We'd had some record-breaking warm weather in the build up to a weekend away in Morecambe, in Lancashire, and spent a lot of time stalking the BBC Weather site.

Optimistically my boyfriend and I had hoped at worst for sunny but cold. What we got was the tail end of Storm Gareth!

But with a luxury destination ahead of us, we remained positive, as we headed to the coastal town early enough to beat Friday's rush hour traffic.

What was to be our home from home for the weekend was the beautifully restored, art deco hotel The Midland. It's a landmark in Morecambe and as we meandered along the coast, you could see why.

The hotel appears in the distance on the horizon, standing alone on the seafront, looking out across the bay across to the Lake District fells. Even on the damp, grey day of our arrival we were wowed by the views.

Reaching the hotel is simple, and with plenty of parking, a trouble-free start to our break.

We took a few minutes to take in the stunning building, originally designed by Oliver Hill and opening its doors for the first time in 1933. It was like stepping back in time to British holiday heydays by the sea.

The Midland takes its heritage seriously but without becoming cliché. Subtle nods to the past are all around you. There's a simple and classic colour scheme throughout, which itself comes with a story all of its own, taking inspiration from an old film.

Walking into reception felt grand but not pretentious. Their main attraction is the view and they make the most of it. The front of the hotel is a curved wall of glass. No painting can top the ever changing scene outside.

We checked in with the friendly staff and headed to our suite.

One of my favourite films is Room With A View, and while we didn't have the sun of Florence, we were not lacking in view. Our luxury suite had them on three sides, from huge windows (which did a stellar job in keeping out the dramatic weather) or braving the elements out on our private rooftop decking area.

But inside was impressing too. A huge living room with sofas, wall-mounted TV, bedroom with robes, hairdryer and ironing facilities, and a bathroom with the deepest tub I've ever seen and gorgeous toiletries.

There was a cuddly guest, Sam the dog. You could use his collar tag to let staff know you didn't want to be disturbed, and even buy him, with half the money going to children's charities. We're now the proud owners of Sam.

The suite also had a fitted kitchen with a fridge and cooker, Nespresso machine and some tasty refreshments. Between the weather and our fabulous surroundings, I wondered if we'd even leave the hotel.

By now we were pretty hungry and were looking forward to our evening meal, having booked our first night in the hotel's Sun Terrace Restaurant.

The menu didn't disappoint, as most things at The Midland don't. Local and seasonal are key ingredients here, and it was a tough choice but in the end it was scallops (with truffle, celeriac puree, pancetta and leek) for him and butternut squash pie (with blue cheese, spinach, sage and pine nuts) for me. Our starters were little works of art, and absolutely full of flavour.

Mains next and my other half opted for roast Goosnargh corn-fed chicken (with potato cake, roscoff onion, roast shallot puree, lemon and tarragon), with myself having good comfort food, truffle gnocchi (with roast celeriac, spinach, wild mushroom and hazelnut). I washed this down with ginger beer, served in a bottle very suiting to the hotel's 30s roots.

To finish, a man-sized portion of sticky toffee pudding and for me, rhubarb and ginger cheesecake. I sampled the pudding for research purposes of course. The food was excellent and matched by the service.

There was a lovely atmosphere in the restaurant, with dressed up couples, families, businesspeople and a few larger groups celebrating special occasions. This was clearly where people went to feel like they were being treated.

With very full bellies, it was off to bed to rest up for hopefully a day of walking…

The weather gods had other plans. As we enjoyed a full English with a view, having nibbled on fruit, yoghurt and croissants (porridge with whisky as a topping was also available and quite the conversation starter) we agreed to brave a drive out and hope for the best.

An hour later we arrived in a very wet Coniston. This was definitely not going to be a walking weekend. We had a little bit of an explore and by lunchtime found ourselves in the adorable Green Housekeeper Café, where I had a scone the size of my head, with butter, cream and jam of course, and my partner went for soup and a toastie. There are toasties, then there was this giant. They don't scrimp here.

A very damp short cut back to the car that turned out not to be that short (sorry Ian, it seemed quicker in the car that other time) and we headed back to The Midland.

Our afternoon was spent relaxing in our perfect hideaway, snuggled up watching the sun go down, blessed with a captivating orange sky during a break in the weather.

Later on we were peckish, and at very short notice called a small restaurant we'd passed earlier, to see if they could fit us in. Mia Italia, a 10 minute drive away in Bolton-le-Sands, Carnforth was a gem. It was more food than we had any right eating but eat it we did. The bitter wind outside making every mouthful of cannelloni and lasagne absolutely justified.

Back at base and we were already sad thinking of our departure the next day but we woke on the Sunday to sunshine and bright blue skies.

Having packed up after another fine breakfast with a view (staff even took it upon themselves to replace the toast we had burnt, a nice touch), we went for an explore. The hotel happily allowing us to stay parked there until our return.

The sun was out but it was definitely hat weather. We walked along the pier, paying 20p to use the telescope to try and identify what all the lights we saw across the bay at night belonged to. Not aliens apparently.

The walk along the front is well thought out, with lots of seating and interesting things to see. I craved a return in warmer weather.

We stopped to see the Eric Morecambe statue, a must for any visitor, before finding a retro café for a coffee stop, and losing a few quid in the amusements trying to grab cuddly toys, giggling like big kids. It was a nice break from jobs and general adulting. A literal breath of fresh air.

But all good things must come to an end. We went back to The Midland one last time, and it was full of people enjoying afternoon tea, towers of cakes looking incredibly tempting. There were families having special lunches, a mix of generations enjoying their beautiful surroundings.

We took in the view one last time, both agreeing a return would be a sure thing. Our stay had been relaxing, a real chance to switch off, and that was inevitable at The Midland, whatever the weather.

The Midland is one of the hotels that makes up English Lakes Hotels resorts and Venues. For more information call direct on 01524 424 000 or to book call 0330 4045 869. Or you can visit online at https://englishlakes.co.uk/the-midland/