In the era of the great staycation – where more families and couples are choosing to stay at home rather than see their pound dwindle abroad against the ballooning euro – is Cornwall the holy grail of holidays? Whether you’re a hopeless romantic looking for a coastal paradise on your (almost) doorstep, or a family in search of a multi-generational break, Cornwall’s secret gems do not disappoint.

For activity hunters
Some of the pleasure of a holiday in Cornwall is simply picking your way through the villages and towns, stopping for waterfront lunches, cake and scones and a bed for the night. To the north the wide sweeping surf beaches await, while the south is a haven of picturesque harbours, pretty ports and belt-busting cream teashops. Fowey, for example, has views to Polruan and Daphne du Maurier’s historic house at Bodrinnick and is peppered with cafes, local art galleries, bespoke jewellers and gorgeous harbour-side restaurants overlooking bristling sails. The ancient seafaring village of Polperro, meanwhile, clings to the majestic Cornish cliffs and has a clutch of the oldest pubs in the region: its smuggling heritage can’t help but set the imagination on fire.

For families in need of activities and the idyllic, Falmouth is a cracking base to enjoy time on and off the water. Take a day trip boat to idyllic St Mawes or relax on Gyllyngvase beach and then motor around the countryside to little inlets and coves. It’s more of a hub than some of the smaller south coast enclaves, with a few high street shops, but its colourful bunting still keeps the seaside feel at the fore.

The four-star Greenbank Hotel sits right on the water’s edge of Carrick Roads, looking across to the chocolate-box houses of Flushing. A historic Falmouth residence, the property dates back to at least 1640, but now is home to a seaside hotel that sits in-between romantic lodging and family friendly Falmouth base rather well. There are large family rooms with adjoining bunk-bed rooms, suites with balconies and rooms with huge picture windows – watching the boats bob and zip across the estuary is positively mesmeric.

The only hotel in Falmouth with its own pontoons, it’s a great place for water babies. Gylly Adventures runs paddleboard and kayak trips from The Greenbank and plan to offer paddleboard yoga this summer. It’s a stunning place to learn and explore and with the estuary your oyster, it’s a great activity for all ages.

The Greenbank’s Water’s Edge bar and restaurant is particularly inviting thanks to the cool, coastal theme and hues of blue and white. The chandeliers are made from collections of decanters while Breton stripe cushions adorn sofas – ideal spots to relax with a cream tea or the Sunday papers.

The Water’s Edge restaurant is a real treat, and thankfully reasonably priced. The entire frontage is glazed to make the most of those spectacular harbour views and the menu includes fresh fish, a fabulous and playful ‘dippy egg’ starter and a bounty of Cornish produce, including local lamb, freshly caught crab and homemade ice cream.

Step back in time
Across the water, the Roseland Peninsular is an achingly beautiful crisscross of rolling pastures, patchwork fields and glittering waterways not to be missed. Festooned with blooming rhododendrons in the spring and wild flowers in the summer, it’s a fantastic spot for walkers, hikers, cyclists and those who enjoy a slower pace of life. National Trust gardens, stately homes, romantic villages and cream teashops are the order of the day here.

For Roseland visitors looking to step back in time and enjoy a quintessential English hotel, The Nare is as distinguished, well heeled and traditional as it gets. Family owned and run since 1989, The Nare overlooks the stunning marigold sands of Carne Beach. It’s the kind of hotel (now increasingly uncommon) where the staff will know you by name before you arrive, where you can call upon the in-house shoe shining service, where a complimentary homemade afternoon tea is served for guests daily and the tea is always loose leaf, where pre-dinner drinks are an event taken in the sea-view lounge and served on a silver platter and where ties and jackets are worn at dinner – which, incidentally, is four courses, to make room for the show-stopping fish course (our local lobster was a triumph).

There are the classic comforts: a choice of duvets and blankets, sloe gin on the nightstand, and the décor is firmly English country house, but it’s not dowdy. There are power showers, an indoor and outdoor pool, a small gym, a spa solely open for guests and a hot tub with one of the finest views in the whole of Cornwall.

The piéce de résistance is without a doubt, however, the classic 38ft wooden Cockwell’s launch, Alice Rose, which is available for private charter, sunset trips around the Roseland and weekly scheduled boat trips for guests of up to eight. There is simply not a better way to explore the captivating reaches of the Helford River, the harbours of St Mawes and Falmouth and the beautiful Fal estuary.

The Nare’s fabulously affable and enthused owner, Toby, explains the hotel’s modus operandi best: “My family has been running hotels for over 100 years and it’s really important for us to be more than a restaurant with rooms. We are traditional luxury. One of my greatest pleasures recently has been taking out four generations of the same family on Alice Rose. It’s an institution, it’s a family and our return guests come back year after year.”

Scheduled sailings take place, weather permitting, on Tuesdays and Saturdays for hotel guests, where up to eight guests can enjoy the boat for the day. The £85pp price tag is well worth it; you simply can’t find a better vessel to explore these waters and the on board lunch is absolutely delectable.

Non-residents can stop off for afternoon tea in the Quarterdeck restaurant while hotel guests can expect formal, fabulous menus packed with fresh produce – from local black pudding to lobster and succulent Cornish beef – and classic styles in the Quarterdeck and dining room – plus panoramic views of Carne Bay. With the lashings of charm and Englishness on offer at The Nare, it’s little surprise overseas guests and well-heeled clientele favour the hotel. A great pick for mature mother-daughter getaways, father-son trips and multigenerational holidays, it is a quintessential country house on the sea.

The fact that you don’t have the more modern hotel hoardes descending on this Cornish gem is possibly one of its secret weapons – the hot tub is never full, you can expect to have the pool pretty much to yourself in shoulder season, and the beach is empty and idyllic.

Sure, this is not a place for minimalists or modernists, but truth be told as soon as we left we missed the splendid staff, the cushy sofas, walls adorned with maps and artwork, the billowing cakes and cream teas, the distinguished ambience, the silver service and taste of tradition. It’s all so wholesomely heart warming.

essence info

Rooms at The Nare start from £290 per night.
Website: www.narehotel.co.uk

Rooms at The Greenbank Hotel start from £99 per night.
Website: www.greenbank-hotel.co.uk or call 01326 312440
New for 2017: Night paddling – guests visiting The Greenbank Hotel this summer are able to discover the beautiful Cornish coastline at night, lit by a LED stand up paddleboard. Group and private sessions are available, booked via the hotel, all leaving from the hotel’s private pontoon.