Can you help? It’s our fifth wedding anniversary in June, and we’ve managed to negotiate two nights of baby-sitting with our children’s favourite nanny. She lives in Devon, so we are looking for a romantic hotel in the Cornwall/Devon area — somewhere small and friendly, with excellent food.
Charlotte Kitley, London
Happily, Charlotte, there are some super places to choose from. In Devon, you’ll love South Sands (01548 859000, southsands.com). It overlooks Bolt Head, at Salcombe, has 22 crisp New England-styled rooms, a cute bar, and a super seafood restaurant (overseen by Mitch Tonks). In June, double rooms start at £165, B&B.
Along the coast, past Torbay, is Babbacombe and the Cary Arms (01803 327110, caryarms.co.uk). It has eight rooms in a nooked-and-crannied old house overlooking the beach. It’s quiet and cosy with a nice bar and a gastropub-style restaurant. Doubles are £200, B&B.
Also in Devon, about 15 minutes from the pretty market town of Tavistock, is the Hotel Endsleigh (01822 870000, hotelendsleigh.com). Olga Polizzi has designed the interiors, with rooms decorated in the spirit of the Regency period and wood panelling galore. There’s a fine restaurant serving English dishes and the views over the River Tamar are wonderful. Doubles are £220, B&B.
In Cornwall, you could go designer-eco at the dazzling clifftop Scarlet, in Mawgan Porth (01637 861800, scarlethotel.co.uk). It’s an adults-only, 37-room hotel, and very indulgent, with a fabulous deck area, wood-fired hot tubs overlooking the beach, and a restaurant headed up by the Michelin-award-winning chef Ben Tunnicliffe. Doubles start at £285, B&B.
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Got a question for Richard? Then email travelclinic@sunday-times.co.uk