Games Room

Cornwall has some of the best weather in England, but “best in England” is a low bar. A games room is rainy-day insurance for a Cornish group holiday. The pool table, the table tennis, the consoles and the board games are what bridges the gap between the cliff-walk plan and the actual day-three weather forecast. For groups especially — 8 to 14 people in a cottage, multiple generations, kids and teenagers and adults all wanting different things — a games room solves the rainy afternoon problem before it becomes anyone’s responsibility to solve.

Almost all of our properties supply board games and a table, but the real “games room” has three things. A dedicated space (often a separate room or building with its own walls, own door, own purpose — not “pool table at one end of the open-plan dining room”). And multiple games that all actually function (a 7-foot or full-size pool table, table tennis with real clearance, ideally a console hooked up to a TV, a dartboard if there’s room). And enough space to play them properly — plenty of cue clearance on every side of the pool table; a fold-down table tennis table that fills the whole room when extended isn’t great either. Each cottage page describes the games room setup with photos so you can see whether the room and equipment work for your group.

The typical setup at the cottages on this list. Pool table — almost always; usually 7-foot UK eight-ball, occasionally full-size 8-foot American. Table tennis — frequently, often fold-down for storage flexibility. Console gaming — increasingly common, typically a Playstation or Xbox.  Dartboards, air hockey, table football are becoming more common in properties, popular with kids. Bar setup — some of the larger properties have proper bar areas with beer fridges and glassware. Each property page lists what’s actually in the room.

The games room is what turns a wet day into a “let’s just stay in” day rather than a “what are we going to do” day. Late evenings — after the kids are in bed, when the adults want to keep going with a glass of wine; the games room is also typically the only room in the cottage where you can play music and shout without waking anyone. Multi-generational gaps — when the grandparents want quiet, the kids want stimulation, and the parents want a break from being the entertainment coordinators. The games room buys all three groups what they need without anyone having to leave the house.

A few practical notes. Games rooms are concentrated in the larger properties — 8 to 14 sleepers, typically £3,000+ a week, almost always at the upper end of the inventory. There are exceptions (a few 6-sleeper cottages have small games rooms) but the feature really earns its space in the bigger houses.  What is always supplied: pool cues, balls, chalk, table-tennis bats, basic dart equipment and board games. Soundproofing varies — most games rooms are in outbuildings, basements, or far-from-bedroom annexes specifically because they’re loud at midnight; check the property page if late-night play matters. Cross-list with: Large Holiday Homes, Family-Friendly, Hot Tubs & Pools — the games-room cottages overlap heavily with all three.