Hawkes Point Hotel

The Sands', Porthrepta Road, Carbis Bay, Cornwall

The pretty port village of St Ives is a quintessential stop for summertime day trippers, and now this new string of self-catered apartments makes it a perfect base from which to explore the rest of the Cornish coast. Connected to St Ives by an impossibly cute steam train (which chugs passengers into the centre for pasties and ice creams every hour), its plush apartments, which sleep between two and six, boast views of Carbis Bay, terraces and lawns. Each comes with a Wii, well-stocked kitchen and optional hampers from local company food4myholiday, which will provide everything you need for a traditional cream tea – with or without Cornish fizz Camel Valley – before your arrival. Board games, iPod docks and speakers, a picnic-cooler backpack, and walking-trail maps with info on the area mean you’re set for absolute entertainment, whether the Cornish weather brings rain or shine. The penthouses even boast telescopes for stargazing. AEM. Three nights from £320.