Hotel Tresanton by Philip Marsden

Hotel Tresanton opened in the summer of 1998 and within a short time has established itself not only as Cornwall's best hotel but one of the most popular in Britain. How come? You can fly to virtually anywhere in the Mediterranean in the time it takes a train to reach mid-Cornwall; the hotel has no swimming-pool and the weather - well, the weather is Cornish, meaning in high summer you must still pack thick jerseys.

Its success lies in a certain chic, an understated style so often rinsed out of top hotels. It also has a lot to do with its location. Cornwall might not be to everyone's taste but to my mind its hard-edged charms, variety and spectacular coastline knock the Med into a cheap straw hat. The Tresanton first made its name in the years after the war, when currency restrictions forced everyone to take their holidays in the UK and the Cornish Riviera came into its own. From the late 1960s the hotel slid into a prolonged and inelegant decline - until rescued and completely restored by Olga Polizzi (of the Forte clan). Having spent years decorating much bigger, more corporate hotels, you feel that here with the Tresanton she has enjoyed doing exactly what she wants.

The decor is in keeping with its Cornish/seaside setting. The rooms - 26 of them - are simple and well-designed, the bathrooms marble, mosaic and tongue-and-groove, the beds excellent (to me a bed is a bed, but others assure me Tresanton beds are the most comfortable they have ever slept in). Furniture is mainly 1930s/Edwardian, often with an idiosyncratic touch, and picked up individually rather than bulk-bought. How many hotels in this price range would dare have bedside tables that don't match?

After a few teething problems, service is now excellent, with a team of efficient and co-operative staff. There is an informal air: children are welcome and the clientele is sufficiently varied to mean no single group dominates. In the bar you might find yourself standing next to a TV personality, a Bristol barrister, an Italian actress or land-owning couple from the shires.

Room 1 is the hotel's best - five and six, with their own balconies, come a close second. All the rooms in the main block (5-21) have good sea views; the larger on the first floor (5-12), the second floor rooms being a little smaller but with better views. Further up the hill - and with an even better view - are family suites.

Peter Robinson, the hotel's head chef, oversees a daily-changing menu using local fish and organic vegetables and, in deference to the hotel's owner, provides a hint of Italian to an otherwise eclectic cuisine. Open for non-residents, the restaurant is one of Cornwall's finest - and by no means the most expensive.

St Mawes is on Cornwall's south coast. Looking south and west over the open sea, and within reach of numerous creeks, it is good walking or boating country (the hotel has several boats to its name - including Pinuccia, a very sleek Italian 8-metre). Within an hour's drive there are also plenty of sub-tropical gardens (come in April to see them at their best), the soon-to-be-completed Eden Project and Tate St Ives.

The weather is, of course, a big factor. While at no time of year can Cornwall guarantee good weather, strike it lucky and the place can be breathtaking at any time; although probably at its most beautiful in spring and autumn. Best of all is to check the forecast a few days ahead and shoot down at the last minute in March/April or September/October. Even being caught out in bad weather, when gales drive in from the south-west and the seas rise over the quay, has its own charms when a Tresanton bathroom is on hand.

Hotel Tresanton now has a retail outlet in St Mawes: Onda (Italian for wave) sells its own pashmina skirts, linen suits, hand-beaded bags and belts, Venetian glass jewellery, soft leather cosmetic cases - as well as the same linen and towels, the same designer coffee pots and other details that give the hotel its distinctive style. If you want a little taste of the shop and the hotel, visit Onda's website at www.ondaonline.co.uk