This is without doubt a hotel with some character in a gorgeous setting, however it is fatally flawed by overcharging and the food is just reasonably adequate. To be fair breakfast is not bad - a reasonable choice of freshly cooked food, and fruit, cereal etc. but remember to ask for your eggs well done if you want the white to be less than soggy!
Dinners were very high in butter content with few fresh vegetables, my wife had to ask for extra veg to keep up her daily supply.
For the price and hype ( sea view - if you lean out of the balcony) we went expecting a delight, what we found was just ordinary, and in the context very disappointing.
For £260 per night (more if not a 3 night stay) you expect to be wowed and we were not.
All the touches should be there for that but for example, cotton wool balls - we had to ask to be replenished, there was real coffee in the room, but it was very basic catering blend, again it should have been exquisite.
Overall a disapointment, and not to be recommended

I'd read the reviews in the Mr and Mrs Smith guide and so on and had really high expectations. I took my boyfriend for his 30th birthday.

You wind your way through narrow lanes and it really does seem like you've reached the edge of the world when you get there. Portloe is a lovely little place tucked away in a natural harbour in Cornwall. The Lugger is an old smugglers' inn and I was hoping for something out of Daphne du Maurier.

Perhaps this is just my own personal pet hate but I was really disappointed to find it had plastic windows everywhere. The rest of the decor is fairly chic and this really let the place down. Still, I loved looking out of our window to watch the fishermen bring in the crabs and lobsters. And falling asleep to the sound of lapping waves is marvellous.

The hotel clearly thinks its food is better than it is. The menu is typical of posh hotels but the actual food bordered on bland. The puddings were unremarkable. My pavlova was hard and chewy at the same time. The cheese board has gimmick cheeses like Stinking Bishop, which suggested to me that it had been picked by someone who didn't know anything about cheese. And it was a whopping extra £5.50 per person for cheese (that's instead of pudding)!!!

Breakfast was better than dinner but they don't have home-made marmalade and the orange juice isn't freshly squeezed.

The hotel has a pretty narrow window for dining (7 till 9pm). We, along with everyone else in the hotel, wanted to watch the rugby at 8pm but they weren't showing it in the hotel and we had to drive 2 miles away to somewhere that was. Which meant wolfing our food down. I thought the hotel could have been a bit more prepared for that as all the couples were doing the same thing.

Talking of which, it is full of couples, straight out of the Mr and Mrs Smith book. I think it would have been distinctly odd to have been there on my own or with my mother.

I'm giving it above average because it is a really nice place. Don't bother with the dinner, bed and breakfast thing and make sure you ask for a sea view. Is it worth the money? Well, only you can decide that. There are much cheaper places to stay nearby but they won't be as nice. The sad thing is that the Lugger could be a lot better than it is.

I also had mixed feeling about the Lugger reading the reviews here (found after I had booked).

In summary:
The actual hotel is great. Fab location if you are brave driving through narrow lanes, and no problem to find with Sat Nav.

The Main Shell where the bar/lounge and dining areas are also fabulous and just the right atmosphere. Rather like relaxing on a Sunday afternoon on a comfortable sofa with a good book. Staff were friendly, helpful and chatty. All good things in a small hotel where you want something with a bit of character.

The Rooms. We stayed in one of the best rooms which was off of the car park. The room size was still very small (but it's a 17th Century building so what do you expect!) and I liked the design. The downside is in summer I can imagine hot (no AC of course) and the bathroom was tired, with cracked paint and seemed rather dated. Shower above the bath (a pet hate of mine) but great powerful water (except when flooding the whole bathroom which I did each time!).

It needs a bit of TLC in that area, but to be honest the charm and character of the place suits it fine with a bit of crumbling around the edges. The food was great, the atmosphere warm and welcoming and the views to die for.

I would recommend. I think the room rate (I think ours was around 270 per night with breakfast) probably lead to the most complaints as people compare that to a 5 star hotel with all facilites. I think they charge too much for the rooms as a whole and if they brought down that rate to around 185 per night, it would be on target.

Certainly would return!.

My husband and I were a little nervous about our stay at the Lugger after seeing some of the reviews on tripadvisor but we needn't have worried. The hotel is wonderful. The location is absolutely gorgeous and the rooms are pleasant enough. They are not 5 star but they are clean and the bathrooms are spacious and our room (301) had a lovely terrace which we used a lot. The setting of the hotel is the reason to go there though - it is really stunning and I recommend table 21 for dinner and breakfast. We think it offers the best view for 2 people as you both get to see the sea and eachother! Lovely food, very good choices on the menu each night and breakfast was lovely if a little heavy. Portloe is tiny and the local pub - Ship Inn - was worth it for a quick visit to taste the ale but I wouldnt go again. Bit out of the dark ages and not the cleanest of places....the carpets on the floor were filthy but I guess it is the country so muddy boots are plentiful. Fridge in the room which they fill with soft drinks and water which is great. Only slightly strange moment was the offer or veiled request (which is how it felt)when paying the rather large bill that we leave a tip...you'd rather leave it along the way but it felt very uncomfortable to be asked directly whilst you are being handed the chip and pin machine. We obviously felt obliged to so its a tactic that works everytime I imagine but its not cheap and we were paying £330 per night. It is not a flash hotel by any stretch of the imagination. Minor point though - go if you want to escape it all and recharge (no mobile reception). Dont go if you want to be sociable and stay up drinking in the bar at night.