A Regency cottage-orné, built by Jeffry Wyatville as a fishing lodge for Georgiana, Duchess of Bedford, is run today in characteristic relaxed-chic style by Olga Polizzi (see also Tresanton, St Mawes). ‘Staff are helpful and attentive, without being overbearing or unctuous – you’re encouraged to feel like a house guest.’ A mile-long drive bisects an Arcadia designed by Humphry Repton, with dells, streams, cascades and follies, the Tamar flowing through. The ambience is ‘unpretentious, wholly enjoyable’, say readers; it ‘feeds the historical imagination’. Main-house bedrooms have their own personality, new and vintage furniture. Some have hand-painted wallpaper, perhaps a fireplace, a freestanding bath. Two stable suites have a wood-burning stove, pantry, timber floors. In the restaurant, chef Jose Graziosi uses seasonal produce, locally farmed or foraged, in modern British dishes with an Italian accent. For example: corn-fed chicken, dauphinoise potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke purée, kale, Chantenay carrots; wild mushroom risotto, watercress, pecorino. Breakfast brings freshly squeezed juices, home-made granola, grilled kipper, a full English. (A and HB)