I trained the telescope across the sea – yachts bobbing on a very gentle swell glistening in the sun, seagulls flying across a blue. blue sky and not a sign of land. Who would think it was November? And who would guess we were not at sea but gazing out of an astonishing hotel room. Room 218 of the Crown Spa Hotel, Scarborough to be precise.
Their website strapline is "Four Star Luxury on the Yorkshire Coast". I normally take such things with a big pinch of salt but this time I was left wondering what more they could do to obtain five star status.
Admittedly, we had received an unexpected upgrade but even so, absolutely everything we spotted elsewhere in the hotel could not be faulted.
Our room was huge. I paced it out as being at least 20' across. The bathroom (optional soft purple lighting for night time trips or for extra relaxation in the bath) was completely separate and lead off a little hallway. I loved this. Opulently upholstered sofa and arm chairs looked as if nobody had ever sat on the. Glossy upmarket magazines lay temptingly on the table. The furniture was high quality crafted wood ….. and there was THAT telescope, all 60 x magnification, already set up . How could we resist gazing out to sea.
Our room looked out over the south cliff, just above the Spa, and was very close to the South Cliff Lift, the first funicular in the country, opened in 1873 and still open for us on a Sunday in November, 2013. Thank Goodness! Although my daughter was out first thing to run round Scarborough's two bays, I found the lift a godsend.
We had gone mainly for the hotel spa which appeared to have retained original Victorian tiled features in the steam room, sauna, footbath and pool areas.The hotel package we'd bought gave us a £15 credit for Spa Treatments. I've noticed that some deals offer even more back in Spa vouchers. I had a facial and my daughter had a head neck and back treatment and both of us would recommend our therapists and treatments.
Luckily we'd booked dinner as after the Spa we had no desire to move an inch further than we needed to. The Taste Restaurant staff were extremely friendly. I had Tian of Plaice "With a crab and tiger prawn mousse and a shellfish bisque. Studded with prawns and crayfish, finished with chives. Served with citrus sauted potatoes " Gorgeous. What I'd call "girly food" in that the helpings weren't big but the food was exquisite. Men with big appetites would need to order more side dishes, I think. Mind you, I had not been able to resist having a smoked salmon sandwich sent up on room service when we arrived, so I can talk!
If you look at the various package deal, I'd recommend getting one with dinner we hadn't; ours was added on as I hadn't thought it through properly.
It's probably become clear that for many reasons this hotel was wonderful for the over-50's and it ticked my number one box for "QUIET". I am really fussy about this but when we stayed we enjoyed perfect peace and quiet. I cannot comment on disabled access, you'd have to ask about that as I forgot to look. But customer service and staff attitude was the best I've come across in UK. Whatever I asked for seemed to appear magically and instantly- my room service smoked salmon, the extra pillows. Solutions to potential inconveniences were well thought out in advance notably parking. The hotel 's own carpark is small and needs pre-booking at a price BUT you really dont need to worry about this because on arrival the reception staff will give you a pass valid for 4 days in the residents only zones around the hotel. In fact I was able to park as close to the hotel door as if I had used their own parking area.
Try as I might I cannot find any fault at all with the Crown Spa.
Have a look on the website at their deals. We paid £100 for the two of us B/B including the £15 spa vouchers and were astonished at how much we got for our money. Even in winter you're going to love this hotel. The Christmas and New Year packages are to die for. But don't ask for room 218. That's MINE!
Anyway, we took a last lingering look through our telescope and vowed to come back soon Very soon!
