It’s worth driving the long road to Scarista House, with its ‘well-deserved reputation for excellent feasting’ and ‘one of Britain’s most extraordinary locations’. Owners Neil King, and Tim and Patricia Martin run their small hotel in a ‘laid-back but professional manner’, helped by ‘lovely’ local staff. After checking in, a Guide inspector enjoyed ‘possibly the best Victoria sponge I’ve ever tasted’. The library and drawing room have a ‘homey atmosphere’ and all bedrooms, some in converted outbuildings, offer views of the three-mile-long beach and ‘Caribbean-blue’ Atlantic. ‘At night, the muted sound of the sea; in the mornings, the lowing of cows and cry of seagulls.’ ‘Good bedside lighting’, well-stocked hospitality tray and ‘powerful overhead shower’ compensated for a soft mattress. The ‘delectable’ dinner, uses organic, wild and home-made produce in such dishes as fillet of Stornoway-landed turbot, ginger and Monbazillac sauce, wilted pak choi, cumin-roasted potatoes. With notice, ‘tricky’ diet requests are accommodated: ‘vegan scones, with dairy-free spread, really made me feel welcome.’ Breakfast delivered ‘freshly squeezed orange juice, seriously tasty home-made granola’.