As far as openings to long weekends go, it's quite possible it doesn't get much better than this:

* Couple arrive at remote destination having found it without arguing - and the woman was in charge of map reading (and it was dark)

* Porter arrives to greet car as it pulls up, relieving guests of their luggage

* Porter makes small talk with guests, welcoming them to the hotel, before dropping the bombshell line: "You've timed your visit well. We're opening our Bollinger Champagne Bar tonight and there's free Bolly all night."

The rest, as they say, is history. Fizzy history.

But somewhere in between, we did see a little of the South Devon coast, albeit from beneath three layers, woolly hats, thermal gloves and scarves.

Howling wind, driving rain and near freezing temperatures at Soar Mill Cove, near Salcombe, meant it wasn't a weekend to unveil a new bikini and take a dip in the English Channel.

But there was something romantic about being on a deserted beach in winter - a beach which come summer will be strewn with buckets, spades and all the trappings of your classic English holiday, but in February feels remote, isolated and all your own.

We had driven the 200 miles from Oxford for a two-night stay at the Soar Mill Cove Hotel.

It's a drive which, once past the M4-M5 hell at Bristol, passes painlessly. It's only during the final 20 miles towards Salcombe that it feels like you're driving to the ends of the Earth.

The hotel, a 22-bedroom, family-run place, is hidden away down winding single-track roads in a secluded spot set just a few hundred yards back from the cove, which means most rooms have an uninterrupted view of the coast from their private patios.

Rooms are sizeable, comfortable and adequately furnished, although it's been a while since I've been in a hotel room and (a) I've been cold overnight (there was no central heating, only storage heaters) and (b) there have been no complimentary biscuits to enjoy with your tea and coffee.

The hotel itself had an older clientele during our stay and certainly had an olde-world, home comforts feel to it. Staff were friendly - incredibly so - and eager to ensure their clients were well looked after.

Guests can choose to stay on a bed and breakfast or dinner, bed and breakfast basis with the hotel's Serendipity restaurant offering a fine menu. Its focus is on organic, local produce with dishes such as crab salad, seafood chowder and Devon beef being favourites.

If you find time to do something other than eating, sleeping and drinking back the stunning scenery, the hotel also has an indoor pool and sauna as well as the Ocean Spa, which offers holistic and beauty treatments.

In kinder weather, guests can enjoy the outdoor pool, pitch and putt and tennis too.

All in all, it was a welcoming place, with plenty to offer its guests, who no doubt return time and again.

ROOM RATES/

Bed and breakfast in one of the standard rooms starts from £94 per person per night, rising to £125 in summer.

Superior rooms and suites cost between £20 and £30 more pppn.

Dinner, bed and breakfast staying in a standard room for two or three-night stays starts at £89pppn, increasing to £144 in summer. Address: Soar Mill Cove Hotel, Salcombe, Devon, TQ7 3DS. Tel: 01548 561566. www.soarmillcove.co.uk email info@soarmillcove.co.uk