Bedruthan Steps

A stone's throw from arguably the most spectacular beach in Britain sits a hotel that shares its name. But while Bedruthan Steps the beach is a spectacular feat of nature, its namesake is an altogether more low-key and unfussy family retreat.

It's the sister to the Scarlet, the eco-spa that's been grabbing a lot of attention a few yards further down the hill towards the altogether more traditional beach at Mawgan Porth. The Scarlet is the one to go to as a couple, ideally, flying into Newquay airport, a couple of miles along a few twisty lanes. This is the one you bring your kids to, driving south from Padstow.

It is a serious place for children; clean, unfussy and child-focused with a network of activity rooms knitted into the fabric and Ofsted-registered clubs. Outside, there's a play area with a mini football pitch and climbing frames. You can even take a room facing the beach, sit yourself next to the floor-to-ceiling windows and watch them play in the grounds.

From the outside the place looks a little dated. A low sprawl with a car park that spreads itself across the back and to either side belies a neat minimalist interior with rooms decorated in simple creams and browns: comfy, not luxurious.