Pimpernel welcomes a new friend
Monday, 30 July 2010
Pimpernel is pleased to welcome Ridan, a valuable if greedy new member of The Scarlet team.
Ridan arrived in our loading bay one sunlit day last month and is exceptionally clever. He eats all our organic waste.
Eats organic waste, I hear you cry with a look of distaste. Do not distress yourself; we are not force-feeding a new member of staff the leftovers from our table, delicious as those leftovers might be. We have purchased a fabulous new composter.
Pimpernel is not altogether au fait with composters but our Sustainability Manger, who is, describes it thus:
Our macerated, de-watered food waste and equal helpings of wood chip or sawdust are loaded in at one end of the composter.
The handle is rotated, the waste travels through the Ridan, composting in stages.
The waste automatically emerges from an outlet at the other end.
The mixture is popped into a maturation box and two to three months later, we will have some of the best compost around.
The handle is rotated, the waste travels through the Ridan, composting in stages.
The waste automatically emerges from an outlet at the other end.
The mixture is popped into a maturation box and two to three months later, we will have some of the best compost around.
Between you and I, Ridan was a little pongy when first put to work. Now though, his handlers have an understanding of how much sawdust or how many woodchipings he needs in ratio to the amount of waste he is consuming and are starting to strike the right nutritional balance.
While Pimpernel does not get too involved in feeding Ridan and the waste aspect of this whole enterprise, he does look forward to pootling around the grounds of The Scarlet and feeding the resulting compost to our many herbs and plants.
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"Sexy, unique, sumptuous and sleek."
Saturday, 28 July 2010
"Lipstick-red hot tubs."
"Soaring views of the sea."
"Sexy, unique, sumptuous and sleek."
A blushing Pimpernel begs to be forgiven for quoting Running In Heels, the beauty-and-brains blog, which has been waxing lyrical about The Scarlet:
Let’s start with the lipstick-red hot tubs. Set at the edge of the reed-filtered outdoor pool with soaring views over Mawgan Porth beach, a steep 100-foot-long stroll below, they are the perfect metaphor for this hotel: sexy, unique, sumptuous and sleek.
There are two of them blushing playfully against the horizon, heated by a log-fired burner and filled with green-tinged water, bobbing with bundles of seaweed, algae and other mineral-rich stuff – slightly unnerving, but very good for your skin, according to the affable young lad whose job title I imagine is ‘Head of Hot Tub Operations’. Like all the staff here, he is relaxed and infectiously enthusiastic. After a spectacular drive along Cornwall’s north coast, interjected with a coastal walk at Boscastle and fish fried in beef drippings at Rick Stein’s posh Padstowe chippy, this is one hell of a fun start to our stay. All things considered – the sunset, the crashing waves, the champagne, the boyfriend – this is definitely the most spoiled I’ve felt in a long time.
From the moment you enter the Scarlet Hotel through electric doors, the hotel lobby immediately floors you. Panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows frame a gob-smacking scene: acres of sky, cresting surf, rolling green cliffs towering over an achingly cute scoop of sand… you simply couldn’t dream of a prettier setting. But the Scarlet doesn’t take a back seat to the views, bowing down with meek seaside pastels and creams – no, it is wickedly slick and gutsy, decorated with flashes of colour and humour borrowing from London’s Soho Hotel school of cool. As we stand gawping at the view, at the kitsch Missoni-print sofas and the funky local art, a laidback Aussie girl sits us down for a chat. We are free to wander round the hotel in the Scarlet’s dressing gowns and curl up in any nook we like the look of, she tells us, as she shows us round an interconnecting nest of terraces, bars, lounges, restaurant, library and chill-out-room-cum-yoga-studio, all spread over three tiered levels.
But it’s not just the easygoing atmosphere and casual chic of The Scarlet that places it light years ahead of other coastal properties – its innovative design heralds a new era of high-end eco luxury in the UK. Yes it looks gorgeous, and yes, there’s lots of weathered wood, but the ‘eco’ element here isn’t greenwashing; there are no less than 101 sustainable initiatives (so says the welcome booklet in our room), including a biomass boiler system, rain-water harvesting, solar panelling, locally sourced food and a 10% discount for guests arriving by foot, bike or public transport.
Running in Heels describes itself as a pan-European site for women with brains as well as style, offering intelligent news and commentary on culture, politics, society, fashion and everything in between.
Pimpernel could not agree more.
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Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen pays a visit to the Scarlet
Monday, 23 July 2010
Doyen of decor and design Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen dropped in at The Scarlet this month to do some research and filming for his ITV programme House Gift.
The Pimpernel is pleased to report that Llewelyn-Bowen commended the hotel on its clever use of pattern to fit the changing mood of the seasons.
He used the decorative style of the hotel's carpets, cushions, furniture and fittings as an exemplar of good design.
Pimpernel looks forward to watching the episode of House Gift in question.
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Scarlet Hotel Ltd
tredragon road, mawgan porth, cornwall, tr8 4dqcall
01637 861800