Sister act for all seasons in Cornwall

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10 April 2012

Sometimes in life you have to compromise — and occasionally that compromise can turn out better than expected.

Still charmed by Cornwall after an idyllic visit at the start of the summer, we were keen to return.

The Scarlet, a new eco-chic hotel which
quietly opened this month in Mawgan Porth, near Newquay, seemed the perfect opportunity to go back, except for one thing: it doesn't accept children under 12.

With a five-year-old in tow, the hotel's solution — and a new kind of holiday idea it is keen to foster — was to take a grandparent to stay at the sister hotel, the family-friendly Bedruthan Steps, while we parents chill out at the new pad next door.

So far so good, until the grand-parent in question was unwell so we decided to compromise: we would all stay at the Bedruthan Steps and visit the Scarlet without our daughter, Maya.

We rolled up at Bedruthan Steps late on a Friday night. It was dark and we were tired and a bit grumpy, so those first impressions weren't the best — it reminded me of a slightly old-fashioned Sixties seaside hotel I used to stay in as a child on the Isle of Wight.

But the next morning the world was a better place: we drew back the curtains to be met with a view of windswept, sandy Mawgan Porth beach under a bright sun.

This part of the country seems to have an almost magical light, where colours look more vivid — clearly the reason why so many artists flock here.

And so do surfers — whenever you look down to the sea there are black dots of surfers bobbing about like seals (the hotel has its own surf coach).

We weren't staying in the main hotel but in newly refurbished villa rooms with Ikea furniture, modern bathrooms, a stylish slate terrace and easy access to the outdoor play area.

Maya couldn't believe her luck — a large trampoline, playhouses, a mini-assault course, wooden ships and ice-cream vans to play on and pretty greeny-blue seals and dophins to ride (all wooden, I should add).

We spent a lot of time here along with mainly middle-class dads obviously on weekend duty while the mums indulged at the Ocean spa or did laps in the indoor pool.

Later that day I took Maya for afternoon tea. This was popular, to say the least. The room was filled with parents trying to spoon-feed their children ("Arabella, you have been chewing that mouthful for 15 minutes!") pasta, chicken, sandwiches, cakes and fruit.

Unfortunately, Maya turned her nose up at whatever I brought her but deigned to eat jelly and iced fairy cakes (sophistication with a sweet tooth).

After tea there was entertainment laid on in the form of a magician pulling magic beads from ears and so on.

Perhaps a little pedestrian in his Tommy Cooper-esque fez for the parents but the children clearly loved him.

Then it was our turn. A cuddly granny (her secret weapon was a pink Nintendo in her handbag) from the village came to babysit Maya so we navigated the steep path down to The Scarlet for dinner.

You can't accuse the hotel of not making the most of its stunning position overlooking the Atlantic — as you walk into the lobby (no clunky reception desk with faxes and phones, more a lounge area/gallery with funky, brightly coloured patterned furniture) a huge floor-to-ceiling window looks out to sea. All around are dotted artworks by local artists.

In the restaurant a naked man made from bark hangs his head sheepishly as you go to your table.

He needn't, as the food is very good. Locally sourced head chef Ben Tunnicliffe created dishes to match his Michelin star: ravioli of pork with black pudding and apple balanced rich and delicate flavours while the local Mylor prawn and mussel risotto with salsa verde and pan-fried fillet of brill was voted excellent.

After dinner we returned to Bedruthan but the next morning while Maya and her dad braved the outdoor pools (one heated, one not ...) I returned to Scarlet for a nose around and to use the spa.

Eco-chic is an overused phrase but here the green credentials are seemlessly blended into the hotel with style and thought by owners Rebecca and Emma Stratton (daughters of the founders of Bedruthan Steps).

It's all in the detail: in the top-end rooms, pretty steps made of bamboo lead up to "crows' nest" pods with giant new-agey bean bags.

In the spa, two beautiful benches shaped to follow the curve of the wall have been carved from oak by local carpenters.

There are no square rooms (aside from an unfinished Pilates studio) — all around are pleasing curves and shaped walls. The outdoor hot tubs, fired by wood, look like bright red breakfast bowls.

The owners believe that no 60-minute spa treatment can do that much and so guests are offered "journeys", some of up to four hours. You couldn't do that with a child in tow.

I had a Voya Anti-Ageing facial, using hand-harvested seaweed strips from the west coast of Ireland, in a tented treatment room. My skin ended up clean and glowing.

The relaxation room has new-agey groups of suspended pods — imagine small, swaying teepees filled with cushions. Inside they are dark and the swinging sensation when I climbed inside made me want to sleep.

I suggested that they market small ones for sleepless babies. Perhaps they could trial them at Bedruthan Steps ...

The two hotels are sisters — but as with all siblings, there are similarities and differences: the eco themes evident at Bedruthan Steps (grass growing on the roofs), which won Green Hotel of the Year award in 2008, can be more lavishly developed and indulged at the five-star Scarlet.

Bedruthan Steps is comfier, though has a certain chaos — you might see paint peeling — but it works.

Perhaps it's like comparing the houses of people with children and those without. I just hope I don't have to wait until Maya is 12 before I can return.

Way to go

The Scarlet
Doubles from £180 B&B. An introductory offer of 50 per cent off midweek stays runs until 11 March 2010, subject to availability. 01637 861800,
www.scarlethotel.co.uk.

Bedruthan Steps
Doubles from £154 B&B (01637 860555,
www.bedruthan.com). Children up to age 12 pay between 24 and 67 per cent of the adult room rate half-board, when sharing.

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