In 'the most idyllic location', cascading down the cliffs at St Mawes with views to St Anthony's lighthouse, Olga Polizzi's seaside hotel continues to delight readers. Once home to a yacht club, it is spread across a cluster of houses.

With golf, tennis, kayaking and powerboating, indoor pool and outdoor hot tub, this spa hotel in 65 acres of garden and woodland on the Helford river is a holiday resort in its own right.

With a waterside terrace, coolly stylish interiors, well-equipped bedrooms and a chef who honed his craft in Raymond Blanc's kitchen, this Edwardian hotel in a fishing village on the Fal estuary is the place to idle away blissful days.

The old, pointy-gabled Victorian Summerleaze Court Hotel hardly knows itself these days, with its cool New England style and sunny terrace above a sandy surfers' beach.

Occupying the entire second floor of a Victorian house just yards from the beach, this chic B&B offers privacy and plenty of space.

Owned and run by hospitality professionals with a passion for provenance and sustainability, this white-stuccoed 19th-century boutique guest house overlooking the harbour has light-and-airy interiors and paintings by St Ives artists.