Bedruthan Steps Hotel, Near Newquay

We stayed at the Bedruthan Steps Hotel in late February 2011 for a weekend break. As we're from Lancashire we caught a flight from Manchester Airport to Newquay as it was the most convenient way to get there was a two year old in tow. We were there in about an hour and it really added an element of 'holiday' to the trip. I recommend it. The hotel was, on first site, a bit dated. The building looks like something thrown out of the 70s with flat roofs and white walls, we wondered where we'd come to, it looked nothing like we expected from the website. Inside was nicely decorated and cosy but it did have a 'vibe' about it. It didn't feel like we were in a hotel as such - more a 'home' (the OAP kind). The rooms were lovely and large. We had one that looked out to the sea with patio doors. Bunk beds and a cot were provided as well as huge bed for us. Room dividers meant that children could go to sleep earlier than adults while parents enjoyed some time together or could relax and watch the TV. The food in the evening was OK, not great, not a lot of choice. It presents itself to be a really good restaurant but it was only adequate and the staff weren't really 'with it' at all. We found the sitting times really difficult to organise. The hotel runs a tea time session for children, where kids are expected to sit and eat in the canteen and then go to bed before the adults either eat separately later on, or leave the kids in the room while they go for dinner. Yes alarms are provided, yes you can pay for a babysitting service, yes some people do it, but I have to be honest... we weren't even considering it. To eat with your children there was no early evening tables so you had to wait up until 7pm (which was late for our 2 year old, that was his bedtime). It was 7.30pm before you were served and it was 9pm before you were hitting the sack. Bathtime was a pipedream. We were really unimpressed by this service. We also felt a bit out of it all because on two occasions, out of three, we were the only family eating with our children in the restaurant. The rest of the families ate later without their kids, as after 8pm it is adult table reservations only. Really strange set up which we really didn't like and made us feel really uncomfortable. Spoiled the holiday a bit too. Breakfast was fab. Lots of choice hot and cold and they aim to source their foods from local suppliers which we really liked. There are lots of activities for kids, classes are put on as well as kids clubs and there are also parks and a swimming pool. It did feel as though the staff were there to take your kids away, so you can enjoy time alone or so you could go to the spa etc. They even encouraged parents to go to the Scarlett hotel which is a completely different hotel and building to the Bedruthan Steps Hotel, a good walk away. I still can't understand it. Needless to say, we didn't take them up on the offer. There are also bars for adults and games rooms for children. There's a childrens free lounge zone for adults who again, want to get away from kids. Our favourite thing about the hotel was getting out of it! It was in a good, relaxing location near to Mawgan Porth. A lovely little beach, even in the winter. We really had a good couple of trips down to there and had a fab, but cold, time. Everything but a local pub and a shop was shut because it was winter, so we had a quick drink and walked back. It's a killer walking up the hill, but it's nice to get out of the hotel. We loved it. I expect during the summer there are more places you can eat near to the beach but during the winter we were a bit stuck and found ourselves eating at the hotel. It was a bit monotonous. A lovely location and a great hotel for those who need a break from the kids rather than with the kids. Just not somewhere we'd go back to. We didn't rate it.