Nothing could have prepared us for the dramatic impact of entering the pedestrian gate off the steep hill from the harbour. The house is a detached gentleman's residence of fine architectural style, crammed with antiques and fine original paintings. Gardens surround the property and the front rooms overlook the harbour and the headland.

The owner was absent but her trusted friend, Bridget, stands in for such occasions and we were exceptionally well looked after. Breakfast was continental style but wide ranging and plentiful. Dinner was available at a number of venues in St Mawes. We ate splendidly at nearby "The Victory".

I had a wedding in St Mawes in July and booked out all of the rooms for myself and my bridal party. The Braganza team was absolutely wonderful about accommodating everyone and helping me plan out my group's stay. They also let us get ready for the wedding at the house and my photographer was so inspired by the gorgeous rooms that we did a bit of an impromptu photo-shoot in the house and around the grounds. They were some of the best pictures of the day. I can't thank their team enough and I highly recommend the Braganza to anyone planning a visit to St. Mawes.

Let me say that #1, I'm an American who likes my creature comforts, preferably in a 4-star hotel; and #2, I'm not a B&B "type". So, when I tell you that my stay at Braganza was lovely, charming...dare I say "excellent....", you will understand that this Regency-listed accommodation had many high hurdles to cross to win my accolades.

Our large, high-ceilinged room had the most extraordinary view of the harbor with two exceptionally comfortable chairs (a French bergere and a velvet club chair) in which to sit and take it all in. There was nothing unusual about the beds or the pillows except for the fact that I NEVER sleep well in hotel beds (I don't care if it's Relais & Chateaux) and most often travel with my own pillow. For some reason -- the sea air, the exercise you get climbing the hills of St. Mawes, or just the gentle comfort of Braganza -- I slept like a baby all seven nights I was there. Extraordinary. It was enough to make me consider moving in permanently.

The house, its decoration, the masses of books and artwork have all the eccentricity and gentle splendor an American expects from the English, even if it turns out that the proprietress, Krysia, has not a speck of British blood in her. And not knowing that a proper English breakfast mandates a boiled egg, my three traveling companions and I thought the breakfast each morning was a delightful feast. The table is set with proper silver. Tea and coffee come in individual silver pots, on silver trays (you get the whole silver picture).

One serving table is laden with about six different kinds of cereals, granola, muesli; fruits (we had the great opportunity of having in-season Cornish strawberries as well as raspberries, blueberries, bananas, plums and something called a greengage.). Another table was equally laden with muffins, bagels (are they Cornish?), and breads for toast. Bridget, Krysia's able right-hand woman, would put a croissant in the oven as soon as she knew you were down for breakfast and butter, jams and cheeses were there to accompany it. I gained two pounds on the breakfasts alone. Depite the hills and sans the boiled egg.

All of this a.m. feasting occurs in a dining room with a splendid Palladian window overlooking the gardens and harbor, which was dotted with sailboats of all sizes and the reliable "Duchess of Cornwall" ferry. Walls have lovely family portraits (Krysia's mother started the Braganza B&B so there is a history here) and oddly, a bear skin.

Braganza is a place where you feel that you are apt to meet characters from a novel. It's deliciously interesting. Everything here has a story, and if you're lucky, Krysia will tell you one or two of them.

I stayed here with my boyfriend and parents when attending a family party in the Tresantan (not a millionaire so obviously couldn't stay there!). Although our room was not facing onto the sea, the view from the front of the house and the breakfast room more than made up for this. It's only a minutes walk from the seafront (although up a massive slippery hill to get back...best not attempted in the dark after a couple of drinks) and really convenient for shops and the couple of restaurants in St Mawes. The room was nice and clean and the mattress was really comfortable. Apart from the noise from the disco just down the hill, which stopped at midnight and can't be blamed on the B&B, it was peaceful and relaxing.

The thing that stands out for me about this B&B is how friendly and helpful the woman working there was - I think she was taking care of it for the owner. She really went out of her way to make our stay as comfortable as possible. She was so worried we would slip coming down the drive to the house in the dark she made us SWEAR over and over again we would use the side gate. After we had checked out, she let us leave our bags in the B&B, and when we came back to get them, change into our clothes for the party in her own bedroom. She tried to press umbrellas onto us as she was worried we'd get wet on the way as it was raining. We all felt so well looked after - she couldn't do enough to help us.

The only small downside (and just very very minor) is the breakfast. I would have loved a boiled egg, but the food served, although fresh fruit and bread and cereal, is all cold or you have to toast it yourself in the toaster in the dining room. Despite this, the view over the sea makes up for the lack of egg, and nobody wants a fry up when you're off to swim in the sea anyway.

Overall it was a good night in a beautiful old house with exceptionally friendly and helpful staff. I would highly recommend it to anyone else, and will return here if I ever need somewhere to stay in St Mawes.