to plunder, plus boozy hot chocolate before bed, this glamorous operation turns traditional notions of a B&B on their head.

From water sports to yoga to simply sprawling in the sun, this ‘great’ modern hotel on a stretch of sandy beach has something for everyone.

Janie and Mike Cooksley have brought a riotous combination of colour and eye-catching features to the Cornish countryside.

There’s a bijou feel at Philippa McKnight and David Hoyes’s stone-built B&B, close to the seafront and the town.

A farmhouse retreat for foodies, this informal B&B, in a rural setting of meadows, woodland and oak-lined streams, mixes handsomely rustic bedrooms with convivial feasts rustled up in an open kitchen.