Tresco Island
A Scilly island leased from the Duchy of Cornwall and run by one family for five generations.
Tresco is one of the Isles of Scilly, off the south-west tip of England, reached by helicopter, plane or ferry to St Mary's and then boat. It has been leased from the Duchy of Cornwall by the Dorrien-Smith family since 1834 and is run as a single estate: no cars, a resident community of about 150, a farm, a pub and the Abbey Garden, a subtropical garden that survives on the Gulf Stream where nothing else in Britain would.
Accommodation is an inn, a set of cottages and a spa rather than a hotel — this register files it in the Extended Index because it is an estate with lettings, not a resort, and comparing it to one would misdescribe both. Guests share the island with residents, day visitors from St Mary's and gardeners.
A subtropical garden at fifty degrees north. The Abbey Garden holds plants that grow nowhere else in Britain, and it is the island's principal reason to exist.
Five generations of one lease. The Dorrien-Smiths have held Tresco since 1834, which makes it one of the longest continuous private-island stewardships anywhere in this register.
Who it is not for
Tresco is wrong for guests expecting hotel service — most stays are self-catering cottages. It is wrong for travellers wanting warmth and reliable weather, since this is the Atlantic edge of England. And it is wrong for anyone seeking privacy, given residents and day visitors. Those wanting a British island hotel should look at Burgh Island or Isle of Eriska.
Sources
- tresco.co.uk — inn, cottages and spa, Duchy of Cornwall lease, Abbey Garden
- Inventory, resident numbers and lease terms unverified. Confirm before publication.
Booking
Private Island Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the island and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
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