Praa Sands
Bodeeve
From £250 per night
Situated just off the beach, Bodeeve is a tasteful property with panoramic sea views over Praa Sands, across the Atlantic…
Praa Sands
Praa Sands is one long sweep of soft, white sand and rolling surf, the kind of beach you can stretch out on all day or stroll from end to end as the light shifts. It’s a proper family favourite, with space to spread out, easy parking and a laid-back beach café just steps from the sea.
Praa Sands – no frills, just good waves, wide skies, and the quiet buzz of a spot that locals love too
Praa Sands sits on Cornwall’s south coast between Penzance and Helston: a mile of sand backed by grassy dunes, with a headland at either end. There’s no big town here, just a café or two, a shop and a whole lot of beach and that’s exactly the appeal. Days are simple: swim, surf, walk, repeat.
Getting your bearings in Praa Sands
The beach faces south-west across Mount’s Bay, so it catches the sun for most of the day. The car parks and café are at the western end, and our holiday cottages in Praa Sands are just a short stroll from the sand. Walk east and things get quieter, until you reach the rocks below Rinsey Head and the coast path beyond.
Keep going and you’ll reach Porthleven, a pretty harbour town about four miles along the coast, or around ten minutes in the car. It’s packed with brilliant places to eat and hosts a much-loved food festival every spring.
A few miles inland, our homes in Relubbus offer a different pace. It’s a small village on the River Hayle, surrounded by farmland and old mining country, and it makes a peaceful base just a short drive from the sand, with the north and south coasts both within easy reach.
- A mile of soft sand, with lifeguards through the summer season
- The South West Coast Path on the doorstep, heading east to Rinsey and Porthleven and West towards St Michael’s Mount
- Spacious homes in riverside Relubbus, ideal for bigger families and groups
What makes Praa Sands special…
A small connected community
Praa Sands is one long sweep of soft, white sand and rolling surf — the kind of beach you can stretch out on all day or stroll from end to end as the light shifts. It’s a proper family favourite, with space to spread out, easy parking, and a laid-back beach café just steps from the sea.
Things we love in Praa Sands
Wheal Prosper and Rinsey Cove
A clifftop engine house and a tucked-away cove, a gentle walk east along the coast path.
Global Boarders
Friendly surf lessons right on the beach – great for first-timers and families.
The Welloe
Homemade pizzas, mussels and their famous chowder, right above the beach. Dogs welcome too.
Godolphin
National Trust gardens, woodland and riverside walks along the Hayle, just up the road from Relubbus.
Frequently asked questions
Most locals say “Prar Sands”, though “Pray Sands” is also common, and both are accepted. The name comes from the Cornish for “pool of the wrasse”, a type of fish.
Porthleven is about four miles east of Praa Sands along the coast – around ten minutes in the car, or a beautiful clifftop walk on the South West Coast Path past the old engine houses at Rinsey.
Yes. RNLI lifeguards patrol the main beach from 10am to 6pm through the season: Easter, daily from early May to late September, and at weekends in October. Always swim between the red and yellow flags.
Yes. Dogs are welcome on the beach for most of the year, with a daytime restriction from 10am to 6pm in July and August. Early mornings and evenings are perfect for a beach walk then, and the coast path is lovely for dogs all year round.
Yes, it’s a proper family favourite. There’s a mile of soft sand to spread out on, shallows for paddling, rock pools at either end and lifeguards through the summer. Older children can try surf lessons or coasteering, and there’s food and drink right by the beach.
Yes. When there’s swell, Praa Sands is a reliable surf spot, and it’s popular with beginners and experienced surfers alike. Global Boarders run surf lessons right on the beach, and on calmer days the shallows are great for bodyboarding and paddling.
Yes. There are car parks at the western end of the beach, close to the café and the slipway onto the sand. Many of our Praa Sands homes have their own parking too.
The Welloe sits right above the beach, serving breakfast, homemade pizzas, mussels and their famous chowder, and dogs are welcome. There’s also a café and a shop in the village, and Porthleven, just along the coast, is packed with great places to eat.
Praa Sands is a mile-long beach on Cornwall’s south coast, between Penzance and Helston. Porthleven is about four miles east along the coast, St Michael’s Mount is a short drive west, and the village of Relubbus is a few miles inland.
Relubbus is a small village on the River Hayle, a few miles inland from Praa Sands. It’s a peaceful countryside base, with the beaches of both the north and south coasts within easy reach.
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