Review of the Scarlet Hotel, Cornwall

The Scarlet Hotel is a luxury hotel with spa by the beautiful sandy beach at Mawgan Porth, North Cornwall.

>> To check availability and book a room, see our full listing of the Scarlet Hotel.

The majority of rooms have a balcony or access to the gardensThe Rooms
The 37 rooms come in five types – all have views of the sea and most have a bath and shower. . The ‘Unique’ rooms have their own garden and a spiral staircase leading up to a roof-top lounge or ‘pod’. The ‘Indulgent’ rooms have a circular central seating area and large balcony. The large reception, lounge and restaurant all have huge glass frontages with sea views and wall hangings/paintings by local artists.

The Food
The focus is on seasonal and mostly local produce served in a modern open plan restaurant with wonderful sea views. Check the hotel’s website for seasonal variations in the menu - in autumn the dishes include St Austell Scallops or red mullet for starter, and mains choice of venison, brill, skate or potato and truffle torte followed by hot chocolate soufflé and mulled cider jelly.

The beautiful wide sandy beach at Mawgan PorthThe activities
There’s a decent sized indoor pool as well as a wonderful outdoor natural swimming pool overlooking the sea and with adjacent log-fired hot tubs on the cliffside. Complimentary yoga/dance classes are held most mornings from 8-9.30am and there’s an Ayurvedic-inspired spa in the hotel. It’s just a few minutes (though fairly steep) walk down to the gorgeous wide sandy beach. The more adventurous can continue along the coastal footpath, there’s horse-riding on the beach at Perranporth, deep sea fishing (or 2hr mackerel fishing) and Mount Pleasant Eco Park at Porthtowan.

What makes the Scarlet a green hotel?
The list of eco credentials incorporated into this new build hotel is impressive. The hotel is heated by a biomass boiler, which runs on waste chips from a local company, there's a natural ventilation system and heat-exchangers in the rooms, evacuated tube solar water heating (solar panels) heat the indoor pool and any excess is used to top up supplies which heat the hotel, there are movement sensors on lights in all corridors (and washrooms), and there’s comprehensive recycling of plastic, cans, paper and glass. The natural pool does not use chemical cleaning products, instead it is filtered only by a reed bed. Discount for guests arriving by public transport.

Getting there
The nearest train station is Bodmin Parkway from where it is a 25-30 minute taxi ride to the hotel. I booked with a local biodiesel taxi firm (www.biotravel.co.uk, tel 01637 880006), which cost about £30 one way. Bodmin Parkway is on the London to Penzance Overnight Sleeper Train service and on the Edinburgh-Penzance (book tickets here) day train service (there are three a day) via Newcastle, Durham, York, Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Bristol, and Exeter. Cyclists are provided a secure, under cover storage area, and there’s a packed lunch service available and lots of info for local routes and cycle shops. For those arriving by electric car, there is a free electric charging point.

The open plan restaurant has magnificent sea viewsTop Tip
Go for a window seat in the restaurant for the wonder sea views, particularly if there’s a good sunset, and if you’re having a weekend away with your loved one, bag the cosy – and more private – alcove.  Plus, if you want to go swimming in the sea but are unsure where to go, there’s a wild swimming expert on hand who takes guided swims along the coast’s beautiful coastline, conditions permitting (contact Nick Tiscoe, www.thesurfclubcornwall.co.uk, 01637 861200 ext.2080).

Verdict
The Scarlet is perfect for that special indulgent break. The quality of food and service is of a very high standard and it’s great for couples (its nearby sister hotel, Bedruthan Steps, is the one to go for families). Also, they’ve set their stall out to be green and while lots of luxury hotels are jumping on the eco bandwagon, the Scarlet is the real deal. In my opinion it sets the standard for eco-friendly luxury in the UK. 

To check availability and book a room, see our full listing of the Scarlet Hotel.

The huge glass frontages at the Scarlet make the most of the light and sea views