Morecambe is on the up!

Answer: they’re not a patch on the view from the grand, old promenade across glorious Morecambe Bay.

Yes, that’s right: Morecambe, where the sun dances off the waves and snow shimmers on the Lake District hills looming in the distance.

Morecambe, where generations came to parade the seafront in their finery before package holidays to Spain spoiled all the fun.

Lesser towns would have probably given up the ghost.

But plucky Morecambe’s got way too much heart and soul for that.

Our base for our two-night break was the truly stunning Midland Hotel, a 1930s art deco seafront gem which fell into such disrepair in the 1990s that it came within a wisp of demolition.

But the good folk of Morecambe fought tooth and nail to keep the bulldozers out and the precious building was saved.

It reopened in 2008 after a painstaking £7 million operation to restore to its prime – and, wow, what a prime that is.

You walk into reception and the first thing you notice are the giant floor-to-ceiling windows which curve round the bay.

Then you notice the funky furniture by artist Eric Gill and the beautiful spiral staircase stretching up to the suites were Noel Coward and Coco Chanel stayed back in the Morecambe heyday.

Truly, it’s a building re-born.

Indeed, not content with saving the iconic Midland, the locals have now turned to their attentions to the Winter Gardens, once one of the biggest entertainment venues in the UK.

Slowly, this beautiful red brick building dating back to 1897 – which like the Midland was on the verge of demolition – is being restored, largely thanks to volunteers.

It’s that kind of town, Morecambe.

People take it to their heart – which is just as well because there’s a long way still to go.

The sweeping prom itself is in great shape, with new playgrounds and, of course, the jaunty statue of legendary entertainer Eric Morecambe who took his town’s name as his own.

But a lot of the shops on the other side of the road are struggling and many have closed down.

In the town centre behind them, a much-needed regeneration is about to kick into action.

But don’t let that put you off.

The star of the show here remains that promenade and those views.

We strolled the two miles along to Heysham village with our dog (yes, the Midland is canine-friendly too), stopped for lunch and then ambled back.

Even my hard-to-impress 12-year-old daughter, Charlotte, gave the waves and scenery a big thumbs-up.

Morecambe’s also home to the beautiful Happy Mount Park where there’s a kids splashzone in the summer.

On our second day we made the 15-minute journey to historic Lancaster to wander around the mazy streets and do some shopping.

We didn’t stay long though – because we had dinner booked at Midland, where the menu is pitched just right: proper cooking with lots of local ingredients (check out the Morecambe Bay potted shrimps).

If you’re not a fan of over-formal dining, don’t worry: the surroundings are stunning but the atmosphere is relaxed and unstuffy and there’s a pianist tinkling the ivories as you eat.

Portions are generous, so make sure you leave room for pudding.

We dragged ourselves away from the dining room for a nightcap in the Rotunda bar at the end of the building, which has 360 degree views across the bay coupled with red leather booths and alcoves where you feel you’re on a decadent 1930s film-set.

It’s a similar sensation up in the rooms.

We had a corner room bigger than the suites in some hotels with a beautiful bathroom hidden behind clever wood panelling with a giant freestanding bath that you just didn’t want to get out of.

Morecambe? Down and out? No way.

The old place is getting its confidence back.

Starting prices at the Midland Hotel per double room per night for dinner, bed and breakfast: £214 (sea view) and £172 (no sea view).

For more details, call 01524 424000 www.englishlakes.co.uk/hotels