The top luxury hotels in Cornwall for a five-star stay in the Duchy

It’s hard not to have favourites, but The Scarlet is undoubtedly one of the finest luxury hotels in Cornwall, safely enjoying its nearly 13-year reign at the top of the spoiling pile. The building is designed to bring the outside in with a simple aesthetic that optimises the vista – almost wherever you are in the property, you can enjoy far-reaching views of the beach and sea beyond. Large open spaces are home to brightly coloured furnishings, unique canvases and sculptures (many of the paintings are for sale). Colour palettes are varied, mixing soft hues with lots of bright pattern. The spa is the luxe cherry on top here (and the fact it’s adults-only), with all the bells and whistles including outdoor hot tubs dotted on the cliffside for that view.

This is a quintessential country house: tartan carpets underfoot; floral and birds of paradise-print wallpapers; political caricatures lining the walls – it’s a place which feels loved and lived-in. This isn’t a hotel for passing fashions and the latest technological fads – rather, it remains suspended in time and place, and that in itself (along with its superb service from its loyal and local staff) is what gives it its ‘luxury’ stamp; it’s reassuringly classic and isn’t ashamed to show it. The spa although small and unassuming has fantastic therapists (Anne is much requested), but the real draw here is the stunning outdoor pool, where on a sunny day it’s easy to believe you’re in the South of France.

Located in the pretty village of St Mawes on the Roseland Peninsula, Tresanton is a delicious dollop of ‘la dolce vita’ on the Cornish coast, not just in terms of its design and food, but also with its wonderfully laid-back, open house vibe, welcoming everyone from honeymooning couples to energetic families. British/Italian hotelier and designer Olga Polizzi is behind the property, she spent two years completely re-vamping the hotel, which opened in the summer of 1998, pouring her passion and extremely chic taste into every crevice. The beach club is a brilliant spot for all day lounging with an Aperol Spritz, but to really take the luxury up a notch hire Punuccia; the hotel’s eight-metre private yacht and float in and around beautiful Falmouth Bay.

When the droves hit in summer, is there anything more luxurious than a private beach in crowded Cornwall? Driftwood has just that. A small ribbon of golden sand flanked by rocks, just enough room to throw down a beach towel or two and sunbathe in peace. The hotel itself is purposefully pared back in design, no bold colours or shouty fabrics, think soft Farrow & Ball hues in neutrals, muted greys and blues, reminiscent of the sea outside. All 14 rooms (except one) face the grey-blue water which in itself is pretty special, add in the Michelin-starred food served in an elegant dining room with white-clothed tables and gleaming cutlery (the tasting menu is phenomenal) and you’re looking at a pretty magic mix.

It’s important to make the right room choice here, because a standard room (although stylish and good-value) doesn’t quite cut it in the luxury stakes, whereas the Superior or Deluxe rooms are really worth every penny. Most have free-standing bath tubs (Aromatherapy Associates products) and balconies – the best being number 110, where the bed looks out to the sea through an enormous bay window. The spa deserves awards for its good looks alone, the outdoor (heated) pool is as sleek as any cutting edge European retreat. An early morning swim here is glorious, the steam curls delicately off the warm water and the orange-streaked sky meeting the horizon gives instant goosebumps.

With only seven rooms and a reputation as solid as a rock (much like its sister hotel The Idle Rocks) this is a hard place to book in high season, which makes it all the more exclusive and all the more exciting when you do manage to bag a room. Beds have goose feather and down pillows and duvets, superlative Egyptian cotton sheets, and subtly striped blankets by the cult Welsh woollen mill, Melin Tregwynt. And once snuggled down inside, you can actually hear the sea from your cocoon, the hotel is so close to the water. A nice surprise is the 25-seater cinema which you can reserve with popcorn or ice cream on tap. For those who prefer outdoor glamour, sailing cruise days can be organised in a classic yacht or ketch.

A Cornish manor house set far away from the madding crowds, on a magnificent estate of lawns, woodland and a private golf course sloping down to the banks of the sheltered Helford River. Budock Vean is the sort of place that guests return to year after year (in fact some have been coming for generations); it sits proudly and quietly amongst other more widely known hotel names and keeps subtly evolving its offering to its loyal clientele. Should you book a stay, you’re likely to be hooked in by the soothing surrounding parkland, the large spa (with nail bar), the cocktail bar, the old-fashioned cooked breakfast and the full embrace of the staff (you might even get sent a birthday card months after you have left).

You would be hard pressed to find a larger swathe of fluffy sand than the clear stretch here at Watergate Bay, and even harder still to find a property like this next to it. Well, next to it implies that it’s in some way set back from the beach, it actually looks as if the bay itself has swallowed it, like the tide placed it there on a long-reaching wave. And its stellar location is just the start of its impressiveness, as well as updated interiors (the old surfer-inspired style has been replaced with a less chilly, more textured and luxurious aesthetic) and a few other tweaks since the pandemic – a slick new app where you can charge things to your room for example – Watergate Bay is better than ever. For the ultimate treat, a beach loft suite has a concierge, a private staircase leading straight down onto the sand and panoramic, floor-to-ceiling views across the ocean.

One of the main pillars of the The Pig Hotels brand is to create an expensive experience but to make it accessible, and to do it, not with gold taps, but with character and personality and supremely high quality food and drink. This is exactly what you can expect of this foodie hotspot. Like all the other Pigs, the restaurant here grows and sources much of its ingredients from its own kitchen garden or within a 25-mile radius – including wine, beers and spirits. Each of the 30 rooms feels distinct, in a way that all the many thousands of outposts of Soho House, for instance, never quite manage. A country house hotel that manages to bring ‘luxury’ down-to-earth… With views of the Camel Estuary to boot.