IMAGINE sitting in a hot tub and taking in spectacular coastal views — in February.

This is Cornwall and this is the ground-breaking Scarlet, a beautiful eco-friendly hotel sitting atop the village and stunning beach of Mawgan Porth. It may be a mere few miles from its bustling surfer-friendly neighbour Newquay, but The Scarlet feels like a completely different world.

The 37 bedroom hotel has no reception and staff quickly dispense with formalities, letting all focus rest on cosy nooks and crannies and some amazing art — all very in keeping, and which happily adds to the affable feeling that seems to radiate from within.

The owners wanted the hotel to live in harmony with its surroundings and it certainly does that.

Each bedroom has its own private space outside, all have sea views, and unlike in some hotels, you are invited to make yourself at home, but also to freely explore the whole of this incredible landmark building.

We discover the spa, with steam room and an indoor pool area so tranquil you are almost tempted to spend all your time in it, gazing at the view, but that would not do justice to everything else The Scarlet offers.

The beautiful gardens boast an outdoor pool, filtered by reeds and with large granite diving stones. Being simply heated by the sun, we were not brave enough for a dip, but did take advantage of those amazing cliff-top hot tubs.

We were surprised to discover that Lee, who was stoking up the logs to fire our tub, originated from Bolton, and enjoyed a good chat with him while taking in the views.

It was so dangerously windy on the cliffs to Watergate Bay, that wending our way across the beach for a drink in the nearby Merrymoor pub in the village seemed the sensible option. Later, we managed a visit to nearby Padstow, which although seeming to be largely owned by celebrity chef Rick Stein, has not lost any of its quaintness or charm.

But it was the hotel that provided the real treats. Our room was wonderful — completely open-plan with an incredibly comfortable bed and feather duvet, two flat screen televisions, various sofas, a freestanding bath, monsoon shower and huge amounts of storage space. We almost found it difficult to tear ourselves away. Almost, but not quite.

The restaurant and bar areas manage to avoid the stuffiness of many hotels with windswept walkers enjoying a hot drink while happily sinking down into the plush sofas.

The restaurant, headed up by Michelin award-winning chef, Ben Tunnicliffe, serves sophisticated, robust food that is surprising but never pretentious and menus change daily to make full use of what is available locally and seasonally.

As well as the full English option, breakfasts at the Scarlet include specials which change daily (devilled kidneys were a big hit during our stay) but options such as home-made granola, poached pears and yoghurt made it easy to start the day in a healthy way.

Our evening meal paid homage to its setting with both lobster and brill featuring for my partner, and butternut squash ravioli followed by pea shoot risotto for me. The wine list is sensibly short, reasonably priced and primarily European. Not having a hugely sweet tooth, our last course was a triumph for me in particular — homemade digestive biscuits with three local cheeses, each matched up with a different type of port. That certainly made for a memorable ending.

Afterwards, in the library, armed with a whisky and a Bailey’s, after a game of pool, we delighted ourselves with tales of smugglers and wreckers; not hard to believe on this coast peering into the dark as the salt spray from gale-force winds and a high tide pounded the rocks below.

In the morning, after a great night’s sleep, we took advantage of the excellent spa facilities, choosing a Rasul treatment for two, where, after exfoliating thoroughly, you are covered in the special, very messy mud, sit back and let the steam pod go through its various heat stages. After feeling like you’ve actually been oven-baked, shower it off to reveal truly butter-soft skin. Bliss.

The recovery area is lit by lanterns with pods swinging from the ceiling, but once you’ve climbed in and curled up, you feel like you never want to get out. As one of the comments in the guest book said: “One night at The Scarlet feels like a week at a health farm.” We couldn’t disagree.

Factfile:

Scarlet Hotel Ltd, Tredragon Road, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall, TR8 4DG

Tel:01637 861800 or email stay@scarlethotel.co.uk

Prices start from £180 bed and breakfast or £230 dinner and b&b in low season, £230 b&b or £275 dinner and b&b in mid season, £270 b&b or £315 dinner and b&b in high season.