Talland Bay Hotel – a quirky, luxury hotel in Cornwall

Set on the clifftops overlooking the sea, Talland Bay Hotel offers a gorgeous setting that seems to rejuvenate the soul. This is the classic Cornwall of smuggler’s coves, windswept walks and pretty fishing villages. But step inside and the traditional hotel exterior gives way to surprisingly eclectic and colourful world of fantasy. Read our review of Talland Bay Hotel and everything we enjoyed during our winter stay at this luxurious and quirky hotel.

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Location of Talland Bay Hotel

Located on the south coast of Cornwall, Talland Bay Hotel is an hour’s drive from Plymouth between the coastal town of Looe and the picturesque fishing village of Polperro. Turning off the main road, a narrow, winding lane bordered by high banks took us down towards the secluded beach of Talland Bay.

From its cliff top position, the hotel offers wonderful views and rolling lawns that could be straight out of a Daphne du Maurier novel. In summer, life is lived outside in the gardens or down on the beach, while in winter the sea views and cliff top walks offer an ever changing pattern of light and reflection.

Explore Cornwall on an autumn break with coastal walks and surfing

Enter the whimsical world of Talland Bay

There’s nothing plain or understated about the decor at Talland Bay. Each room is individually designed to take you into an Alice in Wonderland world where beds are painted gold, chairs disappear into the wall, the grandfather clock has a face and your pet pooch can pose in front of his ancestral portrait. This whimsical approach may not appeal to those who favour a minimalist aesthetic but certainly makes for a fun escape from the mundane realities of life – which is just what I look for in a weekend break!

Until 1919, the Talland Bay Hotel together with nearby cottages formed part of the estate owned by Lord and Lady Cook of the Trelawney family. The old manor house was later converted into a hotel, being extended and developed over the decades and has been with the current owners for the last seven years.

Previous owners had been great collectors of art and objets from their travels and the tradition continues with lots of interesting artworks on the walls and around the hotel. Since we were visiting during the Christmas season, the hotel was looking even more exuberant than usual, with garlands and baubles covering every surface, each carefully designed to match the decor and colour scheme.

Our bedroom at Talland Bay Hotel

Ordinary does not exist in the decor at Talland Bay Hotel and our bedroom certainly had the Wow! factor. If you want a room that calls for a romantic getaway this was it, our four poster draped in soft muslin entwined with fairy lights. Mr and Mrs Teddy Bear kept us company on the bed with pretty cushions and birds decorating the bedside lamps.

Room Number 1 (just in case you want to book this one) must have some of the best views in Cornwall, let alone the hotel, with sash windows framing the pine trees, tropical plants in the garden and the sea beyond. Our two easy chairs of candy stripe cotton were placed in front of the window, to allow us to make the most of those dreamy views. Piles of cushions in the window seats seemed to call us to settle down with a good book and idle away the afternoon.

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Our bathroom at Talland Bay Hotel

If the bedroom was fit for a fairytale princess, our bathroom would not have been out of place in a Venetian Palazzo, with the sink set on an ornate silvered and marble top console table. Floor and walls were covered with marble effect tiles in a chic black and white checkerboard, with mirrored divider.

The free standing bath and rainforest shower draining directly into the floor, cleverly packed a lot of glamour into a relatively small space. With large bottles of my favourite ‘Flowers’ fragrance by The White Company and giant white bath sheets and towelling robes, this felt like a bathroom that had plenty of pampering potential.

Sustainable luxury

I was pleased to see the full size bottle of gorgeous White Company products in the bathrooms, with a sign explaining that Talland Bay is reducing single use plastics around the hotel. Gone are the little single use bottles of toiletries and in their place larger size bottles that can be refilled for each new guest.

If you love them so much you want to take them home, the products can be purchased in reception. I applaud hotels like Talland Bay that are trying to take a more sustainable approach in their operation and think it actually feels more luxurious to have a full size bottle of toiletries to use.

Room amenities at Talland Bay Hotel

One of the features of a Boutique Hotel is that the smaller size allows staff to focus on guest needs and provide a more tailored and unique experience. At Talland Bay it’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into the guest experience, with everything you’d need in the room.

A folder with hotel information gave plenty of tips on things to see nearby, from museums and galleries to walks and gardens to visit. I also enjoyed the tea tray offering hot drinks for every taste, with a teapot and loose leaf tea and a bottle of fresh milk available at reception.

The Gardens at Talland Bay Hotel

The beautiful gardens around Talland Bay Hotel really add to the experience and the location overlooking the sea is truly magical. Even though we were seeing the gardens in winter, the pines framing the view and the spiky planting of this lush, sub-tropical garden were beautiful. I can imagine that in spring and summer the gardens really come into their own, with flowers blooming and the rolling lawns just made for picnics and cream teas.

Add to this lush backdrop of planting the Talland Bay quirky touch of fantasy and whimsy and you’ll find a few strange creatures waiting for you in the garden. The gardener seemed to be taking a break on a bench, waiting for that selfie moment, while the elves had leapt from the flower fairies books of my childhood onto the terrace and a miniature fairy house sheltered under the tree. The Cheshire cat sat inscrutably on the wall at the end of the garden and brightly painted beach huts were ready to open in summer as a place for guests to read or have lunch in the garden.

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Other rooms at Talland Bay Hotel

The force behind the decor at Talland Bay is Head of Housekeeping, Penny who has worked at the hotel for 30 years, under a number of different owners. Her vision for the decor is “nothing classic, nothing ordinary, nothing safe”.

Each bedroom is designed with an individual theme and colour scheme, taking you on a flight of fancy. Be prepared for a maximalist style of decor, with soft carpets, ornate mirrors, sumptuous fabrics and faux fur throws. Bathrooms are a little more classic, with elegant marble finishes but still manage to pack in that Wow! factor with free-standing baths, oversized mirrors and elements of sculpture. I’ll let the photos do the talking to give you a feel for what to expect in the quirky and luxurious style of Talland Bay Hotel.

The Service at Talland Bay Hotel

Something that really stood out for me at Talland Bay was the high level of service, from the mostly young team led by General Manager Jack Ashby-Wright. While a high level of training and attention to detail was obvious, the atmosphere was friendly and warm, with just the right amount of professionalism.

Most of the staff are English and were retained during the difficult lockdown period, enabling the hotel to maintain a continuity of service once they could re-open. It’s clear that the policy of working with local hospitality training college, and developing staff from within has paid off, with staff seeming loyal and happy to be part of the Talland Hotel family.

From a guest point of view this showed in staff being attentive and genuinely friendly, whether you come for a drink, a dinner or for an extended stay. Of course dogs are also treated as VIPs at Talland Bay, so dog owners will be happy that their pets can have a great holiday too!

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Talland Bay Hotel – a dog-friendly hotel in Cornwall

Although we are not dog owners, we are dog lovers and could see the efforts that Talland Bay Hotel makes to pamper dogs just as much as their owners. This was clearly appreciated by other guests who had brought their dogs along and were probably enjoying them receiving a friendly welcome and being thoroughly spoiled. Dogs can stay in most of the hotel rooms for an additional charge of £15 per night.

The staff take the trouble to get to know their doggie guests by name and after a muddy walk, towels and blankets are waiting at the reception to clean any dirty paws. In your room, a Doggie welcome pack awaits, with some essentials and treats, as well as a booklet telling dog owners the best places to go locally where their pet will be welcome.

Eating and water bowls are provided so that dog owners can bring their usual dog food, but as a treat your dog will also be offered a sausage at breakfast and some chicken at dinner. While dogs are not allowed in the main dining room, they can join their owners at mealtimes in the conservatory. Considering the lengths that the hotel goes to, I can see why Talland Bay Hotel is considered one of the most dog friendly hotels in Cornwall.

Breakfast at Talland Bay Hotel

One of the treats of staying in a lovely, luxury hotel is to enjoy a cooked breakfast and perhaps indulge yourself a bit more that you would at home. Breakfast at Talland Bay is served in the light and airy conservatory, overlooking the gardens and sea in the distance. I imagine that on summer mornings breakfast could be served on the garden terrace in front of the hotel, which would only add to the experience.

There’s a small buffet area, where guests can serve themselves from a range of fresh fruit, meusli, yoghurts, pastries and fruit juice. The friendly staff will bring your favourite choice of tea or coffee (mine was a cappuccino) and take your order for a cooked dish from the menu. This is the bit that I enjoyed, wavering between the eggs royale (smoked salmon, hollandaise and poached egg on a muffin) and the smashed avocado with roasted cherry tomatoes and poached egg on sourdough.

I tried them both on separate mornings, and Guy was very happy with his cooked English breakfast on one day and smoked haddock with poached eggs on another. The breakfast dishes were a feast for the eyes, perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. Just right to set us up for our walk on the South West coastal path!

Afternoon tea at Talland Bay Hotel

To add to the indulgence, we also tried the afternoon tea, which was also served in the conservatory. If you are a lover of this particularly English pastime, you’ll understand that afternoon tea is far more than a cup of tea and slice of cake (although this is also on offer at Talland Bay Hotel). Afternoon tea is a full meal that you probably need to miss lunch or dinner in order to enjoy properly. It includes a range of sandwiches and savouries, scones with Cornish clotted cream and jam and some sweet delicacies and cakes to finish.

At Talland Bay of course it’s done beautifully, served with a wide range of loose leaf teas or coffee to choose from and presented on a tiered silver cake stand. We started at the bottom, with the savouries, a selection of crustless sandwiches, a brioche mini ploughman’s and a tasty sausage roll.

Next, the beautifully fresh and light scones served with jam and clotted cream – jam first! as we are in Cornwall. By the time we turned our attention to the top layer of our cake stand, we were almost defeated but managed to squeeze in the festive mini-trifle, complete with sugar candy cane. Luckily we were able to pack up the pretty cakes that we couldn’t manage in a box provided by the hotel, so that we could enjoy them later in our room.

Sweet treats at Talland Bay Hotel

Those cakes were truly outstanding, with layers of mousse and fruit cake wrapped up to look like a mini Christmas gift and chocolate log. We could see why the pastry chefs at Talland Bay had been contestants in the 2020 Bake off-the professionals TV series featuring leading professional chefs around the country, who compete to make advanced level sweet concoctions.

The Afternoon tea at Talland Bay Hotel changes with the seasons, so if you visit at a different time of year, you might enjoy the Valentines Day, Halloween or Spring themed version. Afternoon Tea at Talland Bay is open to non-residents and is very popular, so be sure to book ahead, especially in summer when you can enjoy it in the gardens. The afternoon tea variation that we tried was £24 a head and you can add some fizz, champagne or the Talland Bay G&T if you wish.

Dinner at Talland Bay Hotel

Having tried the afternoon tea at Talland Bay Hotel, we knew that dinner was going to be something special. The kitchens were until recently under the charge of Head Chef Nick Hawke who gained the hotel its 2 AA rosettes and won awards for best restaurant in the South West. On Nick’s departure his number 2, Glen Merriott has stepped into the role of Head Chef, looking to take the restaurant forward with “comfort food which isn’t busy on the plate but packs flavour”

The restaurant’s devotion to local and seasonal produce is obvious from the menu, which is divided into “from the garden”, “from the sea” and “from the farm”. The producers that Talland Bay Hotel works with are name checked; Simply Fish in Looe, Phillip Warren Butchery on Bodmin Moor and free range eggs from St Ewes farm on the Roseland Peninsula.

The menu changes regularly and is set at the fine dining level, with dishes that are refined and full of flavour but not too fussy. The three course a la carte menu we tried was one that I’d highly recommend for a special treat or celebration meal. I couldn’t dine at this level every day, although of course hotel residents can just choose a starter or a main course if they want to eat more simply.

Here’s what we tried (bearing in mind that as the menu changes with the seasons it will probably be different when you visit)

Try the range of 100+ gins in the bar

Our dining experience started in the bar, where we both ordered a gin and tonic, something of a specialty since over 100 different gins are stocked, including quite a few Cornish ones. The hotel also has its own Talland Bay No 1 gin, made in collaboration with the Colwith Farm distillery, using botanicals from the hotel’s sub-tropical gardens. Our drinks were served with a delicious bite sized canapé with flavours of smoked salmon and horseradish.

Trying not to be too greedy, we decided to share a starter of Cornish scallops in a deliciously buttery sauce with tiny shrimps, celeriac, apple and hazelnuts. It was preceded by an extra starter of tasty celeriac and apple soup with croutons, served with two kinds of warm bread, so just as well we hadn’t gone too mad and over-ordered!

Main courses at Talland Bay

For our main course, I prefer to eat fish and really enjoyed my local cod with seaweed hollandaise and bites of grilled cauliflower and sprouts. The cod was super-fresh and flaky with the hollandaise adding just the right amount of richness. As Guy is more of a meat lover, he ordered the Spiced Creedy Carver duck breast, sourced from a free range farm in Devon and served pink. He pronounced it sensational, with a concoction of the duck confit wrapped in pastry, poached quince and beetroot with a port flavoured sauce.

For desert, I loved my stunning Blackberry and Lemon Entremet, with a base of white chocolate blondie, a shell of flavoured chocolate enclosing a creamy mousse and topped with blackberry sorbet. I have to admit being slightly defeated by the desert, but still managed to taste some of Guy’s cheeseboard with six different kinds of Cornish cheese, served with quince jelly and grapes. My favourites were the ash coated Polmarkyn Grey goats cheese and the Cornish Jack mature English emmenthal, but they were all outstanding and I’d have happily been served this cheese plate for a light supper on another evening.

You need to be aware that this is ambitious cooking with prices to match. Starters are £11-18, Main courses £24-32 and deserts £12 so expect a big bill if you are having the full dining experience with drinks and wines. Having said that, there were dishes on the menu like fish and chips, that would also make a more modest meal if you are staying a few nights and want something light in the conservatory.

Around the hotel at Talland Bay Hotel

For informal dining, the light and airy conservatory gives out onto the terrace where meals can also be served in the summer. This is also where Sunday lunches are often served and where dogs are welcome to join their owners at meals. Adjoining this is the more formal restaurant, which is mainly used for evening dining.

Just off the reception area is a bar and lounge which has a number of comfortable seating areas, including squashy zebra print sofas by the fire at one end. As the hotel is open to non residents for dining and afternoon teas throughout the year, I imagine that things can get quite busy in summer when Cornwall is a favourite holiday destination. It was good to see there is also a resident’s lounge where hotel guests can escape to if the rest of the hotel is getting busy.

Walking near Talland Bay Hotel

Winter is a wonderful time to be in Cornwall and I always feel rejuvenated walking by the sea. Lucky for us that Talland Bay Hotel is located bang on the South West Coastal Path, which I’d been longing to spend some time exploring after reading The Salt Path.

While Michael and Kate and Julia have all been on TV showing us the joys of this long distance coastal trail, we just had a few hours for our walk, knowing that our cosy hotel room would be waiting for us whatever the weather outside.

A short stroll from the hotel brought down to Talland Bay beach, where the beach cafe was closed, but looked a fun place to hang out in warmer weather. From here the path leads up the hill onto the coastal path that brings you in less than an hour to the picturesque fishing village of Polperro. Crossing the fields in the other direction, an hour’s walk skirting the cliff top will take you to the vibrant fishing port of Looe.

Walking to Polperro from Talland Bay Hotel

After a leisurely breakfast we were ready to stretch our legs and took the coastal path from Talland Bay to Polperro. This cute Cornish fishing village is the sort of place that I imagine might be a nightmare of crowds and traffic in the summer months. During the winter, however, we were able to enjoy all the charm of the pretty harbour and whitewashed cottages with none of the stress.

In the past the main industries here were boat building, fishing and packing pilchards landed by the fishing boats. There’s a small heritage museum that’s open in the summer season and we saw lots of signs for the boat trips that can take you along the coast to Fowey or Looe.

Our lunch of Cornish Pasties

Walking was the ideal way to arrive at Polperro, but if you come by car, you’ll need to leave it in the public car park and walk down into the village as the narrow streets are only for locals or deliveries. While many of the gift shops, cafes and galleries were closed for the season, we enjoyed wandering around the narrow streets and found a couple of bakeries selling the walker’s favourite lunch of a Cornish pastie.

Continuing beyond Polperro we walked further along the coastal path in the direction of Fowey and found a bench with a stunning sea view to eat our pastie, before retracing our steps through the village and back to Talland Bay Hotel.

The Parish Church of St Tallan

On the second day of our stay, we decided to explore in the opposite direction, where the coastal path skirts the cliff to the small fishing port of Looe. We were not as lucky with the weather as when we visited Polperro, so were soon diverted to shelter in the medieval parish church of St Tallan, that we could see on the hill from the gardens of the hotel.

The old stone church with its twin naves and tower nestles into the side of the hillside as if trying to shelter from the worst of the sea winds. We were lucky to find one of the church wardens inside and the church open so that we could have a look around. St Tallans dates back to the 13th century, with ancient carved beams holding up the roof and wooden pews that were carved around the same time that Francis Drake was fighting the Spanish Armada.

Visiting Looe near Talland Bay Hotel

While we didn’t manage to walk all the way to Looe along the South West Coastal Path, we did visit a couple of times during our stay at Talland Bay Hotel. Out of season, many of the shops are closed, but this is still a working port with a busy fishing industry supplying fish to local restaurants and hotels. At the far end of the harbour there’s a beach too, and the town has a pretty harbour with an arched stone bridge across the river that was built in the 19th century to replace an earlier Medieval stone bridge.

One evening, we popped into Looe for a drink and settled into the Jolly Sailor Inn on the quayside, which dates back to the 16th century. It was cosy, friendly and full of charm with an oak beam taken from a ship that served in the Battle of Trafalgar. On another day we stopped before heading home to Bristol and sat on the quayside eating fish and chips, eyed up by hungry seagulls and surrounded by signs warning us not to feed them!

Sadly, a visit to Polperro and Looe was all we had time for, but if you have longer in this part of Cornwall there’s much more to explore, from gorgeous coves and beaches to lush Cornish gardens that thrive in the mild climate.

Who will enjoy staying at Talland Bay Hotel?

Talland Bay Hotel is a colourful and quirky luxury hotel on the clifftops in Cornwall. We think it will be enjoyed most by

• Those who want a luxurious short break, to be thoroughly spoiled in a beautiful location overlooking the sea, close to the beach and coastal path.

• Dog owners who don’t want to leave their pet behind and think that dogs have just as much right to be pampered as humans.

• Guests looking for a hotel that is a bit different, with decor that is whimsical to take you on a flight of fantasy.

• Most of the other guests we met were aged 40+ and many were accompanied by their dogs.

• Guests and non-residents alike will enjoy the high level of cuisine, whether it’s for a celebration afternoon tea, Sunday lunch or a special occasion dinner.

Talland Bay Hotel – key information

• Located on the south coast of Cornwall, between Looe and Polperro, around 1 hr drive from Plymouth.

• Situated on the clifftops, with sub-tropical gardens overlooking Talland Bay Beach, close to the South West Coastal Path.

• 23 individually designed bedrooms, suites and cottages.

• Open for dining and afternoon tea to non-residents

• The hotel is very dog friendly.

Book your stay at Talland Bay Hotel

Book your stay on the Talland Bay website | Address: Talland Bay Hotel, Porthaloe, Cornwall, PL13 2JB | email: [email protected] | Telephone: 01503 272667 | Instagram: @TallandBayHotel | Facebook: @TallandBayHotel

As each bedroom is unique in size, location and decor, it’s worth calling the hotel to discuss which will be the right one for your special stay. Bookings are made direct through the hotel as they do not use aggregator sites, preferring to deal each guest individually to ensure the best experience.

Room rates vary depending on the season and style of room, but expect to spend upwards of £250-300 for a 1 night stay including breakfast and £400-500 per night for some of the most special rooms. Check the Special Breaks page for seasonal packages that offer excellent value. There is an additional charge of £15 per night when your dog joins you.

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To explore more accommodations and things to do in Cornwall, read my article on a weekend in Cornwall at St Michael’s Mount

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