Happy Days Cottage

Happy Days Cottage is a three-bedroom stone cottage in St Ives' historic Downalong fishermen's quarter, sleeping six. The fabric of the building does the work: exposed original walls, granite features and a log burner set into the ground-floor sitting room. A 4.8 rating across 1,417 guest reviews suggests it lives up to the brochure.

The top-floor master suite has a roll-top bath, the second bedroom has its own en-suite shower room, and the third has bunk beds for kids. A farmhouse dining table seats six for evenings in. The kitchen is fitted for self-catering, and there's a small garden for dogs (the cottage is dog-friendly). The cottage spans three floors of narrow stairs - bear that in mind if anyone in the group struggles with steps.

Downalong is the medieval lattice of lanes between the harbour and Porthmeor Beach, and there's no parking on the door (a recurring caveat for any St Ives address inside this quarter). Porthgwidden Beach is 200m one way; Porthmeor, the harbour and the Tate are 300m the other. Fore Street's pasty shops, Hub Box burgers and the Pilchard Press alehouse are all under two minutes on foot.

Best for: families with older kids, dog owners and groups who want to walk to three different beaches before breakfast. Less good for: anyone who needs to park outside the door, or guests who can't manage three floors of stairs.