Olga Polizzi’s legendary hotel cascades down the hillside above St Mawes in a cluster of five whitewashed houses, all with views across to St Anthony’s Lighthouse and the Roseland Peninsula. Originally a 1940s yachtsmen’s club, it was transformed in 1997 into something closer to a chic Greek island retreat — antiques, Cornish art, mosaic-tiled restaurant, sun-drenched terrace. All 30 individually designed rooms have sea views. The restaurant serves Mediterranean-influenced seafood and local produce, candlelit by night. Add a skippered 1930s sailing yacht, a beach club in summer and a cinema, and it’s hard to leave. One of the finest hotels in the South West.