Dominique G.
Yelp
This is an attractive hotel with an excellent location on the coastal path. It is a lovely building, sprawling across many floors on the hill. However, it is let down by trying too hard to appear to be a spa haven, rather than creating a place for real people, as well as some facilities issues.
It claims to have no reception, although in practice there is one, just with the desk hidden behind a wall in a cubby hole. They also claim to have mandatory valet parking, except this doesn't work in practice. Inevitably, not all guests return their keys when they use their car mid-stay, resulting in cars getting blocked in and the hotel staff being utterly powerless to fix it. This meant we had to squeeze six people into one car after a 11 mile hike along the coast. The hotel gives the illusion of efficiency and competence, of having everything on hand, but falls down when it comes to delivery. This is a theme.
In terms of facilities, I was surprised that there was no actual fitness provision aside from the tiny yoga room and small pool. When trying to check out, we found the lift was broken, so we had to carry all our bags up several floors. Most annoyingly, however, on the second day we were there, the fire door leading to the garden broke, trapping me in the garden after I'd been for a run. The call button didn't work, and I had to re-enter through the restaurant, sweaty after a morning run, disturbing other guests' breakfast. Amusingly, the alternative door the duty manager told me I could have used to get back in proved to only open from the inside and locked us out the following morning. We later saw dog walkers and other guests get locked out by the same door. It is definitely not a place for anyone who might like to enjoy Cornish sunrises or early morning walks!
In the room, the bathroom and bedroom were open plan, including the lavatory/shower cubicle (an all-in-one installation). It was impossible to get up in the night to use the loo or get a drink of water without disturbing one's partner, and meant that there was very little privacy to use the loo. Again, the hotel puts style over substance.
The restaurant, which is open to anyone who wants to book, does pretty good food. The pecan pie was yummy! However, the root vegetable tart was unnecessarily deconstructed, with a much over-salted topping, and the Welsh rarebit at breakfast had an unpleasant texture (finely diced fried egg white under the cheese) and the mustard atop it was overwhelming. They also suffer from "food on boards" syndrome. Plus the food is surprisingly unhealthy. It's a real challenge to get more than a single vegetable portion over a three-course dinner, or much fruit (unless one very much likes Braeburn apples, which are displayed on various plates around the hotel).
I have stayed at other hotels in Cornwall with similar views and facilities that offer a better experience, but if you want to be in this particular area and are happy to take the hotel's promises with a pinch of salt, you could do far worse.
