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10 best Cornwall Airbnb holiday rental properties - 2020
Airbnb was once a place where you could book a night on someone's sofa for a few quid. Nowadays it's grown into one of the best holiday property websites with loads of quirky places to stay and unusual accommodation - including a massive choice of Airbnbs in Cornwall.
We've picked 10 of the best Airbnb properties you can hire in Cornwall including a castle, a trendy beach house, a yacht, a treehouse, a yurt, two manor houses and a train carriage.
We chose our ten by looking at things like customer reviews, location and value for money.
We've picked 10 of the best Airbnb properties you can hire in Cornwall including a castle, a trendy beach house, a yacht, a treehouse, a yurt, two manor houses and a train carriage.
We chose our ten by looking at things like customer reviews, location and value for money.
1. A Seven-Bedroom Trendy Beach House near Newquay (sleeps 14)
Now this is what I'd call a dream holiday home. It ain't cheap but Carne Crest has got gorgeous sea views from several rooms and a swanky modern decor which looks like an interiors magazine.
It's got seven bedrooms and it sleeps fourteen so you can make it affordable by turning it into one of those joint-family holidays which always seem like a good idea until you all fall out with each other. To help things along there are ensuites with five of the bedrooms so that's one less thing to argue about. It's about half way down the North Cornish coast but not quite as far as Newquay (which gets a bit busy in summer in my experience). When we checked, reviews were averaging 4.9/5 which is about as good as it gets. |
2. A Yurt near Perranporth (sleeps 2-4)
There's a big choice of Cornish yurts on Airbnb but this Yurt near Perranporth has more reviews than most and was scoring close to 5/5 when we checked.
It's ideal for two people as it's got one large bed but it does also have a futon bed so you could squeeze another two in if you wanted. There's a separate kitchen area with a bathroom in an adjacent cottage so you get the charm of a yurt without having to go without a shower for a week. It's based on a farm and comes with a fire pit and woodland walks. |
3. A Castle By The Sea near Plymouth (sleeps 16)
This Napoleonic Fortress with its own beach is another pricey one but if you can split the cost between 16 people it would make a pretty cool holiday.
There are sea views from every bedroom, a drawbridge, a spiral staircase and a tennis court. The bedrooms are massive with vaulted ceilings but it's got proper central heating so you won't spend the whole time shivering. When I checked, it was about £10,000 for a week in peak season but if you fill it up it is more like £90 per person, per night. I've paid more than for a Travelodge before and it didn't come with a drawbridge or a private beach. |
4. A Dome House near Looe (sleeps 2)
This glamping cabin called 'Prosecco' is definitely at the quirky end of the Airbnb properties in Cornwall.
There's enough space for two people and (distant) sea views from the bed. It's a lot lighter than you might expect inside and it comes with a small kitchen. Outside, you get a fire pit so you can sit around and have a romantic evening until one of you says they're getting a bit cold and goes to bed. |
5. A Roundhouse near Penzance (sleeps 2)
This Cornish Airbnb property calls itself an 'Earth House' meaning that it is 'a wooden structure and strawbales, covered in cobb'. In case you're wondering, cobb is a 'natural building material made from subsoil, water, fibrous organic material (typically straw), and sometimes lime'.
You're welcome. Appealing features include a woodburner, a super king mattress and a hammock. 'Rustic' features include the 'compost loo'. Curiously, the shower is 'embedded amongst the trees' so you can have an outdoor shower and pretend you're a contestant on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. There are indoor and outdoor ovens, so you can take your pick depending on the weather. The Roundhouse has had lots of reviews and was scoring more than 4.9/5 when we checked. |
6. A 1920s Train Carriage near Okehampton (sleeps 4)
Boys (and girls) who dreamed of being train drivers will enjoy this 1920s carriage. Not quite sure how a Norwegian train carriage ended up in Cornwall but it makes for a nice Airbnb property and it scores well with reviewers.
It's decorated in a 1920s art deco style and has a kitchen and two bathrooms. There's a double bed and two single beds but you aren't allowed to bring children with you to this one. In the evening you can sit round your firepit and look out over the wildflower meadow whilst saying things like 'Ahhhhhh, this is nice'. |
7. A 50ft Sailing Yacht in Falmouth (sleeps 8)
Yemaya of Helford is moored in Falmouth, so it's a long drive from - well - anywhere in the UK unless you happen to live at Land's End. However, once you get there you can stay onboard a yacht with such luxuries as hot water and two toilets. As it's moored, you can use the Marina's facilities which include toilets, showers and somewhere to eat, although you can also cook onboard.
The advice is that it's best for five people but you can squeeze eight people onboard if you fancy getting very cosy for a few days. At the time of writing, it's had about 100 reviews and was scoring close to a perfect 5/5. |
8. A Treehouse At A Gin Distillery near Bodmin (sleeps 2)
Treehouse holidays are all the rage now and they tend to be a bit grander than what your grandad built in your back garden in the 1980s.
This one near Bodmin is unusual because it's hidden away in the corner of a 30 acre working farm and gin distillery. As a result, they throw in some tasting bottles for you to try during your break (*hiccup*). Features include a log burner, bath and access to a rowing boat for an attempt at being romantic without looking like someone who doesn't know the difference between an oar and a paddle. I'd say this one is a good choice if you like things a little bit rustic rather than luxurious (for example, it's got a chemical toilet rather than a flushing toilet). It might not be for you if you're one of these people who books a 'farm holiday' and then complains that it's actually on a farm. This one has had loads of reviews and has a very high customer rating. |
9. A Surfer's Beach House near Newquay (sleeps 14)
Cliff House overlooks Crantock Beach which is a popular spot with handsome long haired surfers called Brad and dads who fancy having a go.
There are impressive clifftop views from several rooms as well as a balcony and an indoor swimming pool for those who have sensibly concluded that the sea is best admired from a distance. The main house sleeps ten and there's space for another four in an apartment. If our family were renting it out we'd insist on having the apartment so our children wouldn't wake everyone else at the crack of dawn. It's a spacious spot with an acre of grounds, two living rooms and a summer where you can go and hide if you need to escape the children for a few minutes. It scores about 4.9/5 with reviewers at the time of writing. |
10. A Seven-Bedroom Manor House With A Swimming Pool near Bodmin (sleeps 15)
This Cornish manor house is a little way inland but it's well placed if you want to visit a few different beaches whilst on holiday rather than sticking to the same bit of coast.
It's big enough for two or three families (unless you've got 13 children of your own) and it has a traditional country house decor with an open fire and a grand piano. There's an outdoor swimming pool for those who are made of strong stuff and a tennis court. Reviews are very positive, with an average of about 4.9/5 when we checked. |