You're spoiled in Cornwall for beautiful beaches and picturesque villages, but if you fancy huge stretches of white sand and turquoise water with an amazing food scene to boot, then St. Mawes is a great place to visit. We even spotted TV chef Gordon Ramsay checking out one of the village pubs during our stay.
This coastal village is overlooked by a 16th-century castle, part of a fort built by Henry VIII, and has great restaurants, cafes, shops and several beaches to choose from. Here are our tried-and-tested recommendations for how to spend a weekend (or longer) there.
Where to stay
Whitestones Cottage
This beautiful house from Cottages.com is situated in the perfect location, overlooking St. Mawes. Whitestones Cottage has four bedrooms and is designed in reverse style - the bedrooms are on the ground floor and a gorgeous open plan kitchen, dining room and living room are situated on the first floor.
The first floor has windows all the way round which allows for brilliant views, especially when St. Mawes shows off one of its famous orange sunsets.
There is a lovely little enclosed terrace with a BBQ, perfect for the summer months, and a log burner when it gets a bit colder in the living room, perfect for cosy nights in. Cottages.com have multiple properties to rent in St. Mawes, for groups of all sizes and with varying budgets.
Sleeps: 8
Whitestones Cottage starts from £525 for three nights.
Where to eat and drink around St. Mawes
The St. Mawes Hotel
It's called a hotel, but it has more of an upmarket pub vibe, and is situated right in the centre of the village with beautiful views of the sea and surrounding coastline. They have a delicious restaurant menu (we recommend the moules frites and Korean fried cauliflower) plus relaxed seating for drinks, plus a cinema room that plays films weekly. In the summer it's especially nice standing with your drinks across the road from The St. Mawes Hotel by the harbour wall. They also do amazing posh take away pizzas. A lovely spot to stay too.
The Hidden Hut
This is such a special spot. The Hidden Hut has become pretty famous in recent years, and rightly so. A short drive from St. Mawes, its outdoor kitchen is set just above Porthcurnick Beach. It serves delicious lunches, ice cream and cake between 12pm-3pm daily. Both the daal and tomato soup are must tries. Be prepared to queue. Dame Judi Dench, Laura
In the summer they also do Feast Nights on the beach, where everyone dines on a long table and you bring your own plates, cutlery and drinks - tickets sell out quickly so get in there quick.
The Standard Inn
The owners of The Hidden Hut opened this beautiful pub in Portscatho, a few village along from St. Mawes, in 2022. The Standard Inn has a beautiful garden, perfect for al fresco dining in the summer, and roaring fires inside for the winter. Food is cooked on a wood fired grill and includes dishes like fennel and tomato tarte tatin, grilled bass and flat iron steak.
Mr. Scorse
This deli and wine shop in the centre of the village is famous for its delicious crab sandwiches to take away. They also do coffees and gorgeous pasties and cakes.
Rising Sun
Right in the centre of St. Mawes, opposite the little village beach, the Rising Sun is great for a few drinks after a long day at the beach. It has rooms you can stay in too.
What to do in St. Mawes
Hit the beach
St. Mawes itself has two beaches. There is a very small beach right in the centre of the village which is a great place to eat delicious fish and chips from the Watch Out take away window and enjoy a sundowner at the end of the day. There is also a larger stretch called Summers Beach. We would recommend exploring a bit further afield too - special mention goes to Porthbean Beach - known locally as a 'secret beach'. It is situated directly below the Driftwood Hotel, and is accessed via a coastal path. It has white sand, beautiful clear sea, and the best bit? It's nearly always deserted. Along the coast Porthcurnick Beach is lovely too.
Shopping
St. Mawes has a handful of cute boutiques and art galleries. From Mr. Scorse's deli and wine shop to The Square Gallery and Grace & Favour, there is plenty to keep you busy.
Wild swimming
Ok, really it's just swimming in the sea but St. Mawes is a great spot if you enjoy wild swimming. There is a pontoon you can swim out to and relax on. Plus, in the summer people gather at the village's harbour wall to jump into the sea.
Visit Portscatho
A few villages along from St. Mawes is Portscatho which has a very different vibe to St. Mawes and is charming in its own way. It's much smaller but very beautiful and has a lovely village pub, The Plume of Feathers, which does great food. It also has a few cute shops and coffee shops.
The Lost Gardens of Helligan
This place is seriously magical. The Lost Gardens of Heligan is a 200 acre garden and estate, which were restored in 1990 after falling into ruin after World War I. They have formal gardens and tropical jungle walks with a rope walk. Worth a visit.
Get a ferry to Falmouth
There are daily ferries to the town of Falmouth from St. Mawes. Famous for its School of Art, it attracts creatives and as a result has a brilliant cultural scene with great art galleries, shops and restaurants, plus a great line up of local festivals throughout the year
Lottie Lumsden is the Group Entertainment Director at Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Red and Prima. Lottie heads up the entertainment and celebrity talent strategy across these Luxury and Women’s Lifestyle titles, which includes booking talent for print and digital magazine covers, brand events such as Harper’s Bazaar’s Women of the Year Awards and the ELLE Style Awards, as well as talent led video interview franchises.She has interviewed everyone from Sophie Turner to Olivia Cooke, and Kim Kardashian (twice), as well as Haim during a visit to LA for their cover shoot. Lottie has secured the likes of Anya Taylor-Joy, Jodie Comer, Paul Mescal, Florence Pugh, Greta Gerwig, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Saoirse Ronan and Cara Delevingne for covers.Lottie has 20 years’ experience working as an entertainment journalist.When not securing A-list names, Lottie can usually be found watching the latest must watch TV show or out on a run.
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