Praa Sands beach is the stuff of dreams: a mile-long stretch of golden sands, equally suited to bucket and spading, surfing, swimming, sunbathing, rock-pooling at the far reaches under the cliff-top walks, and night fishing. Throughout the summer a lifeguard patrols the beach, and flags highlight the safe swimming areas. Above the beach is the greensward, where you can fly a kite, or play a round of crazy golf. At the southern end of the beach you can hire surfboards and wetsuits, and a beach cafe/shop open in the summer months sells ice creams, postcards and beachwear.

Forget castles in Spain, here you can build real sandcastles in Cornwall. There are pastimes and places to suit all ages.

Let's start with children. Flambards theme village with the aero park (Helston) is always a winner with the kids, but there is also Birdworld (near Cambourne), the Seal and Donkey Sanctuary (at Gweek), and they may be fascinated by the National Trust Engine Houses at Cambourne.

Those with a liking for ancient sites should not miss seeking out Cornwall's neolithic past: the standing stones at Lanyon Quoit, Men an Tol, and the Chysauster Ancient Village. and however over-hyped you may think Land's End is, the sunsets there stick forever in the mind .

Sightseers are spoilt for choice: Mousehole with its tiny picturesque harbour, is a bottleneck not designed for modern cars, but enchanting despite the journey. The Lizard with its walks, coves, and moonscape Goonhilly, and St Michaels Mount, where if you havent guaged your time right to walk out on the causeway a boat will ferry you across. Legends and stories abound round this tiny romantic island, said to have been built by the giant Cormoran who was defeated by the young boy, Jack. A monastery was built on the site in the 8th century and the St Aubyn family have been there since the 17th century.

No one can visit Cornwall without noticing the engine houses and chimney stacks, relics of its tin mining heydey. Mining has been carried out in Cornwall since the 1st century BC and in the 18th century there were 340 mines operating in Cornwall, employing 20% of the population. By the beginning of the 20th century this had all but fallen into abeyance, though there has been a recent drive to revive some. Working mines can be visited at Geevor and Wheal Jane.

Cornwall, across the Tamar, was the refuge of pagan Celts, until it was evangelised by missionaries from Ireland and Wales. Their sites of worship were marked by a celtic cross, stone cairns or primitive chapels. Some 300 crosses can still be found in Cornwall, generally marked by Celtic-Irish knots or interlacing, or a simple carving. The magic of Cornwall lives on...

Surfers will know Praa Sands has been hosting international surfing championships since 1998. But it is not just the professionals and 360ers who surf here, beginners too come here to learn, hiring wet suits and surfboards from the store on the beach, and one end of Praa Sands is reserved for these black seals attempting to ride the waves. Windsurfers too sometimes come in droves to Praa, showing off their prowess on the rolling surf, entertaining lounge lizards on the beach with their skill (more or less).

Walkers will find they have come to the right place. From either end of the beach you can join the National Trust Cornish coastal path, which runs along the clifftops east and west of Praa Sands, taking you eastwards towards Pendeen tin mine (recently restored) and hidden coves, or west, past equally secluded little bays dotted along the coast to Marazion and Mounts Bay, such as nearby Bessie's Cove, and Prussia Cove (named after the pirate John Carter, "King of Prussia" who lured many a merchant ship to the rocks), where "Ladies in Lavender" was filmed. Golfers looking for something more demanding than the putting green on their doorstep by Villa Comino, only need to venture a mile up the road past the Post Office, to find an 18hole golf course, and additonal courses can be found on the Lizard and near St Ives.

There is fishing of all kinds on your doorstep too. You can book a place on a deep sea fishing boat in Penzance to catch mackerel, ling, or anything else the fish finder detects, and take the fish home to eat the profit of the day. Sea fishing from the beach is also popular, and details and bait can be found at Rosudgeon tackle shop a mile from Praa Sands on the A394. Spinning and fly fishing is also well catered for, with reservoirs near St Just, and lakes near Cambourne.

Sailing enthusiasts can enjoy dinghy sailing in the Helford Passage and on Smithians Lakes.

Lapidopterists will enjoy scouring the beaches for sight of amethyst, rose quartz, citrine (found at Praa and more easily in Mounts Bay), and will enjoy finding serpentine, which is particularly plentiful around the Lizard.

Birdwatchers can look out for razorbills, gannets, cormorants, sandpipers, terns, oystercatchers, whitears, stonechats and may even hope to spot a puffin (more easily seen on the Scillies).

Theatre-goers should take advantage of the excellent productions at the Minack Theatre - no stage setting could be more dramatic. But bear in mind it is outdoors and take a rug or jacket.

Art afficianados will be familiar with the Newlyn and St Ives School, which evolved around the late 19th-century artists like Whistler and Sickert,and later Barbara Hepworth and others, all inspired by the spectacular Cornish light and seascape. No trip would be complete without a visit to the Tate Modern. Even if modern art is not your scene, you are sure to enjoy its setting, and afterwards can wander round the cobbled streets of St Ives looking for the man with seven wives.

Keen gardeners will need no encouragement to visit the stunning Eden Centre and Lost gardens of Heligan, well worth the 50minute drive from Praa. But there are also National Trust and other gardens closer to home that are well worth a visit - such as Trewithen, Trelissik, Trenwainton, Godolphin, Lanhydrock, St Michaels Mount... These will also interest anyone who enjoys visiting country houses.

Shopping is a cinch. You can probably find all your immediate needs at the local shops in Praa Sands, such as the Post Office stores (from New World chardonnay to locally made pasties) and nearby farms sell fresh vegetables. But for bigger shopping, supermarkets are at Helston and Penzance , where you will also find excellent bookshops, art supplies, and a lot of the usual high street shops.

Finally another dimension awaits you 30 miles off the coast. If you decide to treat yourself to a day trip on the Scilly Isles, helicopters (30minutes) and ferries (2-3hours) both from Penzance can whisk you off to enthuse at the history of St Mary's, be enthralled by Tresco's tropical luxury of plants and marvel at the west indian style white sand beaches and crystal clear waters.

The only problem you are likely to face from your holiday in West Cornwall at Villa Comino is going to be fitting all the things you want to do into your week or fortnight's stay. No wonder our visitors keep coming back...