We’re just back from a superb holiday in Cornwall.

To avoid driving for 8 hours down the M74/M6/M5, we flew from Glasgow to Exeter using FlyBe, and bookended Cornwall by staying with Roger, Ruth, Caitlin and Riona in Exeter. More on this later.

In Cornwall, we stayed in the luxurious Driftwood in Rosevine, which is my personal #1 hotel. The owners, Paul and Fiona Robinson, have made the hotel into a welcoming haven of peace and tranquility. Our room overlooked the sea, and we could lie in bed in the morning watching the light change over the English Channel.

Driftwood has recently expanded, but has lost none of it’s friendliness and intimacy. This is best illustrated by the tradition of afternoon tea and cake. OK, most hotels will provide an afternoon tea service, but usually as an additional extra. Driftwood incorporates tea and cake into its price, therefore there is more of an incentive to ask.

Driftwood’s restaurant, under head chef Rory Duncan, is also superb. We thought it was good last year, but it is even better this year. The highlight was the guinea fowl cooked in two ways (a sure sign of Michelin aspirations), the darker meat cooked with prunes and bacon to give a really christmassy feel. The rice pudding (warm rice pudding with passion fruit sorbet and brick pastry) was also something to remember.

OK, we did other things than just eat! Top activities:

• The walk around St. Anthony Head, then the Place Ferry over to St. Mawes, with lunch in the little cafe by the harbour.
• St Michael’s Mount. Great crab sandwiches in the National Trust tearoom.
  
• Eden Project. Just gets better every time I visit.
• The South West Coast Path. Accessible directly from our hotel. Wonderful to be able to put on the boots and just walk!