The words Padstow and Rick Stein go together like fish and chips, and his flagship restaurant offers stylish rooms so you can totter up to bed after your fill of the sea.

Sink into a recliner on the terrace at this cliff-top hotel, and you can gaze out at ‘panoramic sea views’ over Gerrans Bay – or lie back and think of New England, prompted by the seaside-chic decor.

'The location is stunning, the views as the sun sets truly magical’ from this family-run, cliff-top hotel and spa, with acres of Scandi-style relaxation space, squashy sofas, and plenty of things to do, from relaxing in a spa pool to surfing at the beach.

A seaside hotel with serious style, Olga Polizzi's glowing white collection of cottages and former yacht clubhouse cascading down the hillside is a cross between New England and Mediterranean Riviera.

Fruit and cut flowers from the organic garden, eggs from the hens, honey from the hives, and romantic associations with Thomas Hardy are among the many charms of Sally and Chris Searle's Victorian rectory B&B.

Perched on the hill above teeming St Ives, in sub-tropical gardens, Malcolm Herring’s exclusive small hotel is ‘aimed at those who can afford it, and it really does deliver’.

'A haven of tranquillity from the moment you arrive', this pub-with-rooms in a pretty Cornish fishing village gets full marks from readers who praise its 'amazing rooms, food and views'.

'There is a Celtic feel' to Charles and Edmund Inkin's pub and its surrounds, 'with views of the Atlantic and the moors and tors of Penwith', writes a reader on a return visit.

Serenity and space are the two words that crop up most in the wealth of praise we receive for this 'utterly relaxing' adults-only spa hotel with sublime views over beach and sea.

Above sandy Summerleaze Beach, Susie and Will Daniel’s young-at-heart hotel is a great hang-out for surfers, sybarites and sun-seekers (Bude is officially one of the sunniest places in Britain).

‘A superb new addition to Robin Hutson’s Pig litter’ comes in the form of an atmospheric mansion that is part Georgian, part Jacobean, part medieval, just minutes from the beach and the South West Coast Path.

From sunrise to sunset, bask in ‘spectacular views’ of the Atlantic ocean from the Armstrong family’s child- and dog-friendly hotel above Fistral Beach.

With boats bobbing on the water and ‘magnificent’ vistas across the harbour, life on the water’s edge doesn’t come much closer than at this large hotel, the oldest in the maritime town.

Overlooking Whitsand Bay, Rosie and David Reeve’s laid-back B&B is steps away from a sandy beach with rock pools to explore.

Set above a terraced garden, with superb views of both beach and harbour in an ‘unspoilt gem’ of a fishing village, this whitewashed Edwardian hotel is run with ‘real care and pride'.

Walk through the ‘pretty’ garden to reach the Helford river from this spa hotel and golf resort.

A 25-seat cinema is a novelty at Karen and David Richards’ hotel in a village of white-painted houses on the Roseland peninsula, but no film can rival the wide-screen views over the Fal estuary from the waterside terrace.

‘In a glorious setting’ on the cliff-top with 'spectacular views', this Edwardian cathedral of a hotel that opened its doors in 1898 after being built by the Great Western Railway also has a 'really nice, welcoming atmosphere'.

The sybarite is like a kid in a sweetshop at Paul Ainsworth’s Georgian town house B&B on a quiet back street, where each of the six suites is a lavish confection, with foodie references at every turn.

Panoramic views over the blue waters and Blue Flag beach of Carbis Bay, a cream tea on the terrace, friendly service . . . Although there has been change afoot at this boutique hotel, the good things remain.

On a steep hill above Carbis Bay, Mark and Fenella Thomas’s chic Edwardian house is a tranquil retreat from lively St Ives nearby.

With views over the harbour, and a crisp blue-and-white interior, Angela and Olivier Noverraz’s 1850s mid-terrace house is ‘a delight’.

By Penlee Park, this modern B&B has a pleasing mix of contemporary art and vintage furnishings, the stylish whole set against the period features of the immaculately restored Victorian house.

‘This really is a brilliant B&B establishment,’ writes a reader this year, joining a chorus of approval for Paul and Lesley Stapleton’s Grade II listed manor house amid gardens and pastureland.

Panoramic sea views reach across Mevagissey Bay to historic Chapel Point and beyond, from Andrea and Simon Copper’s sleekly designed B&B set high above the 14th-century fishing village.

In meadows and woodland between Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor, this rustic-chic guest house and restaurant make an ideal base for countryside exploration – or simply for eating ‘stupendously’ well.