Oct-2014
Review: Pure Style and Serenity at The Scarlet, Cornwall
“Being located on the edge of a cliff in Cornwall isn’t the best place for a mobile signal… a nice stroll to the top of the hill normally does the trick”.
The information book in my room confirmed that signal is hard to come by here. But you sense that’s just the way The Scarlet hotel and their guests like it.
There’s free WiFi of course, for those who really need to be ‘connected’, but this hotel is all about escaping, unplugging, switching off.
Right now is a case in point. I’m sat in a personal, Nordic-style wooden hot tub under the stars. I’m overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the sun has just set behind the cliffs of Mawgan Porth and I can hear nothing but the hum of the waves on the beach below. I don’t want anything to interrupt me. Oh, apart from Matt, the spa host, who places a cold lager on the tub’s drinks shelf for me. I don’t mind those kind of interruptions.
A Nordic hot tub at Scarlet
It’s a real pinch yourself moment, one you could almost feel guilty about. But with The Scarlet’s impressive Eco philosophy, your conscience is always clear.
I reluctantly leave the steaming hot tub and follow the spot lights past the natural pool (too nippy at this time!) and back inside the spa. I hang a while in the relaxation room. Actually hang. I’m inside a suspended pod, just taking in the soothing silence.
Moving through the rest of the hotel, while not quite silence, there’s an overriding sense of calm felt everywhere. The Scarlet is so serene it’s like the coolest, funkiest monastery ever, complete with a ‘cloister’ garden in the centre of its striking design. And what a design.
Don’t think for one moment that burning joss sticks and an obsession with the environment makes for a Cornwall hippy retreat.
With huge glass windows, curved lines and contemporary art, this resembles a hotel of the future. A stylish, sustainable future.
Beautiful sunset views over Mawgan Porth from The Scarlet
In my room I feel a little like one of the Jetsons. High up with cliff-edge views, it’s all minimalist designer furniture and open plan layouts, with clever use of curved walls to separate the bed from the lounge area from the walk-in rain shower. But this Jetson is so relaxed he decides it’s time to turn in.
So I switch my lighting settings from Ambient to Relaxed to Night, just because I can, and then sink slowly into my huge bed. The only thing hurried in The Scarlet, is the rush to come back.
This hotel review featured in LateRooms.com’s book 52 Sleeps – an amazing hotel stay for every week of the year. You can download it here.