The best hotels in Cornwall, tried and tested by Vogue

Cornwall is one of those rare destinations where on arrival, after a harrowing drive, there is a sense of quiet euphoria. It’s that feeling of throwing off your clothes and running into the sea; the satisfaction of a cold pint on the beach after being cooped up for too long playing ‘I Spy’. Despite the fact that Cornwall is almost nowhere, the southernmost point of England has a certain pull on people. It’s a complete roll of the dice whether tourists will be surfing in the glorious weather adjacent to Spain or sheltering from gusts of wind behind makeshift windscreens with a bag of too-gritty-to-eat fish and chips. But when Cornwall delivers, it really delivers. It is, as my mother liked to say as the rain beat against the caravan on ill-fated coastal expeditions, “character building”.

For Glassette founder Laura Jackson, what keeps her coming back to those familiar bays, promising white sand and turquoise sea, is the same thing that makes Cornwall so difficult to get to: its remoteness. “You can be completely isolated in Cornwall,” says Jackson, who married pearl-wearing Rejina Pyo and Simone Rocha on Porthscatho beach in 2017. “You can feel like you’ve really escaped, which is quite difficult these days.”

Former London banker Ethan Friskney-Bryer, who now runs Fowey’s much-loved North Street Kitchen (the younger sister of Jolene, London’s Primeur and co), says the decision to move to Cornwall was simple: “So many people are doing really unique things around. county and everyone is incredibly supportive of each other – there is such a capacity for variety.” Of course, he never looked back.

Here, VogueEditing of the best Cornish hotels that have a unique point of difference that makes them worth the trip to visit – or rather, check in to.

Courtesy of Chapel House

Courtesy of Chapel House

Perched above Penzance Harbour, this historic hotel feels more like your aunt’s fabulous house than a Cornish tourist attraction. Proof that this isn’t just a PR game? Susan, the owner, bakes a fresh cake every morning, so you and the other guests occupying the six rooms and two suites can watch the fishing boats bob below with a cuppa and a slice (sharpen your elbows if it’s a walnuts, ginger and beetroot). Forgot your sandals? Don’t worry, Susan has plenty – plus raincoats and locally made woolen scarves – to borrow for walks on St Michaels Mount. She’ll even invite you to join the locals’ sunrise swim at Battery Rock and drink a hot flask of tea after you’re safely wrapped in a dry Chapel robe. Need more convincing? Harry Styles was spotted braving the waves. There are few places as welcoming in winter as they are in the summer months, but Chapel House, with its plush sofas and honesty bar, which boasts Cornish wines to sip as you watch the sun set over Mounts Bay , it might just be the perfect all-weather pit. .