Fire-damaged the Old Coastguard hotel wins César award in the Good Hotel Guide 2020

The Old Coastguard hotel in Mousehole, Cornwall - closed since being damaged by fire in June - has been named Seaside hotel of the year by the The Good Hotel Guide 2020: Great Britain and Ireland.

It is one of 10 hotels to be presented with a César award, named after legendary hotelier César Ritz and awarded by the Guide’s editors each year to a selection of hotels which have demonstrated excellence in their field.

Published today, the guide said that despite the temporary closure of the 14-bedroom Old Coastguard, the editors had awarded the accolade to the hotel because it is an “outstanding” property. The Old Coastguard’s entry in the guide said that there had been much praise for the hotel this year, variously describing it as offering a “buzzy dining pub” with “classy bedrooms” and “friendly and attentive service”.

The Old Coastguard, which is due to open early next year, has been run by brothers Charles and Edmund Inkin since June 2011 as a sister hotel to the Gurnard’s Head in nearby Zennor and the Felin Fach Griffin, near Brecon. All members of the hotel team have been retained and are currently involved in running the Vault Kitchen pop-up restaurant in Penzance.

The full list of the 2020 César award winners include:

• Newcomer of the year: North House, Cowes, Isle of Wight‎ • Seaside Hotel of the year: The Old Coastguard, Mousehole, Cornwall‎ (pictured) • Country house hotel of the year: Old Downton Lodge, Ludlow, Shropshire‎ • B&B of the year: Underleigh House, Hope, Derbyshire‎ • Romantic hotel of the year: Southernhay House, Exeter, Devon‎ • Inn of the year: The Pipe and Glass Inn, South Dalton, Yorkshire ‎ • Scottish luxury hotel of the year:‎ The Airds Hotel, Port Appin, Argyll and Bute • Welsh hotel of the year:‎ The Angel Hotel, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire ‎ • Irish B&B of the year: The Quay House, Clifden, County Galway • Restaurant-with-rooms of the year: Read’s, Faversham, Kent

The 2020 Guide, co-edited by Adam and Caroline Raphael, together with travel writers Ian Belcher and Joanna Symons, has 36 new main entries and an extended shortlist section with 50 new entries. The shortlist section features 397 entries with extended text and a photograph for each entry.

The 42nd edition of the Guide, first published in 1978, features a total of 830 hotels, inns and B&Bs, with 433 main entries chosen for their “exceptional hospitality and distinctive style”.

Adam Raphael said: “We have come a long way since the first edition of the Guide was published. While Wi-Fi and power showers have become the norm, what has remained integral to the Guide, is its honesty; not a penny is paid for an entry in the print edition. The test of a good hotel remains the same - great hospitality, attention to detail, and friendly, attentive service.”

The Good Hotel Guide 2020: Great Britain & Ireland is priced at £16 direct from The Good Hotel Guide, 50 Addison Avenue, London W11 4QP, or £20 from bookshops.