Visit the Eden Project, fishing villages and sandy beaches from the very best holiday cottages near St Austell, including family and dog-friendly options.
When it comes to characterful towns along Cornwall’s south coast, St Austell is one of the liveliest of them all.
With a historic core, a working harbour and a location next to the spectacular Eden Project, the crescent-shaped St Austell Bay is an excellent South Cornwall base. Cornish seafood cuisine and cream teas can be tracked down in the town’s cafés and restaurants, and on top of that, there’s also the raw appeal of the surrounding coastline, which includes the South West Coastal Path and many sandy beaches on what’s been dubbed – and rightly so – as the Cornish Riviera coastline.
Whether you stay within walking distance of beautiful beaches along Carlyon Bay, just south of Saint Austell and east of the village of Charlestown, or a short drive from the famous Eden Project, holiday homes near St Austell are some of the most convenient cottages in Cornwall. South Cornwall is packed with wonderful walks such as the South West Coast Path, St Michael’s Way and Trees Mill. Spectacular international gardens are tucked along the coast, including the Eden Project and Lost Gardens of Heligan. The town is also a short drive from St Austell to West Cornwall locations such as Land’s End, Penzance and St Ives. In St Austell itself, you might also spend your afternoons sipping upon crafted Cornish ale and other local brews in the St Austell Brewery.
9 Unmissable Holiday Cottages near St Austell, Cornwall:
1. Robin Hill (Duporth, Cornwall)
2. The Strand (Tywardreath, Cornwall)
3. Fowey Penthouse (Fowey, Cornwall)
4. May Cottage (Pentewan, Cornwall)
5. The Barn in Lanhydrock (Lanhydrock, Cornwall)
6. The Old Smokehouse (Charlestown, Cornwall)
7. The Old Farmhouse, Old Lanwarnick Cottages (Liskeard, Cornwall)
8. Brunel’s View (St Austell, Cornwall)
Robin Hill
Location: Duporth, Cornwall
Best for: A pet-friendly bungalow on the south coast of Cornwall
A short stroll from Porthpean Beach, a watersports haven on the South coast of Cornwall, Robin Hill is the ideal cottage for groups looking to get acquainted with the Cornish Riviera. Spend a day paddleboarding, kayaking or windsurfing, before retiring to the six-bed seaside bungalow, which has a furnished lawn so that guests can soak in the final sun rays of the day. With two well-behaved pets welcome and plenty of off-road parking provided, Robin Hill also makes it easy to visit the dog-friendly Eden Project. A golf course, just adjacent to the property, is on-hand for any keen golfers too.
Just a five-minute drive from the classic old market town of St Austell, Porthpean Beach is a short walk from historic Charlestown. The atmosphere feels more like the Mediterranean than it does the south of England, with crystal water and tree-lined cliffs on either side of the sand. For restaurants, St Austell is the go-to, or the appointed chef can set about chopping and dicing in the kitchen, as this is a fully self-catering accommodation.
Facilities: Staying on the south coast of Cornwall is just one bonus of basing yourself at Robin Hill. The single-storey cottage has an incredibly peaceful outdoor set-up with a neat, green lawn and views of the distant ocean just around the corner from the table set. Whether you take up a place on the outdoor seating, on the chairs in front of the bay windows or on a comfy sofa in front of the electric fire, there’s always a cosy place to prop your feet up in the evening. In fact, the cottage has two sitting rooms. In the morning, let the coffee machine do the honours of making your brew. There’s a good range of appliances including an oven and hob, microwave, fridge-freezer and dishwasher for those who like to do a bit of comfort cooking without the hassle of scrubbing dishes. That’s one huge benefit of staying in fully self-catering accommodation.
The Strand
Location: Tywardreath, Cornwall
Best for: A five-bedroom cottage with a pizza oven a short drive from St Austell and sandy beaches
Take it all in: The Strand is a characterful five-bedroom cottage with views over green south Cornwall slopes in the village of Tywardreath. This self-catering accommodation is homely, but you won’t forget that you’re on holiday, considering that there’s a wooden patio at the back of the property and an additional paved patio with a wooden picnic bench covered by a parasol and equipped with a charcoal barbecue and a pizza oven.
That means that while you’re touring the rainforest biomes of the Eden Project just a 10 minutes’ drive from the property, you can look forward to tucking into a steaming-hot Margherita pizza upon your return. When you’re not relishing open-air dinners and breakfasts in the outdoor spaces, hide away in one of the five cosy bedrooms or stick on a feel-good film in the ground-floor living room, letting up to two dogs curl up beside the fireplace. Tywardreath is only a 10 minutes’ drive from St Austell, along with the sandy beaches of Carlyon Bay and Charlestown, making it an extremely convenient base for visiting the coast and the St Austell market town.
Facilities: If one thing is for sure, it’s that those staying at The Strand will not be short of opportunities to put together a delicious, dazzling spread. When you’re not roasting pizzas to perfection in the garden, the kitchen has a full set of equipment suitable for budding chefs, including a double electric oven which can fit a surprising amount of casserole dishes. There’s a dining area suitable for eight people. In all, up to 10 people can fit into The Strand, and there’s a bathroom for every two people. Just don’t jostle too much over who gets to try out the jacuzzi-style bath in the family bathroom first.
Fowey Penthouse
Location: Fowey, Cornwall
Best for: A two-bedroom penthouse apartment over the Fowey Estuary
If you want to feel like the king and queen of the St Austell area, Fowey Penthouse is a fitting self-catering accommodation – and the princes and princesses can come along too. The two-bedroom penthouse apartment is situated in Fowey, a lively fishing town. Since the coastal town is within walking distance of a sandy beach, the apartment has been kindly kitted out with beach towels, a beach tent and a cricket set. There’s a padlocked storage shed for any additional beach gear too, meaning that families can be well-prepared for days on the sand, whether in Fowey or in nearby West Cornwall.
Absorb the river views that the furnished balcony offers. The sailing boats that often glide past are a reminder of the property’s handy location in the sailing haven of Fowey. The town’s harbour is the point of departure for sailing trips on the estuary, but the town’s Polkerris Beach is a gorgeous crescent-shaped bay where you can track down hot chocolates, hikes on the South West Coast Path or tuition in paddleboarding, windsurfing or kayaking. You can stick to dry land with a cycle along the 27-mile Saint’s Way from Fowey to Padstow too, which forms a long-standing pilgrim route between Padstow and Santiago de Compostella in Spain.
Facilities: When you’re not shovelling sand on the beach, or alternatively shovelling down seafood in the restaurants on shore, you’ll probably be relaxing at Fowey Penthouse. The prospect of a coffee over the estuary (from the property’s bean-to-cup coffee machine) is particularly tempting. Alternatively, take a nap in one of the two bright bedrooms; one out of the two has an ensuite set-up. There’s a wine fridge should you wish to crack open a bottle and blast some happy-go-lucky tunes through the open-plan living space. The Sonos speaker is connected to Spotify, but there’s also a Blu-Ray player with Netflix or an Xbox and games. Since there are also communal gardens below the penthouse, there’s always the option of picnicking close to home too – although you might want to save that for the beach or The Lost Gardens of Heligan nearby.
May Cottage
Location: Pentewan, Cornwall
Best for: A terraced cottage sitting within walking distance of Pentewan Beach
At May Cottage, you may or may not find it tricky to tear yourself away from the home comforts. The zipwires and rainforest biomes of the Eden Project may seem to be beckoning you. You might also be tempted by the fine-sand beaches of Carlyon Bay. However, the immaculate terraced cottage has its way of keeping guests too relaxed to move a muscle. There’s a woodburning stove, a window seat and a bookcase in the old-fashioned living room, as well as heaps of seating in the outdoor courtyard, to start with.
When you first arrive, perhaps you’ll want to take advantage of the homely atmosphere and dedicate an evening to planning your escape over south or west Cornwall. The famous Eden Project and St Austell are only 20 minutes’ drive north of the self-catering accommodation. On the doorstep of the property is the charming village of Pentewan, which has a lengthy white-sand beach used by swimmers, surfers and sailing dinghies alike. Get your hiking fix on the Pentewan Valley Trail, or take a more peaceful stroll around the nearby Lost Gardens of Heligan. As MayCcottage is located further south than the typical St Austell cottage, it’s also convenient for visiting locations across west and mid-Cornwall such as Falmouth, Truro, Perranporth and Lizard.
Facilities: Decorated with maritime-themed paintings and sailing décor, there are constant reminders of the Cornwall coast scattered around the self-catering accommodation’s two floors. On the ground floor, unwind with a book, a game or a DVD in the living room. There’s an electric oven and hob, dishwasher and a washer-dryer provided in the kitchen. Any meals can be whisked off to the outdoor decking, which has seats and sofas. Upstairs, there are three cosy bedrooms in total, and they share a bathroom with a bath and a shower-over. Kids can be put down in the cot, which is available along with a high chair.
The Barn in Lanhydrock
Location: Lanhydrock, Cornwall
Best for: A stylish barn conversion for six near Truro
If you’re foraging for a stylish getaway, The Barn in Lanhydrock should be one of the first cottages on your radar. The three-bedroom abode has luxury features such as a woodburning stove, a 55-inch smart TV, colour-changing mood lighting and an electric car charger to its name. If that’s not enticing enough already, the family-friendly cottage has a central Cornwall location just south of Bodmin. This means that not only are St Austell, Fowey and Looe located a short drive away, but the north coast of Cornwall is also within easy distance.
To the south, you might set sail from the sailing haven of Fowey or spend the day tracking down the best cream teas in St Austell. To the north, you can stumble upon pretty coastal villages like Port Isaac and Padstow, or dedicate a day to exploring the historic village of Tintagel, which has a castle with a wooden drawbridge across the clifftops. Truro town centre has plenty in the way of shops, restaurants and coffee shops selling cream tea and coffee, as well as a grand cathedral and an outdoor market.
Facilities: The Barn in Lanhydrock delivers modern conveniences with a dash of tradition. The property is a converted barn, so naturally, the original beams and stone walls remain, along with wooden barn doors and a gravel courtyard where horses once trod around. At the back of the cosy cottage, there’s a gravel courtyard with a picnic bench, chairs and a barbecue. The bedroom barn conversion has three rooms, which share three bathrooms between them. There’s plenty of space to feed everyone too, considering that there’s a dining table with six chairs and an open-plan living area equipped with facilities like a Tassimo coffee machine, a range cooker with a double oven, colour-changing mood lighting and a woodburning stove which reaches to the ceiling.
The Old Smokehouse
Location: Charlestown, Cornwall
Best for: A pet-friendly harbourside cottage a short drive from the Eden Project
Introducing The Old Smokehouse: a delightful cottage resting in the coastal village of Charlestown. Charlestown may sound more like a dance than a village, but the quaint Cornwall destination actually has a historic Grade II-listed harbour, pebble beach and cafés and restaurants whose main specialities are sea views. Within walking distance of Carylon Bay and offering direct access to the South West Coast Path, this self-catering accommodation has a very scenic spot on the harbour, meaning that families of four can spy on the harbour’s tall ships and the quivering waves without walking more than a minute. One well-behaved pet is accommodated at the property for an extra fee too, so there’s no need to pay out excessive doggie daycare bills.
The Old Smokehouse is in a prime position for those who want to take in the rainforest biomes of the famous Eden Project. The Eden Project site is under 10 minutes’ drive from the cottage and its courtyard garden. The Eden Project is a dog-friendly attraction too, adding to the convenience of The Old Smokehouse for dog owners.
Facilities: Despite its name, the only ‘old’ feature at The Old Smokehouse is its authentic stone exterior. The terraced cottage is exceptionally warm and modern inside. Plenty of attention has been poured into the presentation of the home, from the homely well-equipped kitchen to the quirky bedroom wallpapers and glossy bathroom. When the sun begins to set, don your evening gear and gather on the rear patio for drinks and a barbecue. That’s a second cooking option at this fully self-catering accommodation.
The Old Farmhouse, Old Lanwarnick Cottages
Location: Liskeard, Cornwall
Best for: A decadent farmhouse stay for eight, half an hour’s drive from the Eden Project
If you’ve always fancied yourself as a farmer, you’ll get pretty close to it at The Old Farmhouse, Old Lanwarnick Cottages. The large four-bedroom farmhouse sits is in the middle of 34 acres of countryside, and with features such as a woodburning stove, four-poster beds, stone walls, exposed beams and fireplaces, the rural atmosphere is complete. The property is part of the six-cottage Old Lanwarnick Cottages site, so guests also have access to communal facilities such as a gym, hot tub barn, fenced dog exercise space and a heated dog wash. It’s just as easy to pamper yourselves without leaving the self-catering accommodation, as the wrap-around patio has a large electric hot tub and there’s a barbecue area on the lawn.
Half an hour’s drive from the Eden Project and St Austell, The Old Farmhouse is located within easy driving distance of Bodmin Moor and the south coast too. Tuck into freshly-caught fish in the fishing village of Looe, which is located a 10 minutes’ drive from the farmhouse, before descending upon walks over Samphire Beach and Portnadler Bay. Polperro, only a 15 minutes’ drive from the self catering accommodation, is another dreamy fishing village with a natural swimming pool – not an indoor swimming pool – and a rocky cove.
Facilities: The Old Farmhouse has an impressive set of facilities. There are flagstones with underfloor heating, two outdoor dining suites, a gas barbecue and a second outdoor seating area with a rain cover. Guests have full creative license in the kitchen, which features granite worktops, a Belfast sink, an electric range cooker and an Opal coffee machine, among other facilities. For a quiet evening, there’s a reading nook by a window. Others in the group can gather around the woodburning stove on the large leather sofas in front of the 55-inch smart TV.
Brunel’s View
Location: St Austell, Cornwall
Best for: A modern romantic retreat on the outskirts of St Austell
A romantic retreat for two with a modern twist awaits at Brunel’s View on the outskirts of St Austell. This self-catering accommodation is a fashionable one-bedroom, ground-floor apartment designed for those who like their modern comforts. Cosy nights in can be spent on the private garden patio with a cocktail, beer or glass of red in hand. The patio has views over St Austell’s rooftops, which are lit up by twinkling lights at nighttime.
In terms of location, Brunel’s View is situated a 10 minutes’ drive from the Eden Project. Porthpean Beach is just a short drive away too, along with other coastal spots like Carylon Bay, Mevagissey, Fowey and Lantic Bay. Therefore, it’s just as easy to spend a day unwinding on the sand as it is soaring over rainforest biomes on zipwires.
Facilities: The compact and cosy open-plan living space at Brunel’s View is equipped with an electric oven and hob, a microwave and a fridge-freezer for all the essential nibbles and meals. When you’re not entertaining yourselves with drinks on the sunloungers or local beach days, there’s an Amazon Firestick and a DVD player on-hand. With underfloor heating and a cosy kingsize bed, couples should feel quite snug in this fully self-catering accommodation.
Discover Even More Incredible Holiday Cottages with Breakfree Holidays
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Some of the images in this blog post have been provided by Sykes Cottages.