Camelot Castle Hotel

With a 19th-century battlement facade designed by noted Cornwall architect Silvanus Trevail, the isolated Camelot Castle Hotel could be an outpost set up to defend the cliffs of Cornwall. Fireplaces and mantels accentuate many of the common areas -- it's the kind of ambience that could encourage great literature -- Alfred, Lord Tennyson sought inspiration for his epic verse about King Arthur in the area. Playwright Noel Coward had a favorite table in the hotel, and the movies "Knights of the Round Table" and "Dracula" (starring Sir Laurence Olivier) were shot here. The chairs and sofas are velvety and soft, but the threads are a bit worn in places. Matching rococo flowery drapes and carpets adorn the walls of several rooms. Other spaces have more subtle decor. The hotel is a long-faded jewel that hasn't yet been brought back to life, although it's being refurbished little by little. Painter Ted Stourton, a co-owner of the hotel, displays his work throughout the property. 

The hotel is located at the end of the road at the base of the cliffs that overlook the Atlantic Ocean. A carpet of green grass and wildflowers surround the property and extend to the lush moor and ragged, mossy cliffs. The area offers plenty of space for long meandering walks. The hotel's location is a 17-minute walk to the ruins of Tintagel Castle, a 15-minute drive to the North Cornwall Museum, and a 25-minute drive to Crackington Haven, another coastal village. Newquay Cornwall Airport is a 47-minute drive on A39.

The Camelot Castle offers a wide variety of rooms. Some have sea views, while others face the moor. Several have exposed-stone walls, and many have antique furniture such as inlaid dressers, folding-leaf tables, and colossal four-poster beds heaving with carved embellishments. Beds are often big and cozy, although guests complain about lumpy mattresses. Some of the rooms have been refurbished, but those that haven't are shabby, with bathrooms as small as an airplane's. Bathrooms range from tiny with a curtained wet-room shower practically brushing up against the toilet to lavish spaces with soaking tubs, separate glass cabinet showers, and wooden toilet seats. All rooms include coffeemakers, and flat-screen TVs. Some rooms can reach a connection to the Wi-Fi, but most guests will have to head to public spaces to connect to the signal. 

Irina's, the on-site restaurant, serves English and continental fare, such as roast lamb rump with Dauphinoise potatoes, ratatouille and lamb au jus, and caramelized goat cheese with honeyed figs and grapes. Breakfast is available for a fee. The Golden Age Bar and Explorers Tea Room also offer refreshments. Weddings are often held in the ballroom. The hotel has limited meeting space, and not many services for business travelers. Wi-Fi is available in the public spaces, and the signal can be picked up in some rooms.