Cornwall · Where to stay · Looe
A working twin-town fishing port at the mouth of a wooded river — south-east Cornwall's family holiday classic, with a quieter and more grown-up neighbour across the bridge.
Photograph — Mycreativesideunleashed / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Looe · South-East Cornwall
Looe is genuinely two towns joined by a bridge — East Looe is the bigger, busier, family-holiday side with the harbour, the high street, the small sandy beach and the bulk of the cafes; West Looe is quieter, more residential, with the bigger cottages and the headland walks. The river separates them entirely. Visitors who book without paying attention often end up on the wrong side of the bridge for what they actually want.
Beyond the twin town, the south-east Cornwall coast offers a chain of smaller bases that share Looe's character but with less footfall — Hannafore on the headland just south of West Looe, Talland Bay further west, and inland villages like Hessenford and Pelynt for budget-conscious self-catering. The Looe Valley Branch Line runs into Liskeard, making car-free holidays feasible for those who plan around it.
The classic Cornish family holiday — narrow streets of holiday flats and B&Bs, a small sandy beach at the harbour mouth, fish and chip shops, the Looe Aquarium, and a working fishing fleet that lands shark and pilchards. Self-catering here is mostly above-shop flats and converted terraced cottages. Cheaper than West Looe; busier, noisier, and right in the middle of the holiday action.
Family holidays with young children, value-conscious bookings, traditional seaside
Across the bridge from East Looe — a quieter, more residential side with larger cottages, the seafront Hannafore Beach (rock pools, views to Looe Island), and a more grown-up restaurant scene at The Old Sail Loft and Trawlers. Self-catering here is a step up in size and quality from East Looe at a modest price premium. Walk into the action across the bridge in five minutes.
Larger family groups, grown-up holidays, longer stays
A small cove four miles west of Looe, between Looe and Polperro — two beaches divided by a small headland, the Talland Bay Beach Café, and a single-track lane up to the Talland Bay Hotel. Self-catering here is mostly clifftop houses with proper sea views. Walk to Polperro along the coast path in 90 minutes; drive to Looe in fifteen. Excellent base for the south-east Cornwall coast.
Couples, walkers, photographers wanting both Looe and Polperro within reach
Three miles west of Looe — Polperro is a tighter, prettier, busier village than Looe itself, with its own distinct accommodation scene of converted fisherman's cottages around the working harbour. Cars can't enter the village in summer (use the carpark above). Self-catering here is characterful and short-supply — book early. The Three Pilchards and the Blue Peter Inn are the pubs.
Couples wanting the picturesque fishing-village experience, photographers
Inland villages a few miles back from the coast — Hessenford on the A387, Pelynt a few miles west. Self-catering here is mostly farmhouses and converted barns in rolling pasture country, at notably lower prices than the coast. The trade-off is twenty-minute drives to Looe or Polperro each day. Excellent for longer breaks with a car and a relaxed attitude to beach time.
Longer self-catering breaks, multi-generational stays, budget-conscious bookings
Plan your trip
Pair Looe with the rest of the county — north coast to south, in a considered three-day route.
Read the itinerary