Watergate Bay, near Newquay · Hotel
Contemporary beachfront hotel set directly above the two-mile sands of Watergate Bay, with a sea-facing infinity pool, spa and three restaurants.
Watergate Bay Hotel sits at the top of the slipway onto one of the north coast's biggest beaches, a two-mile stretch of firm sand backed by cliffs about four miles north of Newquay. The building started life as a Victorian seaside hotel but has been rebuilt and extended into something distinctly modern: pale timber, glass, and rooms designed so the view does the decorating.
Bedrooms are split between bay-view rooms looking straight out at the Atlantic and quieter garden-side rooms, with a good number of interconnecting and family configurations. Suites and apartment-style options work well for multi-generational groups. Decor is light and coastal without tipping into nautical cliché, and the better rooms have balconies or terraces facing the water.
The pull for many guests is the combination of pool and beach. There is a sea-facing infinity pool, an outdoor hot tub, and the Swim Club and spa complex alongside. Three seasonally led restaurants cover the range from casual beach dining to a more considered evening menu, and the Extreme Academy on the sand below runs surfing, kitesurfing, paddleboarding and hand-planing lessons through the season.
This is one of the more family-capable upmarket hotels in Cornwall, with a free kids' club, baby listening and a genuinely relaxed attitude to sandy children in the lobby, but it is equally used by couples out of school holidays. Rates start around the mid-£170s for a basic configuration at quieter times and climb steeply through summer, when minimum stays usually apply. Parking is on site, which is a practical advantage over the harbour-town hotels.