Sparkly St Ives...

When you think of St Ives you’d be forgiven for immediately thinking of fun family holidays spent on the beach but we think St Ives is just magical during the winter. A particularly special time to visit is in the lead up to Christmas when colourful lights illuminate the harbour and punchy mulled cider is a staple in most pubs. Come at the right time and you may even catch a glimpse of Santa Claus, who’s chosen mode of transportation in St Ives is (of course) the Lifeboat.

With a packed calendar of events throughout December there are so many reasons to enjoy a luxury break in St Ives, and that’s without mentioning the unique shopping opportunities. Here is a selection of the December events we’re getting excited about:

4^th December: Christmas lights switch on

Fisherman’s Hut, Harbour Front, 5pm

St Ives Mayor and champion fundraiser Madison Glinski will transform the town into a winter wonderland when they switch on the festive lights.

4^th December: Santa arrives in town

Harbour Front, 6pm

Ditching his usual sleigh, Santa arrives into the Harbour aboard the Lifeboat and is met by the Three Kings and their camels who will all parade to Santa’s magic grotto at The Glass Tree in Fore Street.

12^th December: Christmas Puppet Show

Boathouse Theatre, 4pm

This year Humpty Dumpty and Frosty the Snowman present their annual show. Great fun for all the family. Also showing on other dates throughout December.

20^th December: Food Trail

Various venues across St Ives, 12pm

Sample some fantastic local goodies with a food trail across St Ives. Finish up at The Castle where there’s a meal for two at Rum & Crab Shack and a magnum of Champagne up for grabs.

22^nd December: Kidz R Us Christmas Pantomime

Kidz R Us Theatre, 2.30pm & 7.30pm

Kidz R Us present it’s famous festive Panto which, this year, combines elements of two traditional stories: Robin Hood and Babes in the Wood. Also showing on other dates throughout December.

24^th December: Christmas Farmers Market

Guildhall, 9.30am

Pick up those essential Christmas treats and last minute gifts from local producers and enjoy some festive entertainment.

Up until 21^st December The Sail Lofts luxury self-catering in St Ives can offer short breaks in all of it’s properties so if you only have a few days to spare you can still enjoy all St Ives has to offer in the build up to Christmas.

With a handful of properties still available over Christmas now is the perfect time to book your festive getaway. Here at The Sail Lofts we think we’ve thought of everything to ensure your Christmas away from home is seamless. Real Christmas trees, crackers, an emergency wrapping kit and a secret present store are just a few of the things that come as standard. We can also order the meat for the big day and our friends at Cornish Food Market can deliver all the trimmings direct to your door.

Whether you’re looking for a pre-Christmas getaway or you’re planning to celebrate the big day with us, you can view our December availability here.

Kelly x   

Luxury self catering in St Ives, Cornwall…

As specialists in the booking industry we can appreciate how hard it can sometimes be to find the perfect holiday. We all have set criteria along with time constraints, mixed with high expectations of having a fun, yet whilst enjoying a relaxing time away, making finding the time to book the perfect holiday difficult…

TripAdvisor can be a great place to start when looking for luxury self catering in St Ives, with a broad range of locations, destinations and accommodation listed, and its honest guest reviews detailing what to expect on arrival, and what services are truly like, it is a safe way to gauge which holiday accommodation to book.

“Wonderful family holiday at Slipway”

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Our family just returned to the USA following a simply wonderful short break in St Ives, staying at the fantastic Sail Lofts. We stayed in Slipway that had its own entrance and invaluable convenient parking. The apartment was beautiful and wonderfully appointed with our family of 5 able to fully relax and enjoy our time in Cornwall. We completely loved the Slipway apartment and would highly recommend to any family. As a person that appreciates the details I can honestly say that there was nothing that disappointed. A perfect place to stay for the family! Loved it!

Stayed October 2015, travelled with family

The Sail Lofts luxury self catering apartments in St Ives are ranked No 1 for specialty lodgings in St Ives by TripAdvisor for providing continued five star standards, for its accommodation, services and location. Entered in to the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame this year for its continued success. Upon the TripAdvisor website you can find guests top tips from their own stays at Sail Lofts, and frequently asked questions, along with guests own photographs of the apartments, giving an insiders glance at what the apartments and accommodation is really like.

“Lovely relaxing break”

Reviewed 3 weeks ago

We spent a lovely relaxing weekend at The Sail Lofts staying in the Ocean apartment. The place was very close to Porthmeor beach. Both the lounge and main bedroom overlooked the beach. We could fault nothing about Ocean. The bed was comfortable, the whole apartment was tastefully decorated and had great facilities including wifi, internet/DAB radio, double oven, microwave, fridge, freezer, Nespresso machine, dishwasher, washing machine, drier, TV (with Apple TV), beach towels, 2 bathrooms, welcome pack the list goes on. If you want a great place to stay in St Ives, you won't find better than The Sail Lofts.

Room Tip: Ocean apartment has views of Porthmeor beach

Part of the Sail Lofts success comes down to its on-site concierge team, providing over the phone support to guests regarding their individual bookings, and local tips on what to expect from a luxury self catering stay in St Ives and how to make the most out of a holiday in the St Ives area. Sail Lofts website lists many of St Ives local restaurants and top shopping spots, to give first time guests insight in to how to maximise their time in one of Cornwall’s most popular destinations.

To book luxury self catering in St Ives

Contact the Sail Lofts team to find out more about the St Ives area, luxury self catering in St Ives or to make a booking please visit the website or alternatively call our friendly team on 01736 799175 who will be happy to help.

Katy x

Autumn days out...

With the red hues of autumn just around the corner and the prospect of long sunny beach days dwindling, we’ve rounded up our top pick of days out for when the weather isn’t so kind. Of course if you just plan to relax in one of our luxury apartments in St Ives, that’s fine, but if you fancy exploring further afield, here are some suggestions.

Tate St Ives

Porthmeor Beach, St Ives
Distance: 5 minute walk

With our guests getting free entry and it being on our doorstop this is ‘a must’. The building itself is an attraction with its obvious art deco design and thanks to its beachfront location the views are pretty spectacular too. Inside you’ll find modern art at its best alongside some thought provoking interactive displays.

Tehidy Woods

Just outside Camborne
Distance: 20 minute drive

With great woodland walks, dog friendly trails, ducks, geese and squirrels, this Country Park is perfect for an autumn stomp. The woods provide wonderful shelter so even if it’s a little wet you’re protected from the elements. Pack a bag of duck food and some nuts for the squirrels and you’ll (literally) have the wildlife eating from the palm of your hand. There’s also a lovely café buried within the woods serving a nice selection of food and drink.

 

National Maritime Museum

Discovery Quay, Falmouth
Distance: 50 minute drive

This museum aims to engage and inspire people with stories of the sea, boats and Cornwall and it certainly does that. If Cornwall’s heritage is something you’re keen to learn more about then it is certainly worth a visit. As well as the museum displays you can climb the Look Out Tower and enjoy panoramic views over the harbour, docks and estuary or head below sea level and check out the Tidal Zone. Here you can look into the harbour through two large windows and see the rise and fall of the tide. You may even get a glimpse of the wildlife that calls this harbour home. If you do make it to Falmouth I’d definitely recommend exploring the town too. There are some fabulous spots for lunch and a great selection of art galleries and boutique shops to nosey around.

Eden Project

Bodelva, Cornwall
Distance: 60 minute drive

Having quickly climbed the ranks, the Eden Project is without doubt Cornwall’s most famous attraction and once you are there it’s easy to see why. Descend into what once was a working china clay pit and you are immediately transfixed by the revolutionary design of the biomes that house plants from all over the world. With a focus on sustainability Eden gives a real insight into how we can do our bit for the environment and offers you a chance to get up close and personal with some weird and wonderful plants. Throughout the year there are some fantastic workshops to get involved with and Eden’s famous Ice Rink, set to a twinkly backdrop, should not be missed.

Whatever the weather our 5* accommodation in St Ives is perfect for a relaxing break and ideally placed for fun filled days out when you fancy getting out and about. For further information about our luxury apartments in St Ives please call 01736 799175 or visit our website, www.thesaillofts.co.uk

Kelly x 

Check Autumn availability

Winter Sun

Whilst much of the country has been embracing snow, we've been enjoying clear skies, crispy mornings and a very healthy amount of sun for February! Here are a few pics we took over the last week or two...

Red sky in the morning - not a shepherds warning on this day

Looking towards Godrevy one morning

If this was summer those tables wouldn't be empty!

We've got some great deals if you want to come and enjoy a relaxing break in St Ives, why not have a look at our latest luxury spa break offer? Or see here for our half term and late availability offers.

We're back (even though we never went anywhere!)

We might have been quiet recently - sorry about that - its been very busy at Sail Lofts HQ! The last month has seen sun, surf, flat spells, a bit of rain and lots and lots of happy visitors to St Ives.

Since we last posted we welcome a new team of cleaners to The Sail Lofts, we have launched our next venture in Suffolk (see below for more info) and we have launched 2012 pricing - if this isn't enough we have some other exciting new projects coming soon.

A late cancellation means our Bay apartment is available next week, grab a bargain as we have reduced the price to £1249 and it sleeps 8 - thats only £22 per person per night.

Moving on, our new venture is a pub in the pretty village of Stoke by Nayland in Suffolk, it is a 16th century inn, which we have added our touch to with a sympathetic refurbishment, a new chef and a new menu (new website is coming soon - we'll keep you posted). If you are around the area do pop in for a drink, some food or stay the night in one of the boutique rooms. We wish the team in Suffolk the best of luck over the coming months. Here are some pictures to give you a flavour...

September is on its way

If I could ask for a perfect week in Cornwall it would probably look a lot like this one. To get it off to a good start its only a 4 day week, allowing my Monday to be spent mostly in the water in the sun - ideal! 

But it gets better, the weather is set to continue right up until Sunday and may be even longer, those balmy September evenings are about to arrive. 

If this isn't enough, the surf looks likes its going to be going off in Cornwall, with the first hurricane swell of the year, Danielle, due to arrive around Thursday and a blocking high pressure system over the South West. This means great weather, light offshores and a solid 4ft+ of swell reaching over the weekend. 

Get your sun cream, board and BBQ out, September is on its way! 

Image courtesy of the Met Office for full details of the chart please visit their website

Happy St Pirans Day!

Happy St Pirans day to one and all! We all celebrated with pasties today, which went down very well as usual, thank you St Ives Bakery! Only a short post today as it really hectic down here at The Sail Lofts.

Rumours have been flying around St Ives (and much of Cornwall) about Pirates of the Caribbean coming to St Ives, Johnny Depp has even been rumored to be seen around! The Sun and MTV have got the story into the mainstream press but is it true?

We are moving closer to announcing our new ventures, sign up to our newsletter before 4 today for the full low down to find out some of our plans.

On a final note for those who have had the opportunity to be out and about in Cornwall this week, you will know what a superb week of weather it has been, and long may it continue. But a bit of surf would be quite nice too, Monday and Tuesday are looking quite good, so finger crossed.

Have a good week!

A mixed bag

Cornwall seems to be having a fairly busy weekend approaching with lots going on. For the art enthusiasts, Late at the Tate is an opportunity to view the gallery for free every last Friday of the month. For those who can make it, this is on tonight featuring the Dexter Dalwood exhibition. 

Good news for all Cornish residents is the Tate St Ives is offering free entry throughout March, just ring along proof of residence. Has to be worth a trip to St Ives to take this up especially as we have been told it is a really good exhibition. If you do then drop by and say hello to us at The Sail Lofts.

Work is continuing on our new addition in St Ives, a traditional fisherman's cottage which is being modernised to our high standards. The workmen are doing a great job of pulling this project together and we look forward to posting some pictures of the new property on this blog. 

We are progressing with our new venture which we are extremely excited about, word seems to be working its way around town but watch this space for the full details. 

We will hopefully be getting a newsletter out next week, if you aren't already signed up make sure you do here. 

Its been a varied week for surf, with the North coast seeing perfection on Wednesday, and the South coast has remained surprisingly consistent. With a mixed bag of winds it is going to be difficult to predict the surf over the weekend but I'm hoping one of the coasts will have a wave. Don't forget to check out our twitter account for the latest surf in St Ives. Next week isn't looking too promising so it could be worth making the most of any swell this weekend even if the wind is on it.


As usual we have a couple of cracking deals for last minute stays in our wonderful apartments in St Ives. 

Making the most of 2009

After a few days off it was back to the office yesterday and its been very busy with new bookings (perhaps taking advantage of the 15% Vat?). The Christmas break was brilliant, some dry days, walking along the coast paths and of course a few visits to some fine public houses. 

I made a visit to the Trengillywartha Inn at Nancenoy (the other side of Helston), and what a lovely pub it is, great food and atmosphere and a some rather tasty ales! I would recommend it to anyone, only a half hour drive from St Ives and it is a convenient stopping point for some good walks. 

We were gifted with some surf over the Christmas break, a couple of North coast days with some solid waves and a brilliant south coast day on Sunday at Praa Sands (20 minutes from St Ives). This week has and will see some small but clean conditions and looking into the weekend it should be small but offshore on the North Coast. Porthmeor had a wave this morning but its dropped away near high tide.


St Ives is bustling away with tourists making the most of the sales and the independent shops and galleries, and the preparations for St Ives' famous New Year celebrations are beginning. Fancy dress all the way!

As a thank you to our blog readers we are offering 20% off all apartments for January vacations, and if you book before the 31st December you can take advantage of the 15% VAT. To find out more please give us a call and tell us where you saw the offer on 01736 799175.

Lastly we would like to take the opportunity to wish you a very happy and prosperous new year!

Longer days are on the way!

What a crisp couple of days its been, icy cold in the mornings but on the whole glorious sunshine (with the odd hail or sleet shower) all in all St Ives seems to be fairing better than the rest of the country! I took this picture at lunch time today (sorry for poor quality only had my phone), it could almost be summer.

We're almost fully booked for Christmas now, but still have some space for New Year, and as a gesture of festive good will we've reduced the prices significantly for some lucky people! To find out more about these deals, either give us a ring on 01736 799 175 or visit The Sail Lofts and look for our offers at the bottom of the page.

The surf has been a bit quiet recently, a rarity for the time of year! However things are looking like they may improve over the week, providing those winds play ball, at the very least there should be a bit of xmas swell. Magicseaweed is predicting some very long wave periods, and if it all comes good it could be a small but powerful swell!

We've started asking guests to review us on Tripadvisor, and what a response we have received! Thank you to all of you who have posted a review!

The Sail Lofts are now very busy with our xmas guests, and the town center is getting busier, especially with holiday makers enjoying a day out in the sun. So I best not blog for too long, as work, xmas shopping and the sun are calling!

Clear skies of St Ives

This is our first blog, and we'll be writing about St Ives mostly and giving an insight into some of activities and past times we enjoy in Cornwall. This will include local events, surf, art, and all things St Ives. As a bonus we will also be letting you know of some of the exclusive offers Sail Lofts self catering can offer to our online readers.


Winter has definitely arrived in St Ives this week, with the first frosts of the seasons and the town is gearing up for xmas. But its good winter weather as we're getting mostly clear skies letting the sun shine through, gone are the dramatic gales and showers of autumn.

The nice weather has also given some nice clean surf for the past week or so, with some days better than others, but the open beaches of the North coast have finally been working for the first time in a while. As part of this blog we'll try and post some pictures of the surf in the area too.

Xmas is very nearly here but its not too late to book a holiday to recover from all the Christmas parties. We have some fantastic last minute deals available, so why not have a very special break in the lovely St Ives this Christmas or New year? To find out more visit our special offers page or call us on 01736 799 175.