The rosevine hotel exterior at sunset Roseland Cornwall

WHAT? WHERE?

At the very edge of Cornwall’s Roseland sits the Rosevine. An extended Georgian manor house and unique seaside bolthole that is an escapists dream, welcoming families, friends, dogs and couples, the grounds are a stone’s throw from the wide sandy National Trust owned Porthcurnick beach (where you’ll also find The Hidden Hut) and the South-West Coast Path.

cosy interior lounge with fire burning at The Rosevine Hotel Roseland Cornwall

The boutique apart-hotel offers families and visitors flexibility, with the space, elegance and peace to completely relax. All 15 apartments and studios are family- and dog-friendly and give additional space and amenities, including basic cooking facilities.

On site there is also the option of the four bedroom self-catering house. Shared spaces include the sea view restaurant, kids playroom, lounge and indoor heated swimming pool.

THE VIBE

seaview restaurant at The Rosevine Hotel Roseland Cornwall

A home-from-home holiday is the vibe that the team are going for, rather than luxe, but that’s not to say it’s not indulgent – it is, as well as relaxing in a returning from a long day at the beach kind of way. Colours are muted blues and greys with pops of colour, rather than a full nautical theme, and the vintage railway artwork in the dining room lends a delightful holiday feel.

The grounds extend to extensively manicured lawns framed with awe-inspiring views and the friendly and welcoming Rosevine team is on hand throughout your stay.

SCOFF & QUAFF

sea view restaurant at the rosevine hotel Cornwall

The Restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere – meet up with family and friends for a long lunch or supper. In summer, enjoy drink on the lawn looking out to sea and in winter a traditional afternoon tea served in the lounge by the wood burning stove. There is also a children’s menu for lunch and dinner.

At breakfast in addition to the buffet, which includes toast, granola, pasties, cereals, fresh fruit and juices, guests can also choose hot dishes including eggs Benedict, pancakes, eggs, or a full Cornish breakfast.

Lunch and dinner are daily changing menus depending on the season, including crowd pleasing options such as fish and chips, as well as something for the veggies, all so far as possibly locally sourced. Puddings ranged from chocolate fondant through to Deep Fried Milktart, a nod to the owners South African heritage.

Drinks-wise the list was reasonable, covering well all the options, although had there been cocktails on the menu I would have enjoyed one, as the view is super and in summer just the place to while away the evening.

PILLOW TALK

Family seaview apartment interior at The Rosevine Hotel Roseland Cornwall

The main house hosts the eight family apartments, which are also inter-connecting rooms. Five have sea views, and all are decorated in muted sea-like colours, with comfortable beds, sofas and mini kitchens, including a toaster, kettle, microwave, fridge, dishwasher and crockery, plus a table and chairs. They are spacious and include Cornish details such as lampshades from Truro’s Cream with their distinctive octopus and sea creature designs. The bathrooms are baths with showers over; white waffle gowns and the Rosevine’s own toiletries are provided.

The Slate House Annex is home to the other apartments, which includes three inland facing studio apartments on the ground floor that are accessible with wet rooms. A further four open-plan studio apartments are on the first floor.

woman looking out of balcony with sea beyond at The Rosevine Hotel Roseland Cornwall

SPA

No spa, although there is an indoor pool that you can book an hour’s swim slot at for each day of your stay. My kids had a great time with their floats and sinky sticks, and while there are a couple of loungers for sitting on to keep an eye, it’s not a spa. Think more of a practical space to keep kids occupied when it’s raining than a zen-like experience for swimming laps.

KID-FRIENDLY

childrens games at the rosevine hotel cornwall

Yes! Rooms are inter-connecting, and there’s a dedicated children’s lounge next to but separate from the more grown-up one, packed full of games, board games, X-box and DVDs. The restaurant has a dedicated children’s menu, after which all the children across the whole restaurant then disappeared across the corridor to the lounge to watch a film while their parents finished their meal at a more leisurely pace. This is the sort of place you arrive strangers and leave with your kids all friends!

Outside on the lawn are table tennis tables amongst the daisies, with wicker furniture adding to the Chamomile Lawn vibe (it’s not the actual house from the film, which is a bit further up the coast) but the sub-tropical gardens definitely lean to that kind of feel.

It’s then a hop, skip and a jump down the gently sloping hedge-lined lane to the beach, which is one of Cornwall’s best, and perfect for that old-fashioned childhood long days at the beach kind of holiday.

porthcurnick beach with portscatho beyond the rosevine hotel cornwall

OUT & ABOUT

The Roseland is a lovely part of Cornish coastline (although really is there any other kind?) stretching from St Austell Bay down to the Fal Estuary at St Mawes, this is the softer south coast of Cornwall, so the coast path is slightly gentler, the beaches wider and emptier and the lanes just a little more narrow and flower-filled.

Porthcurnick Beach is home to the excellent Hidden Hut, which by day serves up hot drinks, cakes and all manner of soups, stews and sandwiches, catering to the walkers and beach goers. It’s dog friendly, and well worth a visit. By night, if you’re lucky enough to have bagged a ticket to their occasional summer feast nights, Simon and his team fire up the grills and it’s BYO (that’s drinks, but also plates, cutlery and something to wrap round you as the evening draws in).

hidden hut feast nights 2023porthcurnick beach porthscatho Cornwall UK

It’s around 20 – 30 minutes walk to the village of Portscatho, and around an hour, or an easy drive, to St Mawes (below, where you’ll find the new restaurant at Idle Rocks, fish and chips and little shops, as well as a boat’s ride from Falmouth, or take the road and King Harry Ferry over to Truro.

Staying on the Roseland, there’s the St Anthony Head and lighthouse (National Trust) and Towan Beach, as well as the sub-tropical and free gardens at St Just in Roseland Church which are extremely beautiful and worth a look.

DOG FRIENDLY?

Yes, each apartment comes equipped with stainless steel bowls, and a welcome pack of treats to get those tails wagging from the moment you arrive. Water bowls are also available in the restaurant.

Porthcurnick Beach is dog friendly, with dogs are allowed on the beach all day, all year round.

ACCESSIBILITY

Three family apartments are on the ground floor in the main hotel, as well as a further three inland facing studio apartments on the ground floor in a separate building to the main hotel, plus the restaurant, lounge and swimming pool are all accessible without steps (the pool has four wide steps down with hand-rail into the water itself) and the beach is accessed down a sloping road.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Multi-generational family holidays where you want someone else to cook most nights, but aren’t after late nights and buzzy entertainment. This is quiet, laid back with a home-from-home type vibe, if home was a Georgian house next to a beautiful beach.

Not for: If you’re adverse to children, I’d swerve the school holidays. If you’re after the kind of hotel with a posh bar with cocktails, there are other options locally, and unless you book the self-catering house, you won’t be able to fully self-cater.

The damage: 15% discount on Sunday through Thursday nights for stays between March 1st to May 31st 2024.

Rosevine, Nr Portscatho, Truro, Cornwall, TR2 5EW

rosevine.co.uk

Review: The Rosevine Hotel, Portscatho, Roseland, Cornwall

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