Penarvon House, HELFORD

There is no doubt that Penarvon House is a near perfect setting for a holiday. Two bedrooms, the main living space and the kitchen have fabulous views across the Helford. And I mean totally fabulous... why go anywhere else when Cornwall is sunny! This was a week-long break for us, our adult children, plus one partner and the mother-in-law, plus two dogs. Oh, and the World Cup was on, so a good space to watch the England games was a must. Sounds stressful, but this was a perfect rental for the group. The living space is huge, with plenty of room for the footie fans at one end, and others to play cards and games etc at the other end... and that's ignoring the Games Room downstairs. The dogs were well enclosed within the garden, and there were some lovely walks nearby. It's a short walk into the village, and also to the ferry for Helford Passage. The lanes, particularly Orchard Lane, are a little bit of a challenge for drivers unused to the tiniest of Cornish lanes, but there's also a sense of delight to have grass from the hedgerows brushing both sides of the car! I would recommend hiring a boat from Sailaway - they operate from the jetty by the pedestrian ferry, but make sure you ring to book in advance. Another recommendation is the New Yard restaurant at Trelowarren... locally sourced ingredients in season - delicious. Penarvon House is very much the upper end of the rental market, hence the slight niggles, I'm afraid. Towels were included, but we were only left with the bare minimum number, and there weren't any hand towels left for the ground floor toilet, the utility room or the kitchen; and we were left with no tea-towels at all - we had to make do with a large bath sheet instead. Lovely as it is to have fabulous east facing views from the two main bedrooms, they also get a LOT of light through in the early morning. If it were my property I would ensure that the blind in the master bedroom and the curtains in the lower bedroom were effective at blocking the light. The fact that we found a sleep mask downstairs indicates that others have had the same issue. The worst problem though, I felt, was the difficulty we had making the toilet in the master ensuite flush - you had to keep pressing and pressing the button over and over again to get it to respond. I also think the cracked floor tiles throughout the property slightly spoil the luxury edge. Sorry to have the niggles, but overall we had a lovely and very relaxing week.