St Ives Harbour

St Ives Harbour
A beautiful day in St Ives

Thursday 13 November 2014

The Times, cool hotel guide...


Back in September we had the pleasure of playing host to Times journalist Tom Chesshyre, here is what he had to say…

A mid a tangle of lanes dotted with art galleries behind the sandy curve of Porthmeor beach, a small sign marks the entrance to a nondescript mid 20th-century building with a whitewashed wall. Step inside and an archway opens into a pretty courtyard with olive trees, neat rows of box hedges and a fountain. Around this courtyard, and in a few connecting buildings, are 12 “boutique apartments”. They’re really quite lovely.



In a nutshell
The name Sail Lofts comes from this once being a store for fishermen’s nets and sails, which subsequently morphed into a pilchard pressing yard, before having a spell as Mr Peggoty’s nightclub (apparently a St Ives institution). It has been an upmarket apartment-hotel with a breakfast-in-bed service since 2008.

What are the rooms like?
The rooms are first class: minimalist yet warm with objets d’art, church candles and bright modern art. Walls are painted white and most floors are blond wood. Pastel blue, shocking pink and lavender coloured sofas add the colour to the pared-down furnishings. Framed wall paintings include local seaside scenes. The apartments come with either one, two, three or four bedrooms – and each has a modern kitchen.

So what is the food like?
Continental breakfast-in-bed is an extra £15 a day for two people and includes croissants from a nearby baker. Or you can opt for a full Cornish breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausages, mushrooms, fresh bread and black pudding for £29.95 for two (you cook the ingredients). These are delivered in hampers by a concierge, who will also take orders for food so it is ready when you arrive, and can arrange for fresh catches of fish – including lobsters – to be brought on a daily basis.

What else is there to do?
The Tate St Ives is a couple of minutes away by foot (www.tate.org.uk/visit/st-ives) and it’s a little further along to the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden (barbarahepworth.org.uk/st-ives). Guests at Sail Lofts are given tickets for free entry to both. Sail Lofts also has a spa in a side room offering Elemis treatments; massages are £55 an hour. Or take a walk along the coast; there are many great routes, some with restful train rides back.


The Times, published: Saturday 8 November 2014

Katy x