The Old Coastguard

Rooms

The 14 rooms blend tongue-and-groove panelling, checked fabrics and the odd antique with jolly shades of mustard yellow, brick red and sky blue. They’re not exactly stylish, but they are extremely comfortable and packed with homely touches: bathrobes, blankets, Roberts radios, White Company toiletries, tea- and coffee-making kit, homemade biscuits, even books to browse.

Most have sea views, and many come with outdoor space - it’s certainly worth grabbing both if you can. We stayed in Best Double, which overlooks craggy St Clement’s Isle just offshore. It’s one of the largest rooms, with armchairs, a huge bathroom with a spa tub, and patio doors opening onto a long balcony. We slept very well despite leaving the curtains open to make the most of the setting, dozing off to moonlight glinting off the sea and waking to the rosy glow of dawn above the waves.

Similarly spoiling is Better Double Room 5, perched at the top of the hotel. It has an in-room tub where you can stare out over the harbour as you soak, plus a shower room and a terrace with views all around. Other good bets are Better Doubles Room 12 (also on the top floor with a balcony) and Room 3, which is a favourite with romantics, while Room 6 is a handy option for families, as it has 2 adjoining bedrooms (a double and a double/twin). The cheaper Doubles and Good Doubles are definitely cosy, but most offer glimpses of the water and the latter have terraces with pretty picket fences.

Note that bed types (double, twin or kingsize) vary across rooms, as do bathroom set-ups (shower only or tub with overhead shower). For full descriptions, see Rates.

Features include:

• WiFi

Eating

The focus here is simple, tasty food done well. The lunch and dinner menus change regularly but always feature an excellent selection of surf and turf, together with a few tempting veggie options. Ingredients are mostly local (meat and dairy from Cornish farms, fish straight from the boats in Newlyn) and always seasonal.

The relaxed atmosphere is ideal for long, lazy meals, and you can eat inside or out. We kicked off with Kir Royales and olives on the terrace as the sun sank into the sea, before moving to a cosy candlelit nook in the main restaurant. Everything we sampled was delicious: sweet scallops with pearl barley and pea purée, squid with chorizo and pickled cucumber, a perfectly cooked rib-eye steak with polenta chips, chargrilled courgettes sprinkled with mint, and a decadent dark chocolate and salted caramel torte.

Breakfast (included in the rates) was just as good - a buffet of fresh fruit, Cornish apple juice, cereal, still-warm soda bread, local honey and homemade marmalade, together with a choice of cooked options (the Full Cornish, kedgeree with soft-poached eggs, and more unusual dishes such as grilled field mushrooms topped with Welsh rarebit).

There are plenty of treats on offer from the bar, too: home-baked cakes, teas and cappuccinos, local ales, wines, a few carefully crafted cocktails - all best enjoyed in a fireside armchair or under the sun outside.

If you’re here for a few nights and want some variety, you’ll find a couple of good restaurants in the village, including the bistro-style 2 Fore Street. You can also drive out to The Old Coastguard’s sister property, The Gurnards Head, just across the moors - those on a dinner, bed and breakfast deal can transfer their table reservation at no extra cost.

Features include:

• Children's meals
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Head through the gate at the bottom of the garden and go rock pooling in the shallows. You can also take a dip in the natural swimming pool that emerges from the waves at low tide
  
• Wander along the shore to Mousehole harbour, lined with galleries, delis and cafés, and watch boats come and go. There's a small patch of beach, too
  
• Follow the coastal path around the headland to rugged Lamorna Cove, where there's a shop selling starfish, shells and local crafts, plus a pretty little café
  
• Head to the world-famous Minack Theatre (a 20-minute drive), hewn from the cliff above the Atlantic, for an open-air play. If there are no performances during your stay, you can tour the stage and visitors' centre
  
• Swim and sunbathe at Porthcurno (just beneath Minack), where you’ll find sand so white and water so dazzlingly clear that you’ll struggle to believe you’re in England
  
• Sennen Cove has a vast, sandy sweep with a café, board hire and a surf school
  
• Stroll across the causeway from Marazion to St Michael’s Mount for sub-tropical gardens and the castle (home to the St Aubyn family since medieval times)
  
• Explore Cornwall’s industrial heritage at the haunting remains of the Levant Mine and Beam Engine (30 minutes away); if you want to learn more, you can head underground at the Geevor Tin Mine next door. Afterwards, recover over lunch at The Gurnards Head, a couple of miles up the road
  
• Gallery-hop your way around Penzance, Newlyn, St Just and St Ives, all within a short drive
  
• Or just soak up the sunshine in the garden and watch the daily rhythm of life on the water

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Fishing
• Hiking
• Sailing
• Shopping / markets
• Surfing
• Wildlife

Kids

Children of all ages are welcome, and the hotel’s relaxed, inclusive atmosphere is perfect for families. Parents can kick back with a drink while their kids play in the garden (separated from the waves by a glass wall and a gate), and the sea beyond is ripe for rock pooling.

Best for:

All ages

Family friendly accommodation:

Most rooms have space for 1 or 2 rollaway beds or baby cots, and children under 5 stay for free (there’s a small charge for older kids). Better Double Room 6 is particularly useful for families, as it’s made up of 2 adjoining bedrooms (one double, the other a double or twin). Note that some rooms have showers only, so if you want a tub, request when booking

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available, Family Rooms

Distances:

• Airport : 1 hour (Newquay)
• Hospital : 20 minutes (Penzance)
• Shop: 2 minutes (Mousehole)

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

The Old Coastguard stands on the edge of Mousehole, a small fishing village on the Penwith Peninsula in the far west of Cornwall. It’s a 10-minute drive from Penzance.

By Air:
There are some flights to Newquay Airport (73km away) from London and other UK cities; if you’re coming from further afield, you’ll probably fly into Exeter (195km away), Bristol (293km away) or London Heathrow (479km away). Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.

From the Airport
If you’re coming from Newquay, you can catch a taxi to the hotel. If you’re travelling from Bristol, Exeter or London, your best bet is to take the train to Penzance or hire a car (see below).

By Train:
The nearest station is Penzance, which is served by mainline services from Exeter, Bristol, London and other UK cities. It’s also served by overnight sleeper trains from London Paddington, which can be a convenient option if you don’t want travel time to eat into your stay (the hotel will even give you a free breakfast on arrival!) - see Seat 61 for more information.

By Car:
It’s a long drive to western Cornwall from pretty much anywhere, but the hotel is easily accessible from the A30, the fast dual carriageway which traverses the county and joins the M5 near Exeter. If you want to hire a car, see our car rental recommendations. The hotel has a car park (free for guests).

Detailed directions will be provided when you confirm a booking through i-escape.

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