view of marners rock no 3 fowey cornwall

WHAT? WHERE?

Marners Rock, a series of three beautiful self-catering apartments, overlook the harbour in Fowey, a town steeped in history in an area of outstanding natural beauty on Cornwall’s south coast.

Family owned and run, these stylish apartments were created to be a home from home for guests, with handcrafted luxury interiors, compelling artwork and seriously stunning waterside views that are as enjoyable in winter as they are in summer.

We stayed in Marners Rock No 3, a three-bed apartment with immense waterside views that you can see in the image above. Also on offer are Marners Rock No 1 (sleeps two) and No 2 (sleeps six), the two halves of an impressive town house with views over the roof tops to the harbour and Place, below. Choose one, or choose both, and have the run of the whole building.

view from Marners Rock No 1 and No 2 Fowey Cornwall

THE VIBE

All three apartments are similarly luxurious, with a welcoming atmosphere and cleverly handcrafted spaces, yet all three are unique too. Henry and Alison regularly stay in all three properties and you can tell – there are lights in the right places and the furniture is not just attractive, it is very comfortable and homely.

bedroom Marners Rock No 2 Fowey Cornwall UK

Subtlety nautical without feeling overdone, the apartments are fitting for the waterside views, right down to the artwork and coasters and the complementary gin & tonic standing awaiting your arrival. You must leave in order to go to the town and the harbour and the beaches, because they are glorious, and yet, while you laze a little longer over your morning coffee watching the world come and go on the water, time stands momentarily still.

SCOFF & QUAFF

You could easily stay a week during the summer months and not cook at all in Fowey, as there are plenty of fantastic options, from tapas and pizza right up to hipster-friendly excellent small plates at Fitzroy and lunch overlooking the lifeboats at sister site, North Street Kitchen (below); fresh seafood from Captain Hanks Seafood van to pancakes and French fancies at Mardy Bakery, all-day dining at Sam’s, and pasta galore at Appleton’s, and that’s before you grab a pasty or pop to the pub.

That said, if you’re a fan of cooking, the kitchen at Marners Rock is well set up, and there’s plenty of fresh produce to be had including from local butchers, Kittows, the greengrocers, and fresh seasonal fish. A full welcome pack is emailed ahead of time with details, so you can either order your meat / fish in advance or make your reservations, which can be useful in high summer.

interior Marners Rock No 1 Fowey Cornwall UK

As you’d expect from luxe self-catering, the table is big enough to comfortably seat a whole party of diners, and there’s plenty of aesthetically pleasing matching crockery and cutlery; we cooked one night and with the patio doors open and a glass of chilled rosé on hand, it was as good a view as from any restaurant.

PILLOW TALK

bedroom Marners Rock No 3 Fowey Cornwall UK

A local craftsman hand made all the bed frames, and the sheets and bedding are white Egyptian cotton with Bamford toiletries in the bathrooms, so the whole thing feels as luxe as any hotel. Thoughtful touches include hanging space, baskets to dump kids clothes, spare sockets to charge phones and bath tubs with sea views.

bath Marners Rock No 2 Fowey Cornwall UK

Space has been carefully considered; both the three-bed apartments have a cabin bunk room where kids and teens can not just sleep but hang out – the wall based TV is ready for a games console (you do have to bring one, but name me a tween who doesn’t travel without one) and there’s a bookshelf – with the usual holiday home collection of Jilly Cooper and some thrillers – and plenty of charging sockets. Despite the enticing views, after a hard afternoon swimming at the beach just under the apartment, my tweens disappeared, to ‘vibe’ (as they call it). Works for me, did I mention the glass of rosé.

view from sitting room marners rock no 3 fowey cornwall uk

KID-FRIENDLY

cabin bed at marners rock no 3 fowey cornwall

Yes, particularly the afore-mentioned cabin room / gaming room, although perhaps one for slightly older children, as the grown-up art work and glass coffee table type vibe might not suit very young families. The second bedroom can also be made up as two twin beds by request. The two bigger apartments are upstairs, so that may also appeal more to families with older children.

OUT & ABOUT

view of fowey Marners Rock Fowey Cornwall UK

Fowey really is a lovely Cornish harbour town and has plenty to recommend whatever you’re looking for from a holiday; the coast path goes practically past the door, the nearest beach to Marners Rock is Readymoney Cove within a couple of moments (so close you can pop down for a morning swim and back again for a shower) and has a lovely beach shop selling ice-cream and coffee as well as a particularly nice selection of beach items. If you want somewhere quieter, or a longer stroll, there’s a lovely walk to Polridmouth (see here) that takes in beach views and woodlands before reaching Menabilly that became Manderly in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.

Moments walk the other way from Marners Rock is the harbour town itself, with cafés, shops and restaurants to suit all needs from a bottle shop, sustainable clothes shops and more, right the way through to a Spar and a chandlers for all your boating needs. There’s also Joules, Seasalt and some of the more usual high street shops like a Boots and several bakeries.

All of the boat watching from the window might inspire you to get afloat yourself; a return trip on the ferry to Polruan (above) is a good option, or for a longer day out, round to Mevagissey (you might spot dolphins). Hire a boat/ SUP or canoe for a self-guided river tour past the china clay port, or jump onboard a guided boat down at the harbour.

Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature takes place in May and the history of the town including connections with Daphne du Maurier can be found at The Fowey Museum. There is a really quite fascinating bus tour of the town which starts from the quay in a little train, and for art, head to Fowey River Gallery. The Funnybone Youth Theatre puts on an annual Christmas panto. Find weekly live music on the farm at Bar Silo at Golant.

DOG FRIENDLY?

Yes, one large or two small dogs are welcome in all three apartments for an additional £40 cleaning fee. Food and water bowls can be found ready to use, but you’ll need to bring other equipment and bear in mind that the two larger apartments are upstairs.

ACCESSIBILITY

Being set into a steep hillside, Fowey can be tricky for anyone with mobility issues and two of the apartments do have stairs to negotiate. Marners Rock No.1 is a ground-floor apartment with direct access from Place View Road. Marners Rock No.2 is above Marners Rock No.1 and so there are two sets of stairs to negotiate. There are two sets of stairs at Marners Rock No.3 that need to be negotiated to get to the property so those requiring wheelchairs will find it extremely difficult to access the apartment.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

detail shot basket Marners Rock No 3 Fowey Cornwall UK

Good for: Foodies and families with older kids and those looking for a peaceful, luxe, waterside stay where they won’t need to use the car.

Not for: Bookings for parties of only under 25s or single sexes are discouraged; if you like your luxe to come with a side of room service, or a pool / spa on site, there are other options locally which might suit better. You will also need a good holiday budget – waterfront stays in high summer don’t come cheap – and there are neighbours, so this is not the place for a quiet countryside stay or to make a lot of noise in the evening.

The damage: From £155 per night (low season) to £640 (high season). Minimum stay is three nights although a two night stay is possible with a small additional premium. Stays of one week or longer are given a 10% discount.

Marners Rock, Fowey, PL23 1JB

Review: Marners Rock, Fowey

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