Mr A has long wanted to visit the Eden Project in Cornwall, so I secretly decided to add it to my bucket list, and arranged a short trip for both of us to Cornwall at the end of March in 2022.  Unusually and unsustainably it was much cheaper and faster for us to get to Cornwall on Eastern Airways flights than take the train.   After doing a little research I decided to book the Carlyon Bay Hotel, which sits on a clifftop overlooking the ocean near St Austell, on Cornwall’s South coast.  The hotel is a very short drive to the Eden Project, and only about 30 minutes drive from Cornwall’s North coast, so we flew into Newquay in the north and hired a car.  After picking up the car at Newquay airport we drove to Harlyn Bay for lunch at The Pig, and then on to nearby Padstow to have a walk around, before heading over to St Austell.

When we arrived we were impressed by the Art Deco facade, but a fire in the late 1920s destroyed many Art Deco features and the rebuilt buildings don’t carry on the theme.  We were greeted by a friendly uniformed doorman, who set a service standard which was matched by all of the staff we encountered.  I chose to use a picture of me with one of our friendly and very cute waiters, Joe, as my ‘featured image’ in recognition of the warm service we received throughout our stay.

I had booked a Superior Sea Facing Double room for £960 for three nights B&B, but at check in we were told we’d been upgraded to a Deluxe Sea View room, on the first floor, because my booked room was on a higher floor, their lift was out of action, and they could see I walked with a stick; very thoughtful.  But when I relooked at their website I couldn’t see any difference between a Superior and a Deluxe, and I’ve never been certain which of the two names indicates a better room.  By definition I think ‘superior’ should be better than the others!  I booked through my travel club PK’s List at the same price as the hotel’s website. All room rates at The Carlyon Bay include green fees on their championship golf course, so I asked PK’s List to try to get me a discount because my physical state means I can’t play golf any more, but nothing was forthcoming.  In fact most of the other guests staying at the hotel were golfers.

Room 110 had a Super King bed, but it was far too soft for me.  We also had a little sofa, a TV, coffee machine, writing desk and a charged mini bar. Only two small (375ml) comp bottles of water were given and extra bottles were £3.50 each.  This really gets me annoyed; ample free drinking water is a must have in my book.  When I explained to reception that I needed to take multiple tablets several times a day they agreed to give me more free water.  The room did have a small fruit bowl, which I always appreciate.

The most disappointing part of the room was the bathroom, which was very small. The shower was in the (fitted) bath, which, despite a grab rail, presents quite a challenge to a mobility restricted person.  Toiletries were in very small containers, not of a well known brand, but still quite reasonable. Just one washbasin with a tiny shelf above it wasn’t big enough for our own toiletries.

The best thing about the room was a large wood-decked terrace (shared with two or three other rooms) overlooking the hotel grounds and the bay beyond, which all looked glorious in the sunny weather we had on our trip.  As far as I could tell no other rooms had a balcony or terrace.

On our first night we weren’t very hungry, so we decided to just go to the bar for a drink and something light to eat.  The burger I ordered was anything but light, and was pretty tasty!

The bar has an Art Deco-lite styling and it’s where simple canapés are served with your aperitifs in the evening.  I found the bar prices to be very reasonable, with mark-ups significantly lower than I’m used to.  So as well as cocktails before dinner, on our last night I had a bottle of 2102 Bollinger Grand Annee for just £115.  One evening with dinner I had a bottle of 2015 Chteau Musar for just £60.

Breakfast was taken in the main dining room each morning. There was quite a good cold buffet, a buffet of hot breakfast items, plus a la carte options, but I just had cereal and a croissant.  In the evenings the Bay View Restaurant offered an enticing menu, but I found some of the execution to be below par.  Maybe because they were so busy? The hotel was full.  One evening my fillet steak was overcooked, but they removed it from my bill.  Here are some photos of some of the dishes I had:

Overall I found the food and wine at the Carlyon Bay Hotel to be pretty good, especially for a rural hotel. Service in the restaurant was good, from a young team, especially the lovely Joe.  The hotel is light, bright, in immaculate condition with high-ceilinged public spaces on the ground floor, but the bedrooms do not echo that feeling of spaciousness.  I didn’t get to use their golf course, which is clearly a major pull factor for many of their guests, nor did we use their spa and indoor pool.  The Carlyon Bay Hotel provides a level of luxury which is not common in Cornwall, but it’s not at the level of the luxury resorts we normally visit around the world. 8/10