I got back from my holiday villa in the Med to find it had been hotter in Cornwall. If I’d only known, here’s where I might have stayed instead.Bedroom, The Idle Rocks, CornwallThe Idle Rocks, above and top, on Saint Mawes harbour is little short of heaven. Dating back to 1913, the hotel was given a complete refurbishment in 2013 and is now a stylish mix of traditional and contemporary: this is Cornish coastal chic at its best. The award-winning restaurant serves simply cooked local produce and when the weather is kind you can tuck into Porthilly Rock Oysters or a Cornish crab salad on the terrace overlooking the water. From £150 per night.Terrace, The Beach, BudeOverlooking Bude’s Summerleaze Beach, The Beach is best known for its buzzing terrace bar and restaurant but the light, New England coastal-style bedrooms – many of them with balconies/decks with heart-lifting sea views – are pretty cool, too. Popular with a youngish crowd and with a live DJ set twice a week, this isn’t the place to curl up by the fire with a book. But hey, the sun’s out, surf’s up – time to hit the beach. B&B from £146 a night for two.Cliff-top hot tub, The Scarlet, CornwallThe Scarlet is a hotel for grown ups, offering peace and tranquilty on Cornwall’s west coast. The hotel is built into the rock and has a stylish but simple design aesthetic, created to optimize the views of the beach and sea. One of the best things about it, though, is the spa, with its focus on holistic wellbeing and the nourishment of mind, body and soul: think Ayurveda with a Cornish twist, with two log-fired hot tubs on the cliff top overlooking the sands of Mawgan Porth. B&B from around £240 a night for two.Bathroom, St Petroc's, PadstowSome people are a bit sniffy about Padstow – or Padstein, as it’s sometimes called – but that’s their loss. if you’re a Rick Stein fan then St Petroc’s is the place to be since this tiny coastal bolthole is owned by Stein himself (as are several other places to stay in Padstow), with a Stein-run bistro on the ground floor. Style is New England chic, with comfortable bedrooms and spoiling bathrooms. The Rick Stein cooking school is just a few minutes’ walk away. B&B from £160 a night for two.The Rosevine, CornwallThe Rosevine is a country house on the Roseland Peninsula that combines the luxury of a boutique hotel with the independence of a self-contained studio, apartment or family suite. Days on the beach or walking the South West Coast Path end with drinks on the lawn, followed by a relaxed dinner in the Michelin Guide restaurant. And if you decide you can’t brave the briny, a lovely warm indoor pool awaits. B&B from £250 for two.

BY MAGGIE O’SULLIVAN