Where to stay for a wedding in Rock and Padstow

North Cornwall is a holiday coast, so there is plenty of accommodation, and in summer plenty of competition for it. Sorting out where guests will stay is one of the first jobs after booking the venue, not one of the last.

Rock, Trebetherick and Polzeath

Staying on the Rock side keeps everyone close to the estuary, the dunes and St Enodoc. The area has a few established hotels, including the St Enodoc Hotel in Rock and the St Moritz Hotel at Trebetherick, plus a large stock of holiday houses, many of them big enough for a family group. Polzeath, round the headland on the surf beach, adds more holiday lets and campsites.

Padstow

Padstow has the widest choice: hotels, inns, guest houses and holiday cottages in and around the harbour, with restaurants and pubs on the doorstep. Guests staying here can cross to Rock on the ferry during the day. Late at night it's a half-hour drive round by road, so plan transport home.

Wadebridge and inland

The market town of Wadebridge, at the head of the estuary, is around fifteen minutes' drive from Rock. It often has better availability and lower prices than the coast in peak season. Farm cottages, B&Bs and glamping sites in the countryside around St Minver, St Kew and St Mabyn are another good option, especially for a field or farm wedding nearby.

Booking for a wedding party

• Tell guests early. Send the date and an accommodation note with the save-the-dates, not the invitations.
• Expect minimum stays. In school holidays many holiday lets only take week-long bookings, often Saturday to Saturday. Shoulder-season and midweek weddings are much easier.
• Consider a block booking. Hotels may hold a group of rooms for a set period. Large holiday houses can be shared by groups of friends.
• Mention camping and glamping. For younger guests, a campsite or glamping site near the venue can be the best-value and most fun option.
• Share a map. Mark the venue, the main accommodation, the ferry and parking, and include taxi and transport arrangements.

Next: how guests get to Rock.