Driftwood Hotel

‘A poetic setting of beach and sea and garden.’ An ‘abundance of calm’ settles upon this smart hotel, thanks to the ‘very hands-on’ owners, Paul and Fiona Robinson, and their well-trained staff. ‘The owners went away towards the end of our stay, but the hotel continued to run like clockwork,’ visitors this year said. Chill out in the ‘beautifully landscaped’ garden (‘lots of seating hidden in nooks and behind hedges’) and the art-filled sitting room; ‘the blue-and-white decor lends itself to a stylish but informal atmosphere’. Bedrooms have a ‘comfortable’ bed, a ‘spotless’ bathroom; some have a private deck with ‘superb’ sea views. A family suite under low eaves can be made up with cots and children’s books. Chef Chris Eden uses ‘clever combinations’ of interesting ingredients in his Michelin-starred dishes; everything is cooked with ‘a lightness of touch’. A characteristic dish: roast cod, St Austell mussels, kale crisps, sea purslane. ‘Plentiful’ breakfasts are a treat: pastries, fruit salad, ‘just-one-more-spoonful’ granola; a good choice of hot dishes. (John Patterson, M and TS-P, and others)