St Moritz, Cornwall
The St Moritz, a newly built 48-bedroom hotel and apartment complex, looks as if it's been plucked from the palmfringed avenues of Miami's South Beach and set down near the most fashionable bit of Cornwall that it could find. But although Rick Stein's freshly refurbished restaurant is across the water, Padstow could be a million miles away from what has been created here.
The St Moritz overlook s Daymer Bay, the site of an elegant 1930s predecessor of the same name, now gone. In those heady, pre-charter
flight days, families would have taken their main holiday there, returning
summer after summer to sample grand buffets prepared by Swiss-trained
chefs and enjoying a very British seaside experience. Somehow, in the intervening decades, we've lost that in all but a few pockets of inspired hoteliership.
As an island with strong design credentials, you'd think we would be at the forefront of the large, classy, coastal hotel scene. A couple spring to mind: St Bride's in Saundersfoot - a beacon of hope on the shores of south-west Wales - and the Tresanton, which spearheaded the lengthening of the Cornish season by keeping its doors ajar all year round. But finding anything else with more than a dozen rooms is a struggle.
St Moritz could be a much needed new member of this exclusive club - the half-decent seaside holiday hotel.
"Looks all white," I say to Tim as he negotiates still-barren flowerbeds to park at the dazzling curved frontage which swirls into a rooftop terrace. It's art deco with a sense of the paint having just dried.
Inside, an acre of wooden flooring lies beneath a glass and concrete atrium strung with lights. There's an air of "new hotel" - pent-up excitement and staff outnumbering guests. Beyond reception, the Cowshed Spa (the brand created at Babington House) shimmers through a long, fringed curtain.
Rooms are in a separate building of equal Persil whiteness, arranged with
families in mind as "clusters" of suites and doubles on the first and ground
floors. Apartments, privately owned but rentable, are on the upper floors.
Tim's compact double overlooks the car park (which won't worry him, since the telly will be on whenever he's in residence). The suite is where all the action takes place. Bedroom (a haven of pale blue and white), and open-plan sitting room (with dining area and great kitchen) have a vista across the Camel estuary to Steps Point and the Atlantic. The windowless bathroom lacks a wow factor and there are irritations - thiefproof hangers, no full-length mirror or slippers - but even this early in the season it's warm enough to sit out on the private balcony with the papers and tea. By July, an outdoor pool will punctuate the outlook, and it will feel like an apartment abroad.
We sip cocktails in the bar above the lobby, feeling for all the world like we're on a cruise ship. In the restaurant, behind a glass screen, music struggles against the onslaught of air con, but our food is beautifully presented and full of flavour. "Him serving up there is fantastic," says Tim, gesturing at the head chef in the open kitchen, though we wish the waitresses would pick their feet up and stop squirting pink cleaning fluid all around us. Think smart hotel,
girls, not a beach cafe - and you could convince guests this beats schlepping
to Miami.
· 01208 862242, stmoritzhotel.co.uk. In May, doubles from £140, suites from £235, £200 and £260 respectively in August, per night B&B. Dinner, approx £28 per head excluding drinks.
Thai spa, New Forest
Brockenhurst in the New Forest has the greatest number of stopping trains outside of the UK's city centres, so getting there by rail is a doddle. There's an impressive range of accommodation within walking distance of the station, including Careys Manor (01590 623551, careysmanor.com, from £74pp B&B), a smart hotel whose trump card is its Asian-inspired SenSpa where Thai masseurs give cracking (not literally) massages. More intimate is Cottage Lodge, an AA five-star 17th-century forester's cottage and B&B and joint winner in the sustainable tourism category of this week's Enjoy England Awards for Excellence. A taster day at SenSpa costs £119 at weekends and includes use of spa, Thai lunch and a class.
· 01590 622 296, cottagehotel.org, from £120 per room B&B at weekend.
Epic ride, Wales
The Cwmfforest Riding Centre is home to Trans Wales Trails, whose first big horseriding adventure of the season starts on May 10 - an epic six-day journey from the English border to the Irish sea, passing through the Black Mountains, Mynydd Eppynt, the Elan Valley and over Plynlimon - the highest point in the Cambrian mountains - before a final gallop on the beach near Aberystwyth. The route follows bridle-ways, open moorland and several trails over private land.
· From £920pp, inc accommodation in pubs and inns, riding and meals. Experienced riders only but the company has trips suitable for novices too. 01874 711 398, transwales.demon.co.uk.
Island escape, Sark
Sark's car-free status has helped keep La Grande Greve beach one of the most unspoilt in the Channel Islands. It's in a secluded bay below the isthmus that connects the main island to Little Sark, with sheltered swimming, and rock pools for kids to potter in. La Sablonnerie is the (01904 521921, railselect.com) only hotel on Little Sark.
· 01481 832061, sark.info. From £38pp half-board. Ferry Weymouth-Guernsey £39.50 one way (condorferries.co.uk), then boat to Sark £22 return (sarkshipping.info).
Yurt life, Herefordshire
Why go to Mongolia to experience nomadic life when you can stay in a yurt in Herefordshire? They are located in 17 acres of woodland in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and come with eco-sensitive fixtures. The site is child-friendly, and you can bike or canoe in Monmouth, zipline in the Forest of Dean or trek with llamas, camels, mules or donkeys in Severnvale.
· Woodland Tipis and Yurts, 01432 840 488, woodlandtipis.co.uk. Four nights midweek from £195.
In the swim, Devon
The Outdoor Swimming Society is running its first Swim Safari this June. Led by Kate Rew, founder of the OSS and author of Wild Swim, and teacher Kari Furre, the weekend trip includes a sea swim around Burgh Island, Devon, a river swim and camping on a farm with views over Bigbury Bay and the River Avon. There'll be plenty of stops for fine crab, pasties and fish and chips en route.
· The weekend costs £120, for up to 15 swimmers, inc pick-up from Totnes station. The swims are not lifeguarded.
Portofino in North Wales
This extraordinary Italianate village, famously the setting for the surreal 6os TV drama The Prisoner, was begun in 1925 by the architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. It took him half a century, but today the domes and spires that spill down to Cardigan Bay do so with just the Mediterranean charm he was seeking. Far from being a village, however, Portmeirion has always been a holiday complex. The Hotel Portmeirion, with 42 rooms and suites, boasts an art deco dining room and sea-shore location, while Castell Deudraeth, a converted Victorian folly 10 minutes walk away, has a further 11 rooms. Then there are 17 self-catering cottages, built by Williams-Ellis. If strolling in the sub-tropical gardens doesn't convince you that you're on the Med, you can always don a replica Patrick McGoohan jacket (£99 from the Prisoner Shop), pose in the village square and kid yourself you're on TV. And with a Prisoner remake rumoured to be shooting soon, perhaps you will be.
· 01766 770000, portmeirion-village.com. Doubles from £170, Portmeirion is signposted from the A487 at Minffordd, Gwyned, a half-mile walk away, and Cambrian Coast (thecambrianline.co.uk) and Ffestiniog Railway (festrail.co.uk) both have stations at Minffordd.
White beaches, Scilly Isles
Ignore the choppers and go to the Isles of Scilly slowly on the Scillonian III ferry service from Penzance to St Mary's (islesofscilly-travel.co.uk, £76/£38 rtn for adults/kids). Catch a small boat to Tresco, the second largest island, where there is great walking along the granite outcrops and heathland of the north coast. St Martin's has a flattish campsite (stmartinscampsite.co.uk) and a lovely little vineyard (stmartinsvineyard.co.uk). Accommodation options include the smart New Inn pub with rooms (tresco.co.uk, doubles from £75).
· 0845 710 5555, islesofscilly-travel.co.uk. Scillonian III, £76/£38 rtn for adults/kids. New Inn, doubles from £75, tresco.co.uk.
Cooler campers, All UK
The young and tanned and Californian do not have a monopoly on VW campervans. New for this year is Derby-based Cool Camper Vans, which hires out classic 1970s VW vehicles, all with a "pop top" roof, fridge, two-ring gas cooker and grill, as well as entertainment for rainy days in the form of a TV, a DVD and a PlayStation.
· 01332 661342, coolcampervans.com. One week's hire from £295 (two-berth) and £395 (four-berth). No extra charge for mileage if you stay below 100 miles per day.
The Orient, Manchester
Forgo the slow boat to China for the UK's largest Chinatown. Among the karaoke bars and noodle joints, Yang Sing, the upmarket Cantonese restaurant, is to open an adjoining oriental-themed boutique hotel in July, with rooms styled like 1930s Shanghai: lots of pale green, painted silk screens and bespoke Chinese-made furniture and silk duvets.
While the restaurant is strictly Cantonese, the hotel will have a broader oriental theme. Oku, its champagne bar, is named after the homes of Japanese geishas. Chinese karaoke bars and restaurants are right on the doorstep and there are the saki bars and shops of Chinatown just outside the door.
· Call the the Yang Sing restaurant on 0161-236 2200, or the hotel from Monday on 0161-880 0188, yangsingoriental.com. Rooms from £179pn B&B.
