I'm another Cornwallphile and have visited once or twice a year since I can remember. My thoughts would be the opposite though - summer now tends to be hellish. It wasn't that long ago that you could spend the morning on the beach (usually Bude or Perranporth) and then head over somewhere for the afternoon (on either North or South Coast). Post Covid you can't get any near the beaches/hotspots in the afternoon - carparks rammed, ton of traffic,streets packed etc. We gave up beach life and get to the towns about 8.30am so we can park easily and escape by about 11.30 when they get unbearably packed.
Last visit was between Christmas and New Year last year. MUCH better - still busy, but not claustrophobic. You could do two or three things in a day, and I was suprised that everything touristy was still open and functioning. Speaking to some of the bar and cafe owners, they are now saying that although it gets quieter there's still enough footfall to justify staying open. We still had to wait for a table in our favourite cafe in St. Ives.......
So personally, I wouldn't live there due to the summer season, but very happy to overwinter if that was possible!
