You can sit on the ramparts and watch for puffins, seals and invading armadas over a cream tea at this Elizabethan artillery castle and family-run hotel within star-shaped walls. 'The location, setting and history are exceptional.' Some castle rooms are very snug, though smart. Superior sea-view rooms are less cramped, with a four-poster or half-tester bed. Cottage-style annexe rooms and suites have a bath and shower, some with a veranda or private lawn. They are 'where children and dogs are welcome and take a bit more wear and tear', wrote a trusted reader on a return visit. All agree about the quality of the cooking – 'gourmet indeed' – in the dining room, and in the conservatory under a vine. 'The food is totally amazing, and so well balanced.' Typical dishes might feature venison with black truffle, or lobster and crab caught from the hotel's own boat, with produce from the kitchen garden. The Dungeon bar is indeed in a dungeon, though painted a soothing blue. 'The gardens are really delightful, typical of Scilly, with a peaceful oasis corner complete with steamer chairs and a large children's playground nearby.'