For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
This remote and beautiful part of the British Isles has won back a new generation of devotees who have discovered its unique magic (and almost sub-tropical micro-climate). A few halcyon days here will offer all the stupendous sea views, peaceful beaches and laid-back living you could want, and the fabulously fresh seafood means a gastronomic treat lies in every cove; celebrated chefs vie for your attention among the beachfront shellfish shacks, country inns and traditional tearooms. There’s plenty to help you work up an appetite, including clifftop walks, art galleries and sailing; and the surfing is perhaps the best in the UK. Whether you join the crowds in high summer or find some perfect solitude out of season, you’re sure to fall under Cornwall’s powerful, nonconformist spell.
You won’t walk far here without coming across a pasty shop. The ultimate portable picnic, these pastry-encased mini-meals originally kept miners and farmers going throughout the working day. Cornish food writer Hettie Merrick has scotched the theory that they sometimes contained ‘two courses’, with a savoury filling at one end and a fruity one at the other. Put your disappointment aside and wrap your lips around a treat made by Hettie’s daughter Ann Muller, reckoned to be Cornwall’s finest pasty-maker, from the Lizard Pasty Shop in Helston (01326 290889).
…trying to speak a few words of the native tongue: around 4,000 people still speak Kernewek, a language with strong ties to Breton and Welsh, and Cornish independence is still desired by many. BBC Radio Cornwall sometimes broadcasts in the language, although the last person brought up to speak Cornish as her mother tongue – the fabled Dolly Pentreath – died in 1777. Make someone’s morning by greeting them with ‘Myttin da’.
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and romantic boutique hotels in Cornwall
Striking the perfect balance between accessible and remote, Driftwood's main house has an incredible setting, high on a cliff, and an easy-breezy atmosphere.
Commanding sweeping views of Fowey's river estuary, port and the sea, this charming and unpretentious family-focused hotel in Cornwall was the original inspiration for Toad Hall. A croquet lawn, indoor pool, and nearby beaches and sailing make Fowey Hall ideal for old salts and young families.
A former yachting club, Hotel Tresanton in St Mawes was built from a cluster of old houses, hence its charming higgledy-piggledy levels and portside setting.
Not just a stylish base for surfers and a haven for sandcastling families, this revamped modernist resort also offers contemporary apartments and a top-class spa, making it the perfect base for a civilised stag or hen.
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
May There are May Day celebrations in St Ives, Padstow and throughout Cornwall. Mid May The Daphne du Maurier Literary Festival in Fowey includes talks, theatre, exhibitions, concerts and guided walks (www.dumaurierfestival.co.uk). June The Royal Cornwall Show is a showcase for the county’s food (www.royalcornwallshow.org). August Head to the water – there’s the Ripcurl Boardmasters in Newquay’s Fistral Bay (www.ripcurlboardmasters.com), Falmouth Classics Regatta Week (www.falmouthweek.co.uk) and the Fowey Royal Regatta (www.foweyroyalregatta.co.uk). October Glug down bivalves at the Falmouth Oyster Festival (www.falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk).
A great option for a seafood lunch in St Ives, on the edge of Porthminster Beach overlooking the surfing beach. Choose from the day’s specials menu – most of which have a pan-Asian twist – or try the excellent soup of the day.
Porthminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 2EB
The building is grade II-listed, the staff wear black Victorian uniforms, and the cream teas are perfect; this Truro tea house is about as traditional as it gets.
Coinage Hall, 1 Boscawen Street, Truro, Cornwall TR1 2QU
Set in a 13th-century farmhouse near Bude, this is the place for freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream. You may like to take the spectacular clifftop walk afterwards to burn off all those extra calories.
Rectory Farm, Crosstown, Morwenstow, near Bude, Cornwall EX23 9SR
Chilled, family-run café in a converted post office, with leather sofas, all the daily papers, and countertop cakes the size of LPs. As well as a warm welcome, you’ll be treated to fresh Cornish ingredients served up in traditional Cornish-sized helpings; the catch of the day is plucked from a bay just 300 metres away.
79 Charlestown Road, St Austell, Cornwall PL25 3NL
Made by Ann Muller – daughter of renowned Cornish pasty expert and food writer Hettie Merrick – the pasties sold here are reckoned to be among the finest in the region.
Beacon Terrace, The Lizard, Helston, Cornwall TR12 7PB
With its ramshackle beach-hut stylings – stripy director's chairs, salvage-chic furniture, beanbags for kids – this laid-back hangout is a good bet for sating savoury cravings. Plump for the goat’s cheese bake (www.pinkymurphys.com).
19 North Street, Fowey, Cornwall PL23 1DB
This Porthleven eatery and B&B serves up idyllic harbour views and fresh seafood cooked with Asian flair. Try the tempura oysters with wasabi tartare, or the lemon sole with soy ginger, pak choy and jasmine rice. There’s also an impressive wine list and a relaxed bar area, where you can sample some local beers or linger over postprandials. Owner Jane comes with impressive credentials, having previously run Bistro One Ninety at The Gore and De Cecco restaurant in King’s Road.
Harbour Head, Porthleven, Helston, Cornwall, TR13 9JA
Thanks to this peerless restaurant, café and bistro – with a fish ’n’ chip shop to boot – Rick Stein reigns supreme in Padstow. No wonder locals have taken to referring to it as ‘Padstein’.
Riverside, Padstow, Cornwall PL28 8BYRiverside, Padstow, Cornwall PL28 8BY
At the divine Driftwood boutique hotel, chef Chris Eden (formerly at the Square) uses fresh, local and organic ingredients when available to produce his Modern European menu; highlights include wonderful fish and seafood and home-made bread. The restaurant is always open to non-residents, but it's a good idea to book a table.
Driftwood, Rosevine, near Portscatho, Cornwall TR2 5EW
The fine dining restaurant inside this grade-II listed former rectory in Padstow focuses on Cornish produce and fresh seafood, with ingredients often sourced from the manor’s own vegetable garden and orchard.
St Ervan Manor, near Padstow
The views over Watergate Bay, between Padstow and Newquay, are as rip-roaring as the food cooked up by Jamie Oliver’s band of 15 local trainees. Here, quality Cornish produce – yarg, wild venison from Bodmin Moor, and funghi foraged by the restaurant’s own mushroom hunters – is transformed into imaginative Italianate dishes on a weekly changing menu. Booking essential (www.fifteencornwall.co.uk).
On the Beach, Watergate Bay, Cornwall TR8 4AA
This restaurant in Portloe does excellent seafood and has tables overlooking the tiny harbour.
Harbour Head, Pothleven, Helston
An excellent terrace restaurant with superb views over the bay at St Mawes and all the way to St Anthony’s lighthouse. The menu expertly combines fresh seafood with delicious organic vegetables (www.tresanton.com).
Hotel Tresanton, 27 Lower Castle Road, St Mawes, Cornwall TR2 5DR
This Michelin-friendly chef has made a splash in Fowey with his delicious, expertly crafted yet unpretentious menus; there’s a well-stocked wine cellar to complement the rich stocks of fresh fish and seafood.
Marina Villa Hotel, the Esplanade, Fowey, Cornwall PL23 1HY
Perhaps as you’d expect from the hotel that inspired Toad Hall from Wind in the Willows, family dining is the order of the day here at Fowey Hall, part of our Smith & Kids hotel collection. The grown-ups’ menu centres on good seafood and shellfish cooked simply, with flavours stretching from the Mediterranean to Asia.
Hanson Drive, Fowey, Cornwall, PL23 1ET
One of the best places to eat in Cornwall, this city-sleek venue overlooks the beautiful Fowey waterfront. Chef Ben Bass gives that overtired concept, ‘Modern European’ food, a Cornish spin using local meats and seafood. There’s a solid wine list, too (www.theoldquayhouse.com).
The Old Quay House, 28 Fore Street, Fowey, Cornwall PL23 1AQ
A cosy, diner-style bistro that’s a lively lunch spot, with great burgers and no-messin’ seafood. No reservation required, either (www.samsfowey.co.uk).
20 Fore Street, Fowey, Cornwall PL23 1AQ
The more upmarket sister restaurant to Sam’s, overlooking the river and handy if you're a guest at Fowey Hall, a member of our Smith & Kids hotel collection. Upstairs, there’s a genteel dining room serving local seafood and game, and a ground-floor café for ice-cream and cappuccinos.
41 Fore Street, Fowey, Cornwall PL23 1AQ
St Ives’ nightlife revolves around this popular late-night hangout, a cocktail bar and club with regular DJs and live music (www.theisobar.co.uk).
Street-An-Pol, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 2DS
The best nightlife in Cornwall involves local pubs and lock-ins. This 17th-century pub on the Roseland peninsula near the Lugger Hotel is the focus of the social scene in this fishing village. Come by on Fridays for fish 'n' chips and a decent pint of St Austell Tribute.
The Square, Portscatho, Truro, Cornwall TR2 5HF
A good spot for real ales, Cornish cream teas and delicious pub grub from a constantly updated chalkboard menu. Head downstairs to Little Prussia, a smaller, more intimate space with minimalist leanings, retro bucket seats, and black bream instead of beer-battered fish (www.kingofprussiafowey.com).
Town Quay, Fowey, Cornwall PL23 1AT
This tucked-away fisherman’s bar has a peerless beer garden offering clifftop views. Pity the thirsty tourists who don’t know it exists (http://llawnroc.mevagissey.com).
33 Chute Lane, Gorran Haven, St Austell, Cornwall PL26 6NU
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