The Housel Bay Hotel is in an absolutely stunning location overlooking the cliffs and sea and right on the SW Coast Path.
We stayed at the hotel a couple of years ago and had a lovely few days so when we were planning a quick tour of West Cornwall we had no hesitation in choosing the Housel Bay hotel again.
Unfortunately this time our experience was not so good. On our previous visit we had a premium room with a large bay window offering a stunning view. This time, that type of room was not available but we were still able to stay in what was billed as an 'executive room'. It did enjoy a view over the sea but only through a fairly small window. The room itself was really quite cramped and the bathroom was very tired. The room badly needed redecoration with water or damp stains on the ceiling and one wall.
As well as the view, we had particularly enjoyed the food on our last visit. This time, although the smart dining room was laid up for dinner, we were only offered a table in the conservator-style bar extension. We were given a 'bistro' menu and were told that was all that was on offer when we queried the fact that a much more appealing 'a la carte' menu was displayed at the hotel entrance. Not only were the menu choices quite basic, they were expensive (£16 for bland chicken and chips) and when the food arrived the quality was not at all good. The breakfast was OK and it was noticeable that there were a lot more people at breakfast than eating in the evening!
The small bar is not unpleasant however, the only Cornish beer is bottled and, call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my ale (not lager) to be served at room temperature, not out of the fridge.
I wouldn't say that we won't visit the Housel Bay again because the location is truly magnificent however, we would only do so if one of the larger rooms was available, and we would would probably eat at the pub in the village.

We booked this hotel as part of a 2 week walk along the SW path, each leg carefully planned so that we had hotel accomodation to stay in. We were able to book this hotel on booking.com, received a confirmed notification and then had a phone call from the hotel itself to say they would not accept the booking for 1 night. The lady was quite abrupt, gave the impression that we shouldn't have the nerve to try to book a premier room in their establishment for 1 night. We contacted booking.com who did an investigation and were able to confirm that the hotel had put a restriction on bookings (minimum 3 nights) AFTER we had booked. Despite much work by booking.com to get the hotel to honour our booking they refused, leaving us with a real problem. This level of customer service is appaliing. Clearly you cannot make a booking with this hotel and expect to get what you arrange. Do not use them.

We decided to have a day break on our working tour of the South-West of England. We decided we wanted to see both Land's End and Lizard Point and decided on staying at The Housel Bay Hotel, close to Lizard Point.

On arrival we were upgraded to a bigger room free of charge. A nice touch and something we'd not expected. We were very pleased with the room. A lovely four-poster bed and a stunning view. A large bay window overlooking the bay below the hotel and the gardens.

Free WiFi, tea and coffee making facilities, trouser press and iron / ironing board all included.

The staff were friendly and efficient and the service was good.

We ate in the restaurant and enjoyed a lovely meal in good surroundings. The food was reasonably expensive, but excellent quality and extremely tasty.

One note of point to travellers - go prepared. This is a hotel, on a cliff, next to a lighthouse. It's the first place the weather hits and if it's bad weather they sound the fog horn. It's audible inside the hotel, although not too loud. Likewise, even with the curtains pulled you could still see some light from the lighthouse. Neither were a problem for us and actually added to the experience in a strange way!

Somewhere we'd definitely stay again if we were in the area.

Well as I sit here, still slightly lost for words (still - considering my stay was over a month ago!). I have finally found a moment to share with you, the details of my experience at the Housel Bay Hotel. Upon arrival I was greeted by Alfred (Who somewhat reminded me of George Clooney) & Iona (Alfred's wife) who were simply gracious people! They made us feel so welcome and comfortable. We were directed to our rooms and had someone transport our bags up to the room for us. We were briefed at reception and given all the details we needed. We walked into our lovely spacious A room which over looked the incredible views of the bay and were overwhelmed with the cleanliness and charm of our room - what a perfect start! After settling and unwinding in our room we headed down to the restaurant for dinner and were greeted by a very polite and lovely polish waitress who tended to our every need! The food was out of this world, it was honestly the best meal that me and my husband have ever had the pleasure of eating. And this was followed by a heavenly desert for both of us. What a wonderful hotel. A real hidden secret. Would recommend to anyone visiting cornwall for a heart warming experience! Thanks Alfy & Iona. You are truly wonderful people!