I’ve known about The Scarlet Hotel for some time as it’s right next to the sprawling but very lovely Bedruthan Steps Hotel & Spa  in Mawgan Porth in Cornwall.

When we were there last year, we said to each other that by hook or by crook we would endeavour to visit The Scarlet Hotel as it seemed so idyllic – and that was just from the outside looking in. Every time we walked down the cliffside path to go down to the Bay, we walked past the Scarlet’s hot tubs and seriously envied the insouciant couples chillaxing in the hot bubbles with their glasses of champagne.

Having spent the last zillion or so years ‘doing holidays’ with children, adult-only hotels were not really on our radar. Whereas the Bedruthan is a family hotel in every sense of the word, its sister hotel The Scarlet  is the complete opposite. It’s a hotel where it’s all about you!

When you walk in you are immediately aware of the huge wall of glass, the trompe d’oeil infinity pool and the incredible view over the Bay. Then you notice that there’s something missing as there’s no Reception Desk to speak of. Instead as if by magic, someone walks out to greet you – just as if you were visiting friends for the weekend! And that feeling carries on the whole time you are there really. The staff don’t wear uniforms as such and are informally dressed in varying shades of grey, mushroom, taupe and black. The lady who met us at the door and showed us up to our room was wearing floaty ’round-the-house’ kind of trousers with a coordinating top. She looked relaxed and ‘at home’ and it reinforced the feeling of being in someone’s house albeit an uber-stylish one!

Our room, without doubt, had the real Wow-Factor – from the stylish, contemporary fittings & furniture to the stunning, panoramic view through the almost entirely glass window wall. There was literally nothing I could possibly fault with the room. It was flooded with light and everything was perfect. The main bathroom was massive and even had it’s own little private patio garden outside providing an interesting view through the window when you’re going about your ‘business’. We even had a separate bath in the room – one of those ‘no taps at the end’ sorts which makes for much more comfortable baths-a-deux.

There are a few different room types in The Scarlet and ours was called a Spacious .The others are Just Right, Generous, Unique & finally Indulgent. As you can see from the pics, even the lower-priced rooms are ‘just right’.

There’s something beautiful and unique to see around every corner of The Scarlet – original artwork and sculptures are in abundance and I found myself going mad with my camera clicking and taking pics left, right and centre. I’ve got a feeling that an awful lot of the artists displayed there get ‘googled’ whilst guests are still at The Scarlet and end up with sales as a result.

We loved The Scarlet Restaurant  with its breathtaking views. Virtually all the seats were cleverly angled so we could both enjoy the view whilst we were eating. Breakfast was a relaxed affair served at the table over a leisurely 3 courses with plentiful good, hot coffee and a fresh Cornish, cloudy apple juice. It was really rather nice not having to get up and down from the table to go and choose food from a breakfast buffet.

On this occasion we didn’t get the chance to visit The Scarlet Spa  but as Mr. C has promised we can go to The Scarlet again, I don’t feel too short-changed as I know I’ll ‘do’ The Spa on our next vsit and to be honest, I can’t wait.