The Waterwheel

Such a lovely stay we slept really well with the sound of the river outside. The gardens on the property are beautiful. The breakfast had plenty of options and was great to wake up to. The hosts and staff were all so friendly and helpful.

I would say in our room the hair dryer needs replacing (was only blowing cold air) and there needs to be a mirror (only one in the bathroom). There isn't many decent restaurants near by in S Austell and the owners said they were short staffed at the restaurant so needed to give them notice. So I would head into Charleston or we went to the Ship Inn in Pentewan or Polgooth Inn in Polgooth.

STAFF were superb. BREAKFAST generous number of options, well delivered. DINNER a menu full of options plus a generous Specials Menu each evening meant we had no problems choosing something different each night for the 3 nights that we stayed. ROOM we asked for a ground floor room and this was the best we had ever stayed in. GARDENS Dont bother with the Lost Gardens of Heligan, just spend time walking down the garden and along the track. It is superb. DOGS. welcome everywhere which made the stay that much more relaxing

Not a dislike but it isn't the easiest place to find relying on Satnav. But we were pre-warned of this and provided with Francesca's directions which got us to the Waterwheel without having to turn the car round once. So what could have been a problem was admirably sorted out for us before travel.

The hotel is lovely! It is beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean. Our room was very comfortable with everything we could need. The breakfast offered many options and was delicious. They also provide evening meals if required and a bar (which we didn't try but which looked good). A very special feature is the garden which is stunning. It has streams and waterfalls and is a delight to walk around. The owners and staff were warm and friendly and were keen to ensure that we had anything we would need. There is also a large carpark for guests. Our reason for the trip was a visit to the Eden Project which is nearby.

There was nothing to dislike.

Cleanliness and location

Dinner was at 8.30 with no extensions, we were not told this and as we arrived at 8.30, we had now way of arranging dinner elsewhere. After a discussion the chief agreed to doing us a meal, we did feel uncomfortable at this point. Do feel if we were informed this at booking and that breakfast was one hour between 8.30 & 9.30 am we may have considered staying somewhere else. I’m told by residence that it’s the normal times in that area. But where in the peak season does the bar close at 9pm.

Booking process straight forward. Owners were very professional and efficient. The reception / restaurant dining staff I found very friendly. Room was clean. Breakfasts were plentiful and the restaurant cosy with good food.

Had been unaware that the hotel was situated on a fairly busy road so could hear fairly constant low-level traffic noise during the evening; that said, it tended to die down about 11.00pm. Despite being to the rear of the property my room was situated above the restaurant and I could hear a low-level hum ( of not unpleasant music ) from the restaurant until it closed around 11.00pm. I paid £130 each night for my room - though tea/coffee making facilities were provided with one packet of biscuits, I think that one or two bottles of complimentary water would have been a welcome bonus.

The owners and staff were welcoming and approachable. Breakfast was lovely with a good choice that set you up for the day. Restaurant served delicious, hot and plenty on the plate. Room comfortable and clean with tea, coffee making facilities. En suite shower room. Garden was very lovely even on a day with drizzle. Inn clean and tidy. Lovely view of the stream from room window, although facing a busy road, you couldn’t hear the traffic when sleeping.

A mini fridge in the room would be nice.

Francesca and Mark, (the hosts), were very friendly, and so were the two four legged hosts, Kernow and Bertie! The room was spacious, very clean, and was well equipped with refreshments etc. It had a view over the lovely garden, and the area was very quiet.. the only sounds we heard at night were owls, which was lovely! The restaurant was clean and tidy and was decked out with a Christmas tree and trimmings, which enhanced the already calm and peaceful atmosphere. The food was excellent, including the mushroom soup, which was made specially for us! The bar and waiting staff were also very friendly. We can't recommend The Waterwheel Inn highly enough, and would certainly stay again.

Nothing!

The bedroom & en suite are fitted out to a very high spec with coordinated trimmings. The bedroom radiator is super-efficient, rapidly throwing out lots of heat so was only needed in short bursts, even in January. This also allowed us to dry our wet things in no time. The bathroom was also nice & warm thanks to a powerful towel rail. The shower is spacious with plenty of hot water. The dining area is clean & tastefully appointed. The food at both breakfast & dinner are excellent.

Nothing to dislike. The bathroom could do with a storage shelf but that is the only slight quibble.

Bedroom very comfortable, bedroom and bathroom very clean. We dont usually stay in hotels that are dog friendly, but did so as were looking for somewhere close to Eden Project. Wasn't a problem as hotel exceptionally clean and dogs in restaurant first night weren't a problem, none there the second. Lovely garden and short walk to old chapel through garden. Staff very friendly and helpful

Husband found road noise made it difficult to sleep as traffic on main road through night, I didn't find it a problem.

We must have been given the best room as we were upstairs and directly looking out over the tree ferns/pond,etc and the quantity and quality of the food was superb. For breakfast you got cereals, toast and a big option of different things including a very good full english and most of us took the option of eating in the conservatory out at the back overlooking the tree ferns,etc. The television was also very easy to use and plenty of channels and there was plenty of parking spaces out back. Also one of the staff was good enough to tell us a short cut to the Eden Project which was useful as we were going first thing in the morning and when you get to the Eden Project it takes some time to park up and eventually walk down to reception and get sorted. Also if you get the chance you must go down to visit Charlestown even if its just for a meal - it's everything you'd expect in Cornwall. One other very important feature of staying here was that the vast majority of other visitors staying here had dogs with them which must be a big plus for people who have pets and have great difficulty finding somewhere to stay with them.

Unfortunately you did get quite a bit of road noise which did'nt really matter apart from when you were trying to sleep but it used to quieten down pretty quickly apart from weekends. Also the room walls appeared to be paper thin but it was worth putting up with when we looked at the view from our window.