Nestled in the seaside town of Penzance in West Cornwall, you’ll discover the beautifully styled Artist Residence. This quirky, yet luxurious boutique hotel is housed inside a tastefully renovated Georgian manor house. Only a stones throw from the retro Jubilee Pool on the Cornish Penzance seafront.
The Artist Residence has a total of 16 rooms, each one completely unique from the next. Each bedroom has been individually curated with modern-rustic and vintage furnishings, creating a beautiful blend between old charm and new modern-day comforts.
You’ll find a laidback and cosy home-from-home atmosphere at the Artist Residence hotel. It provides an ideal place to relax after a busy day of exploring the west coast of Cornwall – a popular filming location for the UK TV series, Poldark.
In this article...
The story behind Artist Residence
Artist Residence began in Brighton when Justin (the co-founder) caught the hospitality bug whilst helping run his family’s Bed & Breakfast. After dropping out of university, he went on a mission to help improve the business. Only equipped with a minimal budget, Justin had to do things a little differently.
He cleverly managed to source lots of local artists to come and decorate the rooms in exchange of free board. Soon enough the Artist Residence was born, with each room unique to the artist who created it.
Three years later Justin and his wife, Charlie, decided to do it all again at the Georgian manor house in Penzance. Over the years they have expanded their business with more unique properties. Now the pair have a hotel in London, Oxfordshire and one in the centre of Bristol thats housed inside an old boot factory.
I think this is such a brilliant idea from the duo, and I love how quirky and unique all their places are.
Loft bedroom at the Artist Residence
We stayed in a ‘loft’ room, which was plenty spacious for the two of us. It had a desk/vanity as soon as you walked in, and a couple small armchairs beside the windows. Our loft room had a semi-coastal vibe, full of reclaimed furniture and decorated with limited edition artwork and prints. There was also a slim glass window, high above the bathroom door which displayed old glass bottles.
Behind the rustic-blue sliding barn door, was a beautiful and spotlessly clean bathroom. There was a corner rainfall shower, and upon the monochrome chessboard floor was a free standing roll-top bath, complete with silver claw-feet.
The loft room had a very comfortable super-king bed, which was simply styled with white bedding, a cosy green throw and a couple striped cushions to match the headboard.
We also had a Roberts radio, fan, Nespresso coffee machine and kettle inside our room.
Check here to see if this room has any availability.
Other room options here
All the bedrooms are unique, and will come with different furnishings and layouts. Most rooms come with a statement, free-standing bath tub (either in the bathroom or bedroom) along with a powerful rainfall shower.
The ‘snug’ and ‘comfy’ rooms are the smallest out of the bunch, but are still bursting with charm. These two options don’t come with a free-standing bath tub though, you’ll need to upgrade to at least the ‘comfy luxe’ room to get one.
Next is the ‘loft’ where we stayed, after that it’s a ‘super comfy luxe’ which is a little bigger again.
The ‘chapel suite’ offers a much bigger room, complete with roll-top bath, only this time it’s inside the living room.
If you need more than one bed, the ‘mini lookout’ has a kingsize bed in the main bedroom, a living room and cosy single bedroom too. Making it an ideal option for a family of 3.
Then there is ‘the lookout’ which probably wins gold medal for the best room in the hotel. This one has Cornish sea views, a log burner in the living room complete with sofa bed. A small dining area and kitchenette, plus a fabulous balcony for enjoying those sea views and sunsets.
Finally, theres ‘the cottage’ which can sleep 2-6 people, spread across 3 bedrooms (two kingsize bedrooms and one bunk bed room.) The Cottage also has a kitchenette, dining room, and living room thats complete with a log burner. You get a fabulous copper bathtub in the main bathroom too!
Food and drink at the Artist Residence in Penzance
The Artist Residence has its own smokehouse and bar with both indoor and outdoor seating options. They serve fresh locally sourced Cornish produce, and offer a hearty and wholesome menu in a relaxed setting. On the menu you’ll find dishes like seared steak, smoked aubergine to Newlyn caught crab.
Breakfast is served from 7:30-11am, and we thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast here. We opted for the all-time classic of poached eggs on sourdough toast. It was cooked to perfection with oozy rich yolks and garnished with a sprinkle of fresh herbs.
Lunch is served from 12-2pm during the week, or 12-3pm on the weekends. Dinner is served every day between 6-9pm.
The Artist Residence also has a shack which serves tasty dishes and cocktails from 5-10pm. On this menu you’ll find options like delicious tacos, smoked brisket and chargrilled halloumi skewers.
The terraced garden outside is a perfect spot to unwind after a busy day of site seeing. Grab a cocktail from the shack and relax while watching the sun go down.
Hotel Location in Penzance
Penzance’s Artist Residence is situated on the historic Chapel Street, a quick 10 minute walk to the sea front and art deco jubilee pool. The Jubilee pool in penzance is the UK’s largest sea water lido with geothermal heating. Although, only a small pool is actually heated, the rest is only a smidge warmer than the sea.
Penzance is a great location if you’re travelling from London, as a direct sleeper-train comes straight into penzance station which is only 10 minutes walk away from the Artist residence. If you want to take the quickest route to the hotel, you will need to walk up a steep cobbled hill. It does have a steps or a road (both cobbled) so it is possible to drag a suitcase, but its a bumpy one!
You can also get easy transport to the isle of scilly from Penzance on the Scillonian ferry. The crossing takes just under 3 hours and operates between March and November.
Penzance is also under a 30 minutes drive to the iconic white sands of St.Ives. Or head 30 minutes in a different direction, and you’ll be on the edge of the UK at Lands End.
The address for the Artist Residence
20 Chapel Street,
Penzance,
West Cornwall,
TR18 4AW
Hotel Check in and out times
Hotel check in is at 3pm and usual checkout is at 11am.
However, if you’re really wanting an extra long lay in, you can request a late check-out with the Artist Residence. This will cost you £20 per hour, and it needs to be prearranged with the hotel when you arrive.
If you arrive at the boutique hotel before check-in’s available, then you can ask to leave your bags with them. The Artist Residence will keep them safe for you, meaning you can head out and start exploring.
Minimum night stay
Most of the year there is no minimum night stay implemented at this hotel. Understandably though, during the busy summer season and on some popular weekends throughout the year. The Artist Residence does have to operate a 2 night stay policy when booking during those times.
Accessibility
If you’re in a wheelchair, sadly the accessibility isn’t the best at this beautifully renovated manor house. Coming off the street, there are three steps up into the hotel, and the rooms are then spread over three stories.
As with most old buildings in the UK, it comes with narrow corridors and steep staircases that have really slender steps.
Because of its narrow hallways, and lack of lift. Sadly, the Artist Residence could be a struggle for a wheelchair user.
There is wheelchair access to the restaurant here though.
Car parking for The Artist Residence in Penzance
There is no dedicated hotel carpark for The Artist Residence. But Penzance has plenty of on street parking, along with main carparks that are only a short walk away.
We parked at the Penzance Harbour long stay carpark, which was around a 6 minute walk back to the boutique hotel.
Are Dogs welcome to stay at the Artist Residence?
Dogs are allowed to stay but only in particular rooms, and they are not allowed to be left unattended.
There is a £15 surcharge per dog, per night. Which includes their stay, along with tasty Lily’s Kitchen organic dog treats, a cosy bed & dog bowls.
Your four-legged friends must be kept on a lead at all times inside the hotel and garden.
Places to visit
There are countless places and beautiful beaches to visit this far down in Cornwall. When we were staying at the Artist Residence, we made sure to visit the spectacular open air Minack theatre, where we also walked down to the white sandy beach of Porthcurno below.
We also walked along the breathtaking, rugged coastal path from Lands end to Sennen cove. Along with another coastal walk from the famous Carbis Bay to the bustling St.Ives. Where we bought locally produced spiced rum and ate delicious freshly baked scones in the sun.
Cornwall is a fantastic place, with hundreds of things to see and do. I hope you have a fabulous time exploring and have a wonderful stay at the Artist Residence in Penzance. Where their friendly staff will be ready to great you with a warm and welcoming smile.