‘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.

There’s no escaping the sweep of the sea at this ‘really super hotel’ above Falmouth Bay: a wraparound deck catches the sun; French doors in the restaurant open on to terraces; nearly all the bedrooms look across the water towards St Anthony’s lighthouse.

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.

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.

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

Let the sound of seagulls and views of sand and surf introduce the day: most of the ‘clean, fresh, contemporary’ bedrooms in this ‘marvellously situated’ quayside hotel have views over the estuary.

Coastal colours and a breezy style fill this chic Edwardian house above the sandy beach at Carbis Bay.

Angela and Olivier Noverraz’s ‘beautifully appointed’ 1850s mid-terrace house is a B&B with pizzazz.

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.

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