The Isles of Scilly Guide: hotels, restaurants and things to do

Want the best weekend break in Britain? Head to the Cornish archipelago which is so good looking we're a little bit in love

Thirty miles off the coast of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly (pronounced silly…cue lots of puns) are the UK's most southern islands and arguably also the most beautiful. Blessed with their own micro climate (this is officially the warmest place in Britain, sun worshippers), white sand beaches and translucent water more like the Caribbean than the UK, the archipelago is well worth the 30-minute flight (on a tiny 12-seater plane) from Newquay.

More laid-back than Cornwall and with better beaches (think what Formentera is to Ibiza, but with cream teas), everyone gets around on boats between the five inhabited (and more than 100 uninhabited) islands. Trust us - and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who went there recently - this place is amazing.

Where we stayed...

Hell Bay on Bryher island (from £125pn) is seaside perfection. A twenty-minute ferry ride from main island St Mary, you're met with smiles in reception where the scene is set: a desk made from a large piece of driftwood and snorkels, books and Hell Bay bags for sale. Rooms in cute cottages have tongue-and-groove walls, big beds, REN toiletries and our room (25) had a separate lounge and terrace - such a cool place to watch sunset (while drinking the comp Prosecco, nice).

There's an outdoor pool, sauna and Jacuzzi, but the wild sweep of bay and hill to climb are even more alluring. Original art work lines the walls of the bar and lounge (we're talking original Barbara Hepworth's) and as for the restaurant (see below)…it's more heaven than hell.

We also liked…

Star Castle Hotel on main island St Mary (from £150pn) is an ideal place to stay for a few nights when you first arrive in the Scillies. Set on a peninsula and shaped like a star (like, wow) it dates back to the 1500s and its history includes a visit from King Charles II, who fled there in exile (we bet he loved the views and cooked brekkie as much as we did). Staff are super-friendly and nothing is too much trouble, from organising boat transfers to adding an extra bed in-room if you're travelling with a group or family.

There are a few rooms in the castle, but we stayed in 23, a chalet-style bedroom set around a pretty garden across the moat from the main castle, and the views on the outside decking were sensational, with islands and little fluffy clouds providing more entertainment than any TV.

Karma Hotel St Martins (from £155pn) lies in such a cool setting it was tempting to book again for summer 2017. We got a ferry from St Mary's to Higher Town (town is a stretch of the imagination here, we're talking a post office, bakers, one shop), from where it's a five-minute drive to Lower Town (even more of a stretch, basically a house and a pub) where Karma stands proud by a jetty and white sand beach.

So, let's talk about the beach…this is the stuff of dreams and looks more like it should be in the Seychelles than the UK (we're not joking, look at the picture).

The hotel is pretty special too, our favourite bit were the outside dining tables where you could have drink or dine with your feet in the sand. A grey colour palette in the rooms adds a contemporary seaside touch and bonus points for the little library which also houses a wine emotion (a wine dispenser which you're given a card to operate, joy) and the tiny spa, where we treated ourselves to a 30-minute pedicure.

Camping on St Agnes. On an afternoon visit to the mile-long island we passed the Troytown Farm Campsite and totally fell in love with the setting and the concept - you can rent a bell tent (from £49 per night) and hang out on the most south west campsite in the UK. Plus the farm sells homemade ice-cream with a fudge finger instead of flake. Sold.

What we did…

Lying on a beach is a MUST. The beaches are one of the best things about these islands and nobody will believe you're in the UK when they see your Instagram. The best stretches of sand we lay on (in the name of research) were Porthmellon on St Mary, Hell Bay on Bryher and the beach at Karma Hotel on St Martin, but tbh everywhere you look there's a white sand deserted beach to claim as your own.

Visit HolyVale Wines. Set down a hidden pathway at the bottom of a hillside carpeted with vines, it's run by charming Robert Francis (his son now runs the Star Castle hotel) who runs weekly wine tastings (£17.50pp) which take place around a large wood bar. It's all very down-to-earth and funny (you don't need to pretend to taste hints of blackberries and leather, and yes, you can swallow). We loved the local wine so much we bought a bottle for £18.

See some seals. There are numerous boat trips running to get up close to seals, or you can opt to swim and snorkel with them (in a wetsuit. It may look like the Caribbean, but the water temperatures don't match). It's an incredible experience and definitely not your average Facebook brag.

Go kayaking. Rent a kayak or paddleboard at the watersports hut next to Spero's cafe on Porthmellon Beach, St Mary's. After a spin around the bay treat yourself to an ice-cream (or wine) on the decked terrace.

Walk. The coastal walks on all the islands we visited are just stunning. Paths dotted with huge blue agapanthus flowers, tiny fields, dazzling island views and every so often you'll pass a garden gate with a table selling things like eggs, lavender or organic veg. The fact you're asked to put money in an honesty pot goes to show how low the crime rate is (one lady told us the last time her money box was stolen was two years ago. Hackney this isn't).

Shop. Unexpectedly, there is some shopping to be had on the Scillies, specifically the Island T-shirt Company on St Mary's, where you can pick up Isles of Scillies hoodies, striped dresses and T-shirts; 49 Degrees for surfy bits like Quicksilver and O'Neill, and Fay Page jewellery on St Martin's for gorg silver starfish and shell pendants.

What we ate and drank…

Juliets Garden Restaurant on St Mary's is a top tip for lunch in the sunshine. Reached via a mile-long coast path walk from Hugh Town (the Scillies teeny tiny capital), it's got a terraced garden with an AMAZING sea view where you can sit at a picnic table and tuck into delicious dishes - order the seafood plate with smoked salmon, prawns, local crab and bread. There's a bar too and the cream tea looked worth gaining a few pounds for.

We also loved the Conservatory Restaurant at Star Castle Hotel. White and light with actual grapevines hanging from the ceiling (yes, we did ask to taste the grapes), the food is as pretty as the surroundings and largely seafood-based, with things like turbot, scallops and sea bass on the menu.

But our favourite place of all to eat on the islands was the restaurant at Hell Bay Hotel on Bryher Island. It's super relaxed with wood floors, nautical art work, views over the bay, and the food is fancy, like fillet of trout with Cornish copper (ham FYI), but not faffy (we want proper food, not foam for dinner).

The Seven Stones Inn on St Martin's is a tiny pub set on a hillside with awesome views and a smuggler's pub vibe inside. Mirror-balls and ribbons hang from the trees in summer, but in the autumn and winter there's a roaring fire to sit around. And if you want a cheap bite to eat the food is as local and fresh as it can get - the man who caught the fish for our fish pie was sitting in the bar, beat that fancy London foraging restaurants.

Where we relaxed…

After all the beach action we were feeling relaxed anyway, but there's no harm in making yourself even calmer at the Karma Hotel, so we treated ourselves to a 30-minute massage and pedicure in the tiny spa.


How do you get there? Well, there are 30-minute Skybus flights to St Mary's year-round from Land's End and Newquay Airports in Cornwall, and between March and October from Exeter Airport. From spring to late-autumn, the Scillonian lll passenger ferry sails seven days a week between Penzance and St Mary's (locals told us the crossing can be quite rough though, so maybe avoid if you get seasick!). Sort it all out with Isles of Scilly Travel.

The ferries between the islands are a bit sporadic. Times seem to be on a whim, so you need to ask your hotel for the daily updates and give yourself plenty of time to get to St Mary's for a flight back to the mainland.

Lots of places don't take credit card, which is at first astonishing, then annoying, then quite cool once you've got used to the idea. Even the cafe at the airport is cash-only, so take plenty of wonga out at Lloyds (the only bank on the islands in Hugh Town on St Mary's).

We travelled with Visit Isles of Scilly who know pretty much everything there is to know.

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