How to Choose a Boutique Hotel for a Weekend Break

Start with the location, then work back to the building

Boutique hotels in the UK are usually conversions — a Georgian townhouse, an old mill, a chapel, a row of fishermen's cottages — and that shapes everything about the stay. Before you fall for the photographs, find the property on a map and ask what the walk into the centre actually involves. In Cornwall this matters more than almost anywhere else. A hotel described as "a short stroll from the harbour", in St Ives, Padstow or Mousehole, might mean a steep lane, a flight of steps or a path with no pavement — fine in July, less appealing in November drizzle with a suitcase.

Think about how you'll spend your 36 hours. If you want to leave the car and walk to dinner and back, being ten minutes from the restaurants is worth more than a bigger room. If you're planning early starts on the coast path, check how close the access really is. Consider noise too: a room above a bar on a Saturday night in a busy resort is a different proposition from the same room on a Tuesday in March. Ask which side of the building you'll be on — a sea view often comes with the road, and a quiet courtyard room often looks at a wall.

Read the room measurements, not the adjectives

"Cosy", "bijou", "compact" and "characterful" are all polite words for small. That's not necessarily a problem — plenty of the best boutique rooms in the country are snug — but you should know what you're booking. Ask for the dimensions in metres, and for the bed size specifically. A standard double is 4ft 6in wide, a king is 5ft, a super king 6ft. If you're used to a king at home, a standard double for two nights can feel like a squeeze.

• Is the bathroom en-suite, or a private bathroom across the corridor?
• Is it a walk-in shower or a shower over the bath? Steep-sided baths are common in older buildings.
• Where will you put your bags? Boutique rooms often trade storage for style.
• Are there low beams, eaves or a sloping ceiling? Relevant if you're tall or booking a top-floor room.
• Is the room on a main road, above the kitchen, or next to the lift?

Treat the dining arrangements as part of the deal

Breakfast is where boutique hotels vary most. Some serve an excellent cooked breakfast until 10am; others leave pastries and a coffee machine in the room. Neither is wrong, but if you've booked a food-focused hotel, check the restaurant is open on the nights you're staying. Small kitchens routinely close on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and out of season they may close entirely.

In Cornwall, plan around this. A village with four restaurants in August may have one in February, and the nearest alternative might be a 20-minute drive down narrow lanes in the dark. Ask whether the hotel serves dinner, whether residents get priority for tables, and what's within walking distance. If you're arriving late, check you can still get something to eat — many small hotels stop serving at 8.30pm.

Check the cancellation terms before you get attached

Rates usually come in two flavours: flexible, which you can cancel up to a set window, and non-refundable, which is cheaper and unforgiving. Look at the exact window — 48 hours, 7 days, 14 days or 30 days — because it varies enormously, and note when the balance is due. Some properties take the full amount on booking; others take a deposit and the rest on arrival.

• Can you move the dates instead of cancelling, and is there a fee?
• Are minimum stays in force? Two nights at a weekend is common, three over bank holidays.
• Is there a charge for a late change, or for arriving after a certain time?
• What happens if you need to leave early — is any of the stay refundable?
• Does the policy differ if you book through a third-party site rather than direct?

Travel insurance is cheap compared with losing a two-night stay, particularly for a winter break in Cornwall when a storm can change your plans at short notice.

Cornwall specifics worth checking

Seasonality matters. May, June and September are the sweet spots: decent weather, fewer crowds, lower prices. August and the school holidays are busy and expensive, and some coastal hotels only take weekly bookings in high summer, which rules out a weekend break altogether. Parking is the other big one. St Ives, Padstow and Fowey have limited parking that fills quickly, so ask whether the hotel has its own car park, whether it's included or charged, and whether you can leave the car there after checkout.

If you're bringing a dog, check which rooms are dog-friendly and whether there's a charge — many boutique hotels accept dogs in one or two rooms only. And if you're paying a premium for a sea view, ask what sits between your window and the water. A car park, a main road or the roof of the restaurant next door can take the edge off it.

Five questions to ask before you book

• What time is check-in and check-out, and can I leave bags earlier or later?
• Is breakfast included, what time does it finish, and is it cooked?
• Is the restaurant open on the nights I'm staying?
• Is parking available on site, and is it free?
• What's the exact cancellation deadline, and what will I be charged if I cancel after it?

Get those answers in writing before you pay a deposit. A well-run boutique hotel will answer them cheerfully and quickly — and how they handle the questions is often a good indication of how they'll handle your stay.