Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside. When the sun is shining and summer is at its peak, we’d argue there’s nowhere better to be than on the coast. And while Dorset and Sussex do their best to rival Cornwall, nothing beats the south west’s beaches when combined with luxurious hotels, award-winning restaurants, food and music festivals and quaint fishing towns ready to welcome an abundance of well-heeled travellers. Here’s our guide to the best things to do in Cornwall – just don’t forget your car keys and your ability to reverse down country lanes… 

Where to stay: Watergate Bay, Bodmin Jail Hotel and Suki Log Cabin

Bodmin Jail Hotel

Watergate Bay Hotel. Image: Lewis Harrison-Pinder

Whether you’re after a boutique bolthole or a sophisticated cliff-side coastal retreat, there’s an array of luxurious accommodation ready to cater for the well-heeled crowd in Cornwall. Here to prove Newquay’s grit can be glamorous too is the gorgeous Watergate Bay hotel, where sea views come as standard in its range of spacious doubles and family-sized apartments. The hotel is well-placed for guests looking to ride the waves this summer, as Newquay’s Extreme Academy and the Watergate Bay’s Surfing England and British Kitesurfing Association-approved surf school – offering tutelage in stand-up paddleboarding, waveski, hand plane and traditional surfboarding – are just moments from the hotel doors. 

History buffs should book the newly-opened Bodmin Jail Hotel, a stone’s throw from Bodmin Moor, to experience a different side of Cornwall. The former Grade II-listed prison has been repurposed into a 70-bedroom luxury bolthole – complete with iron bars on the windows and original cell doors, as well as much-needed luxury amenities such as air conditioning, Egyptian cotton sheets and freestanding baths. Don’t miss executive head chef Dane Watkins’ signature menus at The Chapel Restaurant & Bar (housed in the prison’s former chapel), regular ghost tours, and afternoon tea served in the dark. 

Self-catering accommodation doesn’t get much better than the Suki log cabin, perched on a cliff overlooking Whitsand Bay. This slice of south-eastern Cornwall is not only 30 minutes from the Devon border (and therefore easier for those travelling hefty distances in a car) but boasts some of the best beaches and views in the county, spanning Rame Peninsula on one side to the quaint fishing town of Looe on the other. Said vistas are the main attraction of this cabin, which helpfully features floor-to-ceiling glass windows and panels throughout, as well as a wooden terrace fitted with sun loungers and a hot tub.

The restaurants: The Seafood Restaurant, Sardine Factory and Prawn on the Lawn

The Seafood Restaurant. Image: Sam Harris

Prawn on the Lawn

Now spanning the breadth and depth of Cornwall, Rick Stein’s eponymous restaurant empire was actually kickstarted in 1975 by The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. Nearly 50 years later, the menu still reflects the ethos Stein started with: serving high-quality seafood. The kitchen is now helmed by head chef Pete Murt and takes its cues from Stein’s signature dishes and many cookbooks, offering plates of lobster thermidor, turbot hollandaise and Indonesian seafood curry. Seafoodies should head to the heart of the restaurant to watch the team shuck oysters like there’s no tomorrow. 

On the opposite side of the county in Looe, award-winning chef Benjamin Palmer returned to his hometown to open The Sardine Factory in 2018 and it has steadily grown to become one of the very best restaurants in Cornwall, having appeared on BBC Two’s Great British Menu earlier this year and retaining its Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2019. The focus here is seasonal and sustainable fare, sourced from local fishermen and farms to form plates of market fish tacos served with avocado, chipotle mayonnaise and pickles, salmon ceviche in a kimchi dressing, and 800g Looe lobster grilled with garlic butter and lemon. Fresh seafood doesn’t get much better than this. 

Londoners are probably familiar with Prawn on the Lawn thanks to its hugely popular Islington outpost, but those on the south coast this summer can also sample the restaurant’s delectable dishes in Padstow. The menu – which earned the restaurant a spot in both the Best UK Seafood Restaurants and the Michelin Guide – changes according to the fisherman's catch, but hero dishes include hake in truffle oil, parmesan, and porcini crumb, whole Padstow brown crab, and monkfish with north African marinade and herb salad. New for this summer is Little Prawn, situated on Padstow’s Duke Street to offer casual passers by oysters, crudo, ceviche and flowing frozen margaritas. Cheers! 

The festivals: Boardmasters and Rock Oyster

Rock Oyster. Image: Rock Oyster/Caitlin Mogridge

Boardmasters. Image: Shutterstock/Jordan Crosby

A festival unlike any other, Boardmasters mixes music and surfing to create a world-class weekend by the coast every year. From 7-11 August, grab your surfboards, sunglasses and sunscreen for five days of music on Newquay’s clifftops, with headline acts including Sam Fender, Chase and Status, Stormzy and more, as well as an array of activities including surfing, yoga, silent discos, paddle-boarding and BMX-riding. Book the Boardmasters Boutique for an elevated festival experience full of fancy showers, a pamper parlour, and an exclusive bar that will deliver coffees and crafted cocktails straight to your teepee. 

Blending food and music (name a better combination), festival goers at Rock Oyster Festival – hosted at Dinham House in north Cornwall – can enjoy an abundance of local Porthilly rock oysters alongside serious tunes by The Human League, Sugababes and Bombay Bicycle Club from 25-28 July 2024. Elsewhere, discover a roster of Michelin-starred chefs, al fresco dining, and cooking demonstrations over at the Masterclass Tipi, where you can learn about coffee, mixology, fish preparation and cake making from the best in the business.

The beaches: Holywell Bay, Perranporth, Kynance Cove and Sennen Cove

Now for what Cornwall is famous for. One of the county’s most famous beaches is situated on the north coast: Holywell Bay, where you can expect rolling sand dunes and numerous caves to explore at low tide. Also on this side of the coast, discover Perranporth’s tall cliffs and wide sandy beach, perfect for snorkelling, sunbathing and surfing, which won it the Seaside Award in 2022. 

Over on the south coast towards the Lizard, Kynance Cove is instantly recognisable with its signature rugged rocks, white sand and azure waters – but be aware this beach can be heaving in the summer, so go early to beat the crowds. Once a hotspot for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, as well as the poet Alfred Tennyson, this is a must-see beach that makes for the perfect pit stop along the South West Coast Path before trekking to the UK’s most southerly point. Those with little ones in tow should head to one of Cornwall’s most family-friendly beaches, Sennen Cove, which epitomises childhood beach holidays with its array of shops, galleries, cafes and pubs ready to whet your whistle after a long day in the sand. Ice cream, anyone? 

The towns: St Ives, Falmouth and Fowey

St Ives. Image: Shutterstock

Falmouth. Image: Shutterstocki

Art enthusiasts won’t feel out of place in the small but mighty town of St Ives, which became a hub for artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo during the Second World War. Fringed by the sandy Porthmeor beach, the town’s art scene is centred around the Tate Gallery while the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, both housed in the modernist’s former studio, displays her sculptural works.

Having been modernised in Cornish eyes thanks to its university, Falmouth offers tourists a number of independent boutiques, refined eateries and chic cocktail bars. Famous for its deep natural harbour on the Fal Estuary, and nearby beaches like Swanpool and Gyllyngvase, take a trip back in time via the National Maritime Museum’s interactive galleries and a flotilla of model boats, and explore Henry VIII’s Pendennis Castle which is remarkably well preserved for a 16th century fortress. 

On the south east coast, Fowey offers everything you’d want for a day to remember on the Cornish coast. Arrive via ferry from Polruan (which will set you back a mere £2.30), and while away the hours exploring the town’s lanes, shops and restaurants. The perfectly-formed tapas and sherry bar, Pintxo, on the Esplanade is a must for Londoner’s seeking style and substance, as is a pint at the town’s oldest pub, The Ship Inn. Grab a couple of books for the beach at Shrew Books and a pasty at Kittows before settling down at the nearby Readymoney Cove for an afternoon of sunbathing with the locals. 

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