12 Zinc

The apartment overlooks the golf course, with the sea beyond. If you’re into golf, you can watch players out on the links from dawn until dusk. It’s only about 500 yards to the sea, Fistral beach and Rick Steins chip shop via Headland road, and the Headland hotel is nearby too, with great food and amazing views over the beach. In the other direction, it’s a six-minute walk to a major supermarket, then on to the busy town centre with loads of bars, cafes, surf shops and pretty much any other shop you could want. Add the pretty harbour and streets, and there’s a lot to like. The apartment itself is very nice, with good quality fittings and furniture, and it’s well appointed. Location really is the main thing here.

We’d booked a two-week holiday with our dogs a year ahead, but the owners cancelled just four days before we were due to go, saying they no longer allowed dogs. We were told all the other apartments had made that change well in advance. It left us stressed and scrambling to find somewhere else. We’ve been going to zinc for years and it’s absolutely lovely, but this time their poor organisation ruined the experience for us.

The location was fantastic, and the apartment was well equipped with amazing views. I stayed for a week and generally had a great time, though some areas looked tired and needed maintenance.

Number 11 is a great apartment, with a nice outdoor seating area and an easy walk to fistral beach and town for food and shopping. The downside was £120 in charges because our parking permit wasn’t fully visible, even though we were in the allotted bay inside an underground garage that needs a fob or code to enter. One day we went out and left the permit in the door. It was still visible, but the parking attendant took pictures through every window except the one where the pass could be seen. We didn’t use the car for the next two days and were fined each day. Leave the permit stuck to the screen for your whole stay, or get it enlarged to A3 and laminated so he can see it.