The Craft House

Adults-only accommodation in Plymouth, with 15 rooms and a straightforward city-hotel feel. The Craft House suits you if your idea of a useful evening is a proper shower, something to eat, a drink at the bar and a comfortable bed rather than a programme of resort entertainment.

The setting works particularly well for a short diving break or a town-based stay. You can return to a private bathroom with a walk-in shower, settle on the terrace or in the outdoor seating area, and keep the evening simple. There is free Wi-Fi throughout, along with a coffee house, bar and snack bar for the moments when a full meal feels like overkill.

Children are not allowed, and check-in is for guests aged 18 or over. That keeps the house firmly adult in character.

You will find the hotel at 5 Elliot Street in Plymouth, near the Barbican. Plymouth Hoe is a four-minute walk away, and Plymouth Pavilions is about 500 metres from the door. This is a proper town location, not a property marooned beyond the last roundabout.

Devil's Point Beach is about 1.3 miles away on foot. Kingsand and Cawsand beaches are further out, at roughly 4.4 and 4.6 miles by foot respectively, so a car or other transport makes more sense for those outings. Plymouth Railway Station is about 1 mile away on foot.

For air travel, Newquay Cornwall Airport is about 47 miles away. The surrounding streets give you several places to eat and drink, including Everest Spice, Maritimo and Ocean City Coffee & Ice Cream, all within roughly a mile.

The room choice matters here, particularly if you are travelling as a couple. The Superior King Room is the one to consider when you want more space to spread out after a day in a wetsuit, while the smaller double rooms keep things more compact. Single rooms are designed for one person, and there is also a twin option if separate beds are part of the plan.

Every room has a private bathroom, shower, toiletries, towels and a hairdryer. That walk-in shower is the useful detail: no elaborate ceremony, just somewhere to rinse off and get ready for dinner. A desk, flat-screen TV, radio, alarm clock and a power socket beside the bed cover the practical basics, while free Wi-Fi works across the hotel.

Heating and a fan are available for adjusting the room to your liking. The property is non-smoking, and upper floors are reached by stairs only, so the room location is worth considering if stairs are not your favourite post-dive exercise.

Breakfast comes in three familiar forms: buffet, à la carte and continental. That gives you a choice between getting moving efficiently and taking a slower start before heading out for the day. No heroic breakfast claims are needed; the useful point is having more than one format available.

Dinner is served at The Walrus Plymouth, whose menu is British. It gives you an in-house option when you would rather not go looking for food after a long day, with the bar and lounge area ready for the drink that usually follows it.

For lighter requirements, there is a coffee house and a snack bar. Special-diet menus are available on request, and wine or champagne can also be ordered. The hotel does not list continuous snacking or room service, so plan on the bar, snack counter or nearby Plymouth restaurants according to the size of your appetite.

The terrace and outdoor seating area give you somewhere to sit outside without turning relaxation into a formal activity. After dinner, the bar and lounge are the natural landing point, while board games and puzzles offer a low-effort alternative when the weather has done what British weather occasionally does.

If you still have energy in your legs, hiking and cycling are available away from the property. Plymouth Hoe is close by for a walk, and the city setting also makes cultural excursions practical rather than theoretical. Archer Place is about 0.7 miles away, while Drakes Place is roughly 1.2 miles away on foot.

This is a place for fitting an outing around your day, not for filling every hour with hotel-run activities. You can take a short walk, find a drink, return to the terrace and call it a successful evening.

Check-in runs from 15:00 to 21:00, and you need to tell the property your expected arrival time. A photo ID and a credit card are required at check-in. Private check-in and check-out are available, and luggage storage is useful if your travel times do not line up neatly with the room.

Check-out is by 11:00. Payment is by card, as cash is not accepted. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, daily housekeeping is included, and full-day security covers the property. The hotel also has meeting rooms if your trip mixes diving with work or a small gathering.

The upper floors are accessible by stairs only. Newquay Cornwall Airport is about 47 miles away, so allow time for the road journey when arranging your arrival. The central Plymouth position makes the railway station, waterfront and nearby food options more practical than they would be at a remote coastal address.