The St Mawes Hotel.
2 Marine Parade, St Mawes, Cornwall.
You can't get closer to the water than this without getting your feet wet. The St Mawes Hotel stands right on the waterside looking over the little harbour and bay of St Mawes.
The chic accommodation is filled with the atmosphere of a real coastal village, packed with cosy sofas, stripped boards, painted wood and maritime artifacts. Even the smallest guest rooms have a kingsize bed. The Seaview rooms are (unsurprisingly) on the front of the hotel where they give a superb view out over the water. There is even a family room which accommodates a family of four.
Right through the summer months the front doors are flung wide open, inviting passers-by into the lively, informal bar and restaurant. Food (think Cornish seafood, home-made pizas, lobster and chips) is served in the bar or the relaxed environment of the Upper Deck, with its casual seating and log burning stove for winter evenings. Food service is quick but not "fast", and as much as possible is local.
Breakfast includes cereals, cheese, meats, yoghut, freshly-bakes pastries and a selection of cooked breakfasts from the kitchen.
The St Mawes Hotel is ideally placed with the harbour in one direction and St Mawes castle in the other. The ferry to Falmouth goes from right in front of the hotel and the whole of west Cornwall is just a short drive away.