Combining the very best in luxury self catering with a stunning hotel and all its amenities – including the three AA Rosette Rastella restaurant – Falmouth’s Merchants Manor cannot fail to delight
Undoubtedly Falmouth’s premier hotel, Merchants Manor exudes style. Its décor is delightful, the staff attentive and caring: there’s no doubt the century-old grand edifice is a gateway to pure pleasure.
So when the opportunity arose to stay at their latest addition, The Lookout, we jumped at the chance. A quick look at the 360-degree tour available on Merchants’ website had us clapping our hands, and packing our overnight bags, with glee.
With its large amount of glazing and galley style shape, The Lookout is reminiscent of a giant luxury summerhouse, but it’s more than that. This isn’t simply all the space a couple (or family) could need for a luxury holiday; it’s all the space a couple might realistically require in life.
As my years keep advancing I was inspired to dream of The Lookout as the kind of house/apartment I’d love to retire to, spacious but compact; everything here is perfect. The design is a lesson in how our environment can create a sense of wellbeing, and that’s before climbing into the hot tub on a wraparound deck looking out on the hotel’s lush gardens and out towards the sea. It’s a win-win situation. There’s a surprising amount of privacy here which reflects the care taken in not only the planning, but the whole experience of staying here.
The Lookout décor is vibrant and coastal without the need for the ubiquitous beach hut prints and marine accessories. Basically (and no word could be more of an antonym when it comes to The Lookout) it’s a posh high-end summer home, the type I imagine the classier type of billionaire owns in the secluded woods of the Pacific North West with the added advantage of being a part of a great hotel with all its marvels (but more on that later).
Merchants Manor comes with Rastella, a restaurant newly adorned with three AA Rosettes – making it the highest rated in Falmouth. A visit to the very classy restaurant makes it easy to see why. Gorgeous surrounds draped in white linen and soft lighting casts a rosy glow on everything from the amazing food to my dining partner. Every care is taken to delight the diner from the homemade breads to the hand-churned butter.
The chef-patron behind these delicious dishes is Hylton Espey. He found time to chat to us about his food and his approach which features home-grown and well-thought flavour combinations bringing together foraging and the best in (often local) producers (see their latest menu at merchantsmanor.com/food-and-drink/rastella).
Nothing is forgotten here – the following morning the breakfast was as skilfully (and deliciously) prepared. Aware of my upcoming spa appointment, I went for a healthy-ish treat of avocado on toast – itself a lesson that not all bread is created equal.
Alongside its incredible restaurant, Merchants Manor boasts a complex of healthclub facilities including a technogym, regular exercise classes and a large pool. And, of course, the Linen Rooms spa featuring the full range of Temple Spa products and where I enjoyed a thorough body massage that worked out any stress left from a wander along nearby Gylly beach, a thoroughly relaxing sleep, a three-course 3AA Rosette meal, and an hour or two in the bedecked hot tub with only the stars for company.
I have only one question: when can we move in?
This stay was gifted by Merchants Manor in Falmouth. Find out more about Merchants Manor’s hotel, spa and the Rastella restaurant at https://merchantsmanor.com/ .
