'Hotel settings don't get much more spectacular than the Polurrian's, on the cliff edge overlooking its own beach,' writes a guide insider. The relaxed family and dog-friendly hotel makes the most of the coastal views.

Set on a private sandy beach, this dog friendly, Barbados-inspired hotel has a terrific mix of rooms, suites and beach cabins as well as a sea-facing restaurant and beach bar and grill.

The Fowey estuary washes around the rear terrace projecting out into the water at this white stucco Victorian hotel, with boutique-chic bedrooms in restful shades, some with a small balcony, and a restaurant serving classic dishes with a modern twist.

With golf, tennis, kayaking and powerboating, indoor pool and outdoor hot tub, this spa hotel in 65 acres of garden and woodland on the Helford river is a holiday resort in its own right.

There are spectacular sea views from this dog-friendly, late-Victorian clifftop hotel and glass-walled spa, with traditionally furnished bedrooms and suites, sophisticated cooking in the restaurant and more casual dining from an eclectic bistro menu.

With a waterside terrace above the Fal estuary, David and Karen Richards' Edwardian hotel on the Roseland Peninsual has 19 coastal-chic bedrooms, most with a sea view, while in the restaurant menus are big on fish and seafood delivered by the hotel's dedicated fisherman.

A landmark Victorian building above Fistral Bay, this hotel is a mix of the grand and contemporary, with pools and spa treatments, a golf course, surf school, bedrooms in coastal colours, plus refined and informal dining on the waterfront terrace, restaurant and poolside.

An amalgam of a 17th-century sailors' pub with modern additions, this large hotel stands on the waterfront, with some of the best of the bright contemporary bedrooms enjoying a harbour view. Guests can drink and dine in the restaurant, bar, and in the sunshine on the seaward terrace.