The Midland Hotel, Morecambe Bay

The name Morecambe doesn’t usually elicit thoughts of elegant Art Deco hotels – which just shows that things are continually a’changing!

The Midland Hotel, with sweeping views over the famous bay and across to the Lake District, has recently re-opened after major refurbishment and is a wonderful example of restored Art Deco architecture and decoration. In its first life it was the stomping ground of guests like Coco Chanel, Wallis Simpson and Laurence Olivier and hopefully some big names will start to frequent it again and revive all the glamour of previous times.

We had lunch in the Sun Terrace restaurant with its floor to ceiling windows overlooking the sea and a magnificent Art Deco crystal chandelier as the centrepiece of the room. The menu included lots of local specialities and we had the seafood platter which included shrimps, cockles, and smoked salmon, and then a pie and ham platter which was equally delicious. There was a a good selection of wines and of course local ales, and we settled for a crisp white Vouvray. Prices were reasonable – £20 to £25 for main course and dessert, but it was the setting which made everything just so extra special. And the very helpful young staff in all areas of the hotel made the whole experience even more enjoyable.

The 44 bedrooms were also Art Deco in style and those with balconies with views over the sea were superb. Prices range from £94 to £330 a night, including breakfast, depending on the time of the year and the room size and location. There is also a spa in the hotel which offers numerous treatments so if the sea’s too cold you have a fall-back position. After lunch we wandered along the sea front and I had my photo taken with the statue of the famous local celebrity, Eric Morecambe, of Morecambe and Wise fame -which is apparently a tradition for all first-time visitors!

Update August 2013:  Simon Rogan of the Michelin starred  L’Enclume restaurant in Cartmel will shortly be opening a new restaurant at the Midland Hotel.  So this news item  is definitely worth following –  the Midland Hotel was lacking a “serious” restaurant to complete its range of services.