Artist Residence Cornwall
Art break hotel
Central Penzance
If pirates were around today, they’d have one eye on Artist Residence Cornwall. Set in a dashing Georgian pile in the heart of historic Penzance, this boutique hotel is a bold and beautiful collection of one-of-a-kind rooms styled by local artists and the expert house team behind the Artist Residences in Brighton and London. The rustic-industrial Clubhouse restaurant turns seasonal local produce into tasting plates and home-smoked specials, while next door in the lounge a roaring log fire greets guests returning from a bracing coastal walk. Mark this spot with an X, me-hearties.
Facilities
Rooms
22, including one suites and a three-bedroom cottage.
Checkout
11am, or up to 12.30pm on request. Earliest check-in is 3pm, but flexible, subject to availability.
More Details
Rates do not include breakfast; à la carte options from £5 for toast and jams, to £12.50 for the mini full-English.
Also
The nook-and-cranny nature of the historic property (and lack of a lift) makes it inaccessible for wheelchair users and baby buggies. Please note: rooms do not have air-conditioning.
Free Internet Access
Pet Friendly
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
At the Hotel
Restaurant, bar, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, Roberts digital radio, minibar with local and gourmet snacks and drinks, tea-making kit, Nespresso coffee machine, Bramley bath products, free Cornish bottled water and, oh yes, a Tunnock’s caramel wafer. The Cottage and the Lookout each have a kitchenette and dining table.
Our Favourite Rooms
For longer stays and extra space, look to the third-floor Lookout suite, with its exposed beams, reclaimed furniture and a log burning stove. Some of the seaside-themed Comfy Luxe rooms have a roll-top bath tub in the bedroom, and each Super Comfy Luxe Double has cabin-style wood-plank walls, tea-chest bedside tables and a cavernous freestanding bath tub in the ensuite bathroom.
Packing Tips
Bring sturdy boots to navigate the ups and downs of the coastal path. Leave space in your suitcase for antiques and curiosities from Chapel Street Bazaar.
Also
The hotel's town centre location makes exploring Penzance a (sea) breeze. Chapel Street itself is well worth a wander: it’s history-packed and has the blue plaques to prove it.
Children
All ages welcome. The Gallery Loft has a mezzanine floor with an additional single and double bed, but the family-friendliest is the Cottage. Baby cots (free) can be added to some rooms, best to check when booking and you'll need to bring your own linen.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Behind the Banquet Room there’s a secret terrace garden, with hanging hammock chairs for lazing in after lunch.
Dress Code
Easy-going checks and rough-hewn denim, for the lumberjack look.
Hotel Restaurant
The Clubhouse is more than just a restaurant, with its gathering and working spaces and playful garden area, but here's where you'll find top-drawer local food. Take meals at one of the pews by the alfresco bar or in the lounge – a vision of vintage finds, bold artwork and shabby-chic nous. Breakfast runs from healhtful granola bowls to full Englishes with eggy and smashed-avo bits in between, and there's creative bistro fare for lunch and dinner (prawn tacos, Balinese veggie curry, hake with a pepper and butterbean stew). The hotel also has its own smokehouse for magical meats – with black-treacle-smoked brisket and beer-can-smoked chicken.
Hotel Bar
This is the kind of lounge that makes even the most sodden, bone-chilling, this-storm-wasn’t-forecast coastal walk worthwhile. Slouch-in-me sofas cluster snugly around the log burner, and cocktails and craft ales sit alongside wines on the drinks menu. There's a sociable outdoor space too with swing chairs, table-tennis and an alfresco bar. Our pick of poison is the Cornish Caipirinha – Dead Man’s Fingers rum, passion fruit & lime.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served daily from 7:30am to 11am; lunch is from 12 noon to 2.30pm weekdays and until 3pm at weekends. Dinner runs from 6pm to 9pm, and drinks flow all day until late.
Room Service
Anything and everything on the Clubhouse menu can be brought to your room, during restaurant hours.
Planes
From London Heathrow, the Heathrow Express takes you straight from the airport to Paddington, where you can catch the Cornwall-bound train. You can also fly to and from the Isles of Scilly from Newquay, or Land’s End airport, which is 10 minutes’ away from the hotel by taxi.
Trains
Penzance is the final destination of the Great Western railway from London, via Exeter and Plymouth. The journey takes five-and-a-half hours, but it seems like less if you’ve got a window seat. From the station, it’s a short cab ride or a 10-minute walk across the wharf and up Chapel Street to the hotel.
Automobiles
Once you’re here, driving is the best way to explore Cornwall’s country charm and many isolated fishing villages, especially out-of-season when the winding lanes are all but empty. In high summer, the A30 can become something of a bottleneck, so avoid peak times if possible. The handiest car-hire places are at Penzance railway station and Newquay airport; there's no parking at the hotel, but you can drop off your bags and then park up for free on the street, or in the car park five minutes’ walk away.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Go for a wave-free splash in the saltwater Jubilee Pool, a restored art deco lido down by the sea. Cross the causeway to St Michael’s Mount for a cultural day out and inspiration for your next super-sandcastle. Or, follow the coastal path south to the postcard-pretty village of Mousehole and on to Lamorna Cove. The surf’s (almost always) up at Sennen Cove, and Cape Cornwall comes with all the bracing breeze and ocean views of Land’s End, but without the theme park and traffic jams. For evening entertainment with a helluva view, catch a show at the cliffside Minack Theatre.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
