Read a review of the Midland Hotel's spa

Seven years ago this luxury hotel was derelict, with boarded-up windows, cracked walls and courtyard weeds. Now it is an example of how local authorities and developers can breathe beauty back into dying buildings.

George Formby, the Rolling Stones, Shirley Bassey and others have all stayed at the Midland, which was built in Modernist style in 1933, next to the stone jetty that dates from the mid 19th century, when railways first came to this Lancashire seaside village. In its heyday the hotel was a destination in its own right, attracting wealthy holidaymakers from across northern Britain.

Competition from cheap foreign package holidays eventually caused the hotel to close, and for a while the building’s future looked bleak. But then the developers Urban Splash moved in and the hotel reopened last year in all its revived Art Deco and Modernist splendour.

The journey from the station passed a motley mix of Pleasurelands and bingo halls, but the Midland stood out in a giant white crescent, stark and intriguing. Inside, I found one of the most unusual and stylish receptions I have seen. There were angular green and turquoise chairs, circular rugs on the original stone floor, motifs of seahorses in mosaic, and a long room leading to a bar where cascades of pink glass hung from the ceiling.

I found my room along a crescent-shaped hall with a red carpet, after ascending a spiral staircase that twists above the reception. The room was a design wonder. The lavatory was concealed in a closet. By opening this, a door swung round and closed off the bathroom from the bedroom. There were neat drawers that revealed safes and mini-fridges, and stylish chairs and pieces of trendy art.

The restaurant was OK: my red snapper was average, though my Morecambe Bay shrimps were delicious. I sat watching an orange sunset as the waters in the bay swirled to high tide. Do I recommend this once-troubled hotel? Absolutely.

Midland Hotel (01524 424000, www.midlandmorecambe.co.uk), Marine Road West, Morecambe LA4 4BU. Mystery Guest paid £84 for a B&B double. Dinner for two courses cost about £25.

Room 8 out of 10

Service 6.5

Food 6

Value 7.5

Score 7

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