Last year, I went to a quaint pygmy of a hotel and spa in Cornwall: the Lugger, in Portloe. It’s a tiny, whitewashed tumble of rooms atop a sea-lashed rocky cove — quite delightful and unpretentious. The spa is a jumble of small treatment rooms: chaotic, cramped and charming. I had a competent two-hour massage with home-concocted Seboni oils, and went to sleep.

I love Cornwall and would return to the Lugger, unlike many, many supposedly palatial places that I care for not a jot.

BETHAN COLE 22nd April 2007

Sheryl Young and her husband Richard transformed three old buildings right on the harbour to make this little gem, which has 22 rooms, power showers, luxurious furnishings and great food...

A classy bolt-hole with seaside chic - the verdict: don't wait until you've bought the Porsche - a short break at this Cornish hideaway can make anyone feel a million dollars...

UK Seaside Hotels
The location is picture perfect...

Lynette Lloyd
Simple, understated, elegant, comfortable and oh so peaceful...

The smugglers who haunted a small inn on the water's edge in tiny Portloe, Cornwall, in the 18OOs chose a wildly risky way to make a living - the penalty for their trade was death by hanging. Indeed, a landlord by the name of Black Dunstan was hanged for smuggling in the 1890s. But Her Majesty's Customs and Excise officers cannot have found him easily. Tucked into a narrow inlet, the hamlet is near-invisible from the water. One has to enter a precariously narrow cove even to catch sight of Portloe, built into a crease between rocky headland and green meadows. Only on the calmest days could one have ventured into such a location with a heavy, clumsy boat driven by the wind.
The Lugger Hotel is the creation of an experienced hotel manager, Richard Young, and his wife Sheryl, a former London based banking executive who retired from finance to design its elegantly simple, tastefully contemporary interiors. As well as the inn, they took on a collection of tiny stone fishermen's cottages, some dating back to the 17th century, arranged higgledy-piggledy around a small stretch of sand that is still used to launch the local fishing fleet. While reinventing the property, seemingly mundane questions such as 'Where do we put the kitchen?' called for Houdini-like quests of invention, and the hotel's 21 guest rooms ended up being divided between three different houses. But this inventive, make-do approach only makes the Lugger even more attractive. It's unpredictable and quirky, offering a score of little nooks and crannies and terraces and patios - exactly the kind of spaces people seek on an escape from city life. (01872 501322)

The Lugger, a 17th century inn that had once been the haunt of smugglers ...
For them, it was a case of love at first sight. They felt that this could be a little gem, and with some work, could provide what they wanted.
It was a major task, lots of internal walls came down and new ones were constructed. The property was completely replumbed and had a new electrical system and new boilers installed. A pressurised water system was also put in.
All bedrooms are decorated with bleached Portugese woods, with Italian cotton and beds by Hypnos, deluge showers and aromatherapy toiletries in the bathrooms.
They use fresh produce and are not into nouvelle cuisine. The result is a daily-changing, four course menu with at least two fish options, devised by Chef Hornegger and sous chef Colin Grigg.
...Jenny Webster, Editor

When I walked into the reception my first impression was of cool sophistication. Old beams co-existed with pale woodwork and off-white walls. Big ceiling fans turned slowly, and slatted American shutters allowed the strong evening sunlight to pour in.
All the food at the Lugger was delicious. Dinner was always beautifully presented, and served by friendly staff. Fresh, crisp vegetables complemented tender, interesting meat dishes and prefectly cooked seafood. After dinner, I drank coffee and ate Belgian chocolates in one of those big, squashy sofas in the lounge.
...Steven Appleby

Richard and Sheryl have given the waterfront hotel a stylish 21st century face-lift with the aid of bleached Portugese woods, white linens, luxury beds and 'monsoon' showers. Some things remain the same: the fish and seafood that makes up the core of the restaurant's menu is still brought in daily by the village fishermen.
The 21-room hotel, situated on the fashionable south coast of Cornwall near St. Mawes, is not just a summer destination. During winter, guests can get cosy beside an open log fire in the lounge and take day trips to St. Ives and the new Maritime Museum at Falmouth. Best of all, the Eden Project, with its all-weather tropical Biomes, is just a 20 minute drive away.
Mark Hodson

Richard Young tells us, 'These days, guests arrive exhausted from London and want to relax with a massage in the spa or go for long walks along the coastal path, with its flowery meadows and hidden beaches. They want that sea air to blow away all the stress of modern life.'
'Those cliff-top views are world-famous. Of all the luxuries that we try to offer, the greatest are always the things that have always been here.'
You won't see the rich and famous in Portloe. They don't know about the hotel, and most people hesitate to give away the secret. The Lugger Hotel is the kind of small hotel they write songs about. It's a stylish little hideaway for people who have enough fuss and bother in their lives and simply want to return - comfortably and quietly - to the rocks and the sea.
...Elizabeth Lambert

A very old 17th century smugglers inn that had fallen on hard times has been transformed using 'Shutters On The Beach' (Santa Monica) as the template. Over a million pounds has been spent to create a chic, child-free retreat, not as glitzy or high-profile as some newcomers, but nicely understated and discreet.
There is one small suite with a balcony overlooking the sea. Elegant, comfortable and simple, without any over-designed flourishes, it has fantastic views to while away the hours, possibly watching your dinner come in on the town's boats.

Location, location, location? Hidden away in a tiny, picturesque fishing village on the South Cornish coast.
Modern, luxurious rooms feature cool, crisp linens and bleached wood. A number of rooms have views straight out to sea from the bed or bathroom. And if things get steamy, hose yourselves down in the deluge shower with products from Cath Collins Designs.
Dinner is a heavenly affair, with local seafood a speciality.

By a rocky cove on the southern Cornish coast, the 17-room Lugger Hotel is the countryside's smartest new spot for an escape. Think minimalist white bedrooms with stone cottages overlooking the sea, tidy lounges with crackling fires, a half-timbered dining room serving Austrian chef Franz Hornegger's rich dishes. Just out of the door is the equally enchanting village of Portloe - all tiny stone cottages and gigantic hydrangeas - and the Cornish Coastal Footpath, where you can pretend you're Guinevere and Lancelot while strolling the headlands.