Chapel House Penzanze

After laid-back luxury by the sea, TLE checked into Chapel House in Penzance. We’re delighted to report this boutique hotel offered it up by the boatload.

Property History

Chapel House has a rich and diverse history. Built in 1790 it’s housed several notable figures over the years, from Admiral Samuel Hood Linzee of HMS Temeraire to the banking and mining dynasty, the Carne family. Since then it’s been a shelter for WW2 evacuees, lodging house and – prior to becoming a hotel – the Penzance Arts Club.

After all that, Chapel House was understandably in need of a little TLC, which came by way of Susan Stuart. The former investment banker fell in love with the town and the property on a holiday to Cornwall. But breathing new life into the A listed Georgian house was no easy feat.

A two year renovation project followed, with the help of Penzance architect Keith Bell. The results are absolutely outstanding. Everything seems to have been thought of and the house is now a design nerds dream.

Ambience

Located at the end of historic Chapel Street, the building looks grand and welcoming in equal measures. Inside, the entrance hall is spacious and beautifully decorated with touches of mid-century.

There are several public rooms which guests are encouraged to treat as their own – whether that’s playing a board game, curling up for a read or simply watching the world go by.

Check in and welcome

There is no formal reception as such; instead the hotel operates elegantly informally. Guests are encouraged to think of it as a home, rather than a traditional hotel.   

Less than a minute after entering, Susan greets and tells us a little about the hotel. She shows us all most of the bedrooms (apart from the occupied ones, naturally) and what strikes me most is the distinctive personality each room has, yet each is as stylish as the next. Not to mention the splendid sea views.

The Room

There are six double bedrooms in total; each features handmade oak beds, sea views and incredibly suave en suites!

We stay in the top floor and plump for the room with the large freestanding bath. The room is my ideal bedroom – decorated in muted shades of grey and blue, perfectly airy and refreshingly uncluttered.

The large oak bed is framed with turquoise headboard and beautifully dressed with crisp white linens and the softest grey throw.

There is complimentary wi-fi throughout and each room has its own iPad packed full of things to do in the town. It’s also how you organise room service – simply Face Time the team and let them know what you’re after.

There are two windows – each framing Penzance harbour beautifully – with a dangerously comfortable reclining chair next to the first. I could easily have spent the entire evening there watching the antics of the harbour until nightfall.

The room showstopper, for me, was the large freestanding bath. Of course I tried it out – research and all – am happy to report back it was as dreamy as it looked.

The rest of the en suite is sectioned off via a glass partition and featured a rainfall shower and some wonderful local bathroom products. While the bathroom is beautiful, I can’t help but wonder about the practicality of the glass wall for guests staying more than a night or two!

Dining

On Friday and Saturday evenings Susan rustles up a Kitchen Supper. Guests are invited into the large kitchen and dining space from 6.30pm onwards to enjoy an evening drink before their meal.

The space is – like the rest of the property – well thought out and faultlessly decorated; from the flagstone floors, to the art lined walls to the modernist furniture.

Susan enjoys utilising local ingredients as much as possible – and there is a lot of that in West Cornwall! To start we had roast butternut squash with ginger tomatoes and zingy lime yogurt – a hefty, incredibly fresh tasting starter and one I’m keen to replicate at home! The main course was an asparagus risotto with a huge sharing salad bowl.

Dessert was bread and butter pudding with a twist. All in all, a fabulous meal from start to finish. If you visit on the weekend, I definitely recommend booking.

Breakfast is also worth getting up for (if you can bear to drag yourself out of the irresistibly comfy bed complete with sea view). Guests can help themselves to fresh baked bread and pastries or – for the more virtuous among us – homemade smoothies and juices.

You can also order hot food from the menu. While the fry up looked tempting, I was still pretty full from the night before – so opted for the avocado on toast. Even this fairly simple meal was elevated with salted butter and homemade bread.

Final Thoughts

If you want a chilled-out stay in Penzance – I can’t recommend Chapel House enough. The interior is flawless, the food incredible and nothing is too much for Susan and the team at Chapel House.