By, Richard Burton
2 min read
ByRichard Burton, Richard Burton
You've got to be under three to enjoy the best views. It's from the seat of a swing in a tiny paddock at the top of a cliff overlooking a vast and improbable stretch of Atlantic coast.
If you're significantly older, you can either push or step back on to the hotel terrace, or better still, into the Vista lounge with its tall wall-to-wall windows. The views here redefine panoramic as they take in a vast expanse of coastline and a horizon into which the sun sinks.
Either way, you'll appreciate why you made the schlep from north London to one of the most southwesterly points in Britain and a century-old Edwardian pile that's recently been reborn as a boutique-style family hotel a short drive from Lands End.
The views are everything at Polurrian. You enjoy them from the outdoor pool, all over the 12-acre terraced gardens, the private beach accessed via a sloping gully cut into the hillside, and if you're lucky enough to get one, some of the west-facing rooms.
This is a not a place for courting couples or anyone seeking something a little hip, but one several families and older guests were keen to report they'd often returned to.
It's seriously child friendly, both in terms of facilities and the attitude of the staff. With a tennis court and gym across the way, a computers-and-pool-table games room for teens, a cinema and a creche, there is a real temptation to leave the car after all that driving and stay put.
The creche is not the easiest to work into your routine as you have to book a time rather than, like many, you can simply drop into, or dump and run when the mood takes you. But it lives up to it's Ofsted certificate by making sure they're properly occupied.
Throughout the hotel, the decor is elegant but understated with its white walls, modern artwork and homely, unfussy furniture which means you can sit and the kids can clamber in comfort.
There's no bar, just lounges with passing waiters, so there are no no-go areas and staff are happy to deploy little helpers to distribute menus or help fetch snacks. The rooms are well equipped but basic in their design and some are interconnecting, useful for those travelling with teens.
Outside, the garden is all hide-and-seek; cut into the hillside and littered with intriguing foliage
But at the heart of it is the Vista lounge; one that demands to be stepped into; taking centre stage as you cross the corridor from reception, epitomising both the casual and playful, depending on time of day; it's wooden floors littered with homely sofas, retro swallow-you-up chairs and even a cache of toys in the corner.
Its hard to imagine a better view - especially if it's one that includes the nanny pushing the swing.
Rates: From £120 per night b&b, www.luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk