A rambling white mansion with a green copper cupola, alone on a high knob of rock, rimmed with sheer cliffs and cut off from the mainland at high tide, Burgh Island is the perfect setting for a mystery.
Agatha Christie certainly thought so. Her 1940 novel ”Evil Under the Sun” is set in this grand Art Deco hotel and on the wild beaches that surround its perch off England`s South Devon coast.
A summer watering hole for the chic set of the period, the hotel, built in 1929, also drew such guests as Noel Coward and Edward, Prince of Wales, who was rumored to have brought his beloved Mrs. Simpson for the occasional stolen weekend here.
Such is the romance of Burgh Island. It is what drew Tony Porter and his wife, Beatrice, to restore and revive it a year and a half ago.
Owners of a successful public relations and marketing business in London, the Porters had been collecting Art Deco art and furnishings for 15 years. When they heard Burgh Island was for sale, they decided to change their lives. In two weeks, they sold their business, their London house, their car and their yacht, took out a loan for something just shy of $1 million and moved to Burgh Island as owners.
”We always wished that we had lived during that period, and we couldn`t get any closer than living in a place that was famous then,” explains Tony, a courtly man with an impish smile. ”People said we were crazy.”
AMID THE RUINS, TREASURES
The Porters themselves thought the same thing from time to time as they struggled to repair the antiquated, leaky old hotel, which had been in disuse and neglected for decades. Amid the ruins, however, many of the original fixtures and Art Deco architectural details remained intact.
Determined that everything be authentic to the period, the Porters have furnished much of the hotel from their own Art Deco collection, and Bea Porter continues to scour the country for more period furnishings to complete the last of that job.
Since they moved into the hotel in January, 1986, the Porters have been deluged with period artifacts and reminiscent letters from people who stayed at the hotel during its heyday. From these they have also been able to reconstruct many of the details and practices of Burgh Island when it was the ”great white palace.”
The effect is elegantly nostalgic and captivating. Indeed, last summer, Earl and Countess Grey gave a tea dance at Burgh Island to benefit the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Their invitations specified that guests dress in ”lounge suits and pretty dresses.”
Days at Burgh Island unfold gently and stylishy, like the country house-based plot of a Christie novel, minus the murder and intrigue.
They begin with the sound of seagulls and the sea outside the bedroom windows, every one of which has a view of the water. The early mornings are often misty, with the silvery water blending seamlessly into the horizon. Guests come downstairs to breakfast in the glass-roofed sun lounge, with its vista across a flagstone terrace down to the sea.
A full English breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon, grilled tomatoes, toast and marmalade and steaming pots of coffee and tea are served, along with a buffet of fresh juice, fruits and cereals. Although there is no room service at Burgh Island–or room telephones, for that matter–there are facilities for making tea and coffee in the rooms.
The atmosphere is low-key and friendly. As hosts, the Porters introduce the guests to one other, but in a way in which conversation is a pleasant option, not an obligation. ”I like it to feel like a large house party,”
says Bea Porter, a handsome, outgoing woman, who tirelessly supervises the young, 17-person staff.
The hotel`s 13 suites accomodate 52 people, tops, a factor contributing further to its intimate atmosphere. Given the hotel`s success since its opening in the spring of 1986, some hoteliers would consider expansion. Not the Porters. ”This is our home and we want to do it in style,” says Tony.
At lunchtime, guests stroll a short way down the drive to the 14th Century Pilchard Inn, a tiny whitewashed house whose blue-trimmed windows look out across the water to the cliffs running up the Devon coast.
With its cheery fire, cobbled hearth and cozy wooden window seats, the pint-sized pub is welcoming and intimate, particularly on chilly, foggy days. Visitors choose from a small menu of hot and cold entrees, along the lines of the classic ploughman`s lunch of pate or Stilton and cheddar cheeses with salad and hot, crusty homemade rolls. In the evenings, the inn reopens as a bar and bistro.
After lunch is a good time to stroll around the 26-acre island. Following a well-worn footpath through the high, windy terrain takes about 30 minutes of brisk walking, but much longer if you poke amid the blackberry brambles to discover old ships` figureheads, or explore craggy coves and tidal pools.
Alive with gulls, jackdaws and cormorants, the island has its own bird sanctuary on Little Island, a rocky spike of land at the end of the slimmest strip of footpath.
More accessible is the Mermaid Pool, a remarkable natural swimming pool, shielded from the wind by towering bronze and blue-streaked shale cliffs and from the big waves by a wall of protective boulders.
In the time it takes for a circuit of the island, it`s time for tea–and anyone who has made the trek through the brambles and windswept heights is more than ready for it. Under the fan-shaped glass roof of the sun lounge, tea is served at small, linen-covered wicker tables. A choice of teas is offered along with hot scones to be spread with fruit jams and thick, creamy, fresh Devonshire clotted cream.
TRANQUILIZING EFFECTS
Afternoons at Burgh Island are a drowsy affair. The Porters observe, and rightly so, that the unaccustomed dose of fresh air has a pronounced tranquilizing effect on most visitors, at least for the first few days. Some people linger late over tea, while others read in the lounge or toddle off to their rooms for a nap before dinner.
Depending on the season, more active sorts can play tennis or croquet, head down to the sea for a swim or cross over to the mainland for golf at the Bigbury golf course. The hotel also has a snooker room, dominated by the original table from the 1930s, a massive mahogany-rimmed affair overhung by a long Deco lamp.
Around sundown, people begin strolling into the Palm Court for cocktails under the intricate stained glass of its massive Peacock Dome. At this hour, particularly, the 1930s style and attitude of the hotel is magically alive. Guests are encouraged to dress up for dinner–especially 1930s-style
–particularly on the weekends when the Porters throw dinner-dances and often import a band to play their 1930s favorites.
”People come down here and dress and talk and laugh and dance exactly as they did then,” marvels Tony, describing women in pearls, waving long cigarette holders and doing the Charleston.
Amid the potted palms, in the muted glow of the Art Deco lamps and sconces, guests sit in the pale green and white wicker period chairs and sip their drinks, much as Christie or Coward might have done on another night a half-century ago. There is an elegance in the air as people chat softly and an occasional peal of laughter breaks above the sophisticated murmur. In the background, along with the sound of the sea, the fountain plays softly in the little carp pool and the sensuous strains of `30s music seem to come from far away.
A TOAST TO AGATHA
In honor of Agatha Christie, Burgh Island has one drink called ”Evil Under the Sun,” a mysterious blend of apricot brandy, gin, orange juice and grenadine, and another dubbed ”Arlena`s Revenge,” a lethal brew of blue curacao and vodka, named for the witchy murder victim in that novel.
Dinner is served by candlelight, either under the glass roof of the sunroom lounge for smaller numbers or in the spacious ballroom, banked with broad terraces and sea views on two sides.
Lit by curved Deco sconces, the ballroom`s pale-peach-toned walls are accented with graceful pillars, subtly rimmed in sea blue and soft green. The room itself, rich in the curved lines and black glass of the Deco period, focuses on the original polished stone fireplace topped with a massive mirror etched with a sailing ship.
Prepared by Burgh Island`s two resident chefs, dinners here are festive and filling, yet simple in the manner of nouvelle cuisine. It is not, however, ”bikini food,” says Tony Porter. ”In other words, it looks like a picture on the plate, but you`re not hungry afterwards.”
Indeed, every night during cocktails guests are presented with a short, elegantly hand-lettered menu of the day. On a recent evening, the choices included vichyssoise, avocado mousse and a prawn-and-mushroom crepe as appetizers; butterflied lamb chops with orange butter, salmon with fennel stuffing and steak with herbed butter as entrees; and chocolate mousse, fruit crumble with Devon cream and hot apple flan with cream for dessert.
From May to November, Burgh Island has its own resident fisherman who supplies the kitchen with fresh lobster, crabs and local fish. The hotel also has a small, intelligent wine list, along with pleasant house wines and champagne.
SPACIOUS SUITES
Not too long after the after-dinner drinks have been served, guests begin to wander off to bed. People tend to sleep well on Burgh Island, especially with the sound of the surf breaking against the rocks below their windows. Each suite has a private bath and sitting room, with two daybeds that can accommodate additional sleepers. Most rooms also have balconies and small kitchen set-ups in the sitting area.
Bea Porter is still in the process of providing all of the suites with authentic 1930s furnishings, but even so the rooms are airy and spacious, done in the period`s soft pastels and geometric motifs.
Situated in Bigbury Bay off the South Devon coast, less than an hour`s drive east from Plymouth, Burgh Island may be remote, but it is not difficult to reach. By car, it is about a four-hour drive from London, much of it on major roads and highways. By train, it is about a three-hour trip from London`s Paddington Station to Plymouth, followed by about a 45-minute drive to the island itself.
In addition, the Porters can supply detailed information to those planning to arrive on the island by air, direct helicopter charter or private yacht. At low tide, the Porters come to fetch guests from the mainland by Land Rover; when the tide`s in, their sea tractor, a tall, Rube Goldberg-esque contraption, does the job. At the highest tides, everyone stays where he is.
During this year`s summer high season, May 22 to Oct. 1, rates for those staying two to six nights range between 41.50 pounds and 46 pounds (about $69 and $76, according to the exchange rate at this writing) per person, per night, depending on the suite. From Oct. 1 to Christmas, rates will range from about 48 pounds to 60 pounds (roughly $80 to $100) per person, per night.
Rates include a full English breakfast, dinner and the 15 percent Value Added Tax. Those who stay seven or more nights receive a small discount. Burgh Island is closed from after New Year`s Day until mid-March.
For more information, write to Burgh Island, Bigbury-On-Sea, South Devon, TQ7 4AU, England, or call 011-44-548-810514. —
