Cornwalls Top 5 Family Friendly Resorts

If you really want to discover the best of Cornwall's coastline, then you probably need to start with one of the big five; St Ives, St Mawes, Carbis Bay, Bude and Newquay. Whilst the first three are ideal for family holidays by the sea, the last two are a Mecca for the surfing crowd, with or without kids.

Each of these family friendly South West resorts brings its own unique combination of seaside attributes to the table, be it scenery, sand variety, beach facilities, social scene or blissful solitude. The one you decide on simply depends on what you define as the key ingredient to a magical holiday.

Take the surfing kingdoms of Newquay and Bude for instance. Both these resorts are on Cornwall's majestic North Atlantic Coast, which by the way, has a wonderfully mild subtropical climate thanks to the Gulf Stream that graces its shores with warm currents. Both offer superb surfing beaches in all sizes and varieties with a combination of excellent facilities, bars, surf schools and accommodation. They even promise equally reliable waves on their numerous beaches that conveniently suit all levels and ages from beginners to hardened professionals.

The main difference between them is their size and commercial development. This is mostly due to the fact that Bude was established a little later than Newquay and that it has no airport, so it has dodged the large-scale development that Newquay has undergone in the last three decades. The vibe in Bude is more low key, which is not to say better. Newquay is well known for its colourful social scene and family friendliness and it's quite easy to escape the crowds by avoiding the main resort beaches such as the hugely popular Fistral Beach.

Instead you can head for the many other stunning alternatives like Crantock Bay or Lusty Gaze, especially if you are a novice surfer and can't bare the public humiliation of setting a new record in wipe-outs. Bude also caters for the novices on beaches with a sparser, more forgiving crowd, for example on the beaches of Crooklets and Sandymouth.

For those who haven't decided on the theme to their holiday, or perhaps want it to be an all-encompassing experience with a bit of everything thrown in, then it has to be St Ives. Here there is so much going on, in terms of general buzz, culture and surrounding natural beauty that every member of the holiday party will have their needs met. The young families can tour the numerous bays and beaches and enjoy all the nearby entertainment on offer, whilst the culture vultures can stay in town to soak up the unlimited creativity and history that surrounds the main harbour beach, which is also very family friendly.

The surfers can head to either Gwithian Beach or Hayle Beach and literally choose what level of wave they require by moving up or down the opposite ends of each of each beach. And if you're a foodie, you'll love the many gourmet restaurants that line the Med-like waterfront and which serve only the best seafood and the freshest local farmers' produce.

For those who want a calmer scene and more natural surroundings without the surfing element then next door lies the fabulous resort of Carbis Bay. Some consider Carbis Bay to be a continuation of St Ives but it is very much an entity in its own right and talked about as one of the world's most beautiful beaches. It has a wild feel about it thanks to its dunes and crystal clear water, but it has also been furnished with extremely tasteful housing, beach facilities and idyllic subtropical gardens. It is actually a private beach, which goes towards explaining its un-spoilt quality. That said, if you're looking for nightlife there isn't much going on here. Though if you should you need a bit of action you are a mere stone's throw away from the cosmopolitan centre of St Ives.

Now our definitive list of Cornwall family friendly resorts has to include a destination from the South Coast. And St Mawes makes the list with flying colours, especially if you like the whole sailing crowd thing. St Mawes is one of those quaint and picturesque Cornish ports lined with white-washed cottages, charming pubs, manicured gardens, its own lighthouse, fort ruins and much more. It has an intoxicating allure that draws in the glitterati because it is undeniably chic.

To top it off it is part of the Roseland Heritage Coastline, where a mix of rivers, the sea and the iconic waterways of Carrick Roads converge to form an incredible backdrop that is surrounded by other fabulous resorts. These can be accessed easily by road or by river boat and include the likes of Falmouth and Portscatho. There are many beaches here too, the closest to St Mawes being those on the banks of the Carrick Roads which are pebble and shingle but are well sheltered, scenic and make for spectacular sunset viewing.

If you have to have sand then the east side of the peninsula offers many sandy beaches, which receive the blazing morning sun. So you can start on the sandy beaches in the morning, lunch at St Mawes harbour then head for the afternoon sun and sunsets along Carrick Roads' shores.

So what will it be? The wild Atlantic Ocean resorts frequented by the surfer dudes, or the calmer, protected seas of the chic sailing crowd? For me the only choice was to do all of them!