The Scarlet Hotel is the ultimate in stylish Cornwall spa hotels. Perched on a hill just above Mawgan Porth beach, it is the place to enjoy absolute tranquility in hip, luxurious surroundings.
We stayed for two nights at the neighbouring sister hotel Bedruthan Steps, whose family-focused philosophy is unrivalled, however, our night at The Scarlet was a more grown-up, seductive affair. The most striking difference between the two hotels is that The Scarlet is a kid-free zone, with all facilities targeted to relaxation-seeking adults.
A unique feature of The Scarlet is that the conventional hotel desk and lobby set up is replaced with a casual clip-board check-in on the stylish Missoni sofas. The benefit to this is that the staff can hear when they are needed by guests but aren’t constantly present watching over the guests, which makes the public areas feel more like home. Adjoining the reception room is a bright and airy guest lounge with glossy magazines and views over the bay.
The Scarlet is a leading eco hotel, however, there are no overbearing ethical impositions on the guests. The hotel quietly implements clever green initiatives such as solar panels, grass-covered roofs and harvested rainwater.
The hotel has 37 bedrooms ranging from the cosy and chic Just Right rooms up to the spectacular Indulgent rooms. We stayed at one of the four Indulgent rooms with a large balcony overlooking the sea. The very spacious open-plan suite included a cool circular lounge with a huge round sofa, two flat screen TVs with DVD players, a long desk, free-standing mosaic bath and no less than three full length light wood fitted wardrobes. The Scarlet also offers free wifi in all rooms, so even though we had no mobile phone reception, we were still able to do a bit of work and plan the rest of our trip on the net.
The king-size bed was very luxurious with crisp white linen, attractive blue striped cushions and handy reading lights, although the bed at Bedruthan Steps had the slight edge on all-round comfort.
The bathroom behind a pretty mosaic partition featured double sinks, a large full-length mirror, plenty of fluffy towels and the most gorgeous natural, ayurvedic bathroom amenities by Tri Dosha. A nice touch was the cotton drawstring bag for taking your soap home – another eco brownie point. On the opposite side of the room was the most spectacular walk-in shower, tucked behind an undulating wall curve.
After an outstanding lunch at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall in Watergate Bay, we ambled back along the rugged, hilly coastal path back to the hotel (over an hour’s hike), where a Voya Detox Seaweed outdoor bath on the top of the cliffs was waiting for us. We climbed into the appropriately scarlet log-fired hot tubs (they look like cauldrons) and let the nutrient-infused hot water relax our tired limbs, while sipping on iced water with lime – or champagne, if you wish to retox.
The spa is the highlight of a stay at The Scarlet and facilities include the stunning indoor swimming pool, sauna, hammam, rhassoul, silent treatment zone, meditation room, deep relaxation space with hanging canvas pods and an uplifting relaxation room overlooking the sea. If the weather had been warmer, we would have also tried the outdoor swimming pool filtered naturally by reeds.
The Scarlet also offers complimentary yoga, meditation and dance classes to hotel guests. I was hoping to try the meditation class, but as we soon found out in Cornwall, it takes a while to get from place to place and we didn’t arrive back on time.
For the more active guests, the hotel can arrange an impressive range of outdoor pursuits including surfing lessons, wild swimming, climbing, horse riding, deep sea fishing, kayaking and power boat trips.
Having indulged at lunch, we had a lighter bite outside of the hotel that evening, however, the restaurant at The Scarlet offers a daily-changing three course menu for £42, using seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients. If dining during the day, try the very reasonable two or three course lunch (£18/£22.50) or the decadent three course Sunday Lunch (£25).
The Bar at The Scarlet has a handy 24-hour ‘anytime anywhere’ menu, offering home-made sandwiches, tarts, Welsh Rarebit, Cornish Cream Teas and cakes anytime you feel peckish. We ordered two Indulgent Hot Chocolates which were shortly brought up to our room and drank them on the balcony, watching the waves rolling towards the shore.
While the breakfast at Bedruthan Steps is all about convenience and top quality self-service, The Scarlet breakfast is served to your table over three courses. We enjoyed toast with home-made preserves and a large pain au chocolat, followed by scrumptious Eggs Benedict. The English Breakfast tea and glass bottle of fresh, cloudy Cornish apple juice were the perfect additions, and of course, that perfect floor to ceiling sea view.
The Scarlet Hotel is the perfect weekend break for getting away from it all, whether it’s for an action-packed beach adventure, romantic hideaway or a deeply relaxing spa retreat. With so many excellent facilities, it’s very easy to spend every moment cocooned in The Scarlet… and why not.
Double rooms at The Scarlet start at £190 per room per night, including breakfast and VAT. A Voya Detox Seaweed bath is priced at £35 per bath (for couple or individual) for 45 minutes. For more information and booking, visit: www.scarlethotel.co.uk
Advance single fares from London Paddington to Newquay start at £15 one way. To qualify for the best value tickets and offers buy your ticket in advance. Here’s how you can buy before you board: Online at www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk or telephone 08457 000 125
Chérie City was a guest of The Scarlet Hotel and First Great Western
Photos by Chérie City and The Scarlet Hotel